1800 Bartha Hermina Tollius

Dutch Early 19th-Century Floral Print – Perfect for Traditional Bodices

This fabric is a high-accuracy recreation of a 19th-century Dutch printed cotton used in regional dress from villages such as Blaricum. The deep red ground, compact floral repeats and layered colourwork capture the visual strength found in surviving originals.

The scale and structure of the motifs make this print especially suitable for traditional Dutch bodices. It supports gathered fronts, smocking, fitted sleeves and the characteristic silhouette seen in museum pieces from the mid-1800s. When sewn into a bodice, the pattern creates the same dense, rhythmic look that defines historic Dutch regional costume.

Ideal for museum-level reproduction, folk costume, reenactment garments or heritage-inspired sewing projects. This fabric delivers both authenticity and visual impact—perfect for makers who want to recreate the distinctive style of the Dutch countryside in the 19th century.

Bartha Hermina Tollius (1780–1847)
Bartha Hermina Tollius, born in Amsterdam in 1780, came from an educated Dutch family with a strong intellectual environment. Trained as an amateur artist, she produced refined pastel portraits, including a self-portrait and likenesses of her parents. Her life shifted dramatically in 1795 when political upheaval forced the family into exile in Germany. During this period she documented their displacement in Dagboek van onze uitlandigheid, a detailed and analytical record of adaptation, loss and everyday resilience.

Bartha combined artistic sensitivity with a clear, structured mindset—an understated but steady form of strength. She later returned to Amsterdam, where she lived until her death in 1847.

Her profile delivers a compelling narrative framework for historical textiles: Dutch origin, late-18th-century timing, and a storyline grounded in creativity, transition and endurance—ideal for authentic branding and product storytelling.