The August 23rd Blouse

One of Mary Shelley’s primary reasons for returning to England in 1823 was to promote her husband’s writings. In preparation for an edition of his prose, she made this copy of a letter he had sent her from Venice, praising its gondolas. Her plans for publication were quickly thwarted by her father-in-law, who threatened to cut off financial support if she published anything by or about his son.



The letter inspired this blouse, which its creator, the American designer Graham Tyler Baldwin, adorned with embroidery that exactly reproduces its script. Baldwin made the piece for his fashion line, called Graham Tyler, as part of his 2019 collection inspired by Mary Shelley and the Library’s Pforzheimer Collection.