Moire silk was popular for clothing and furnishings—especially draperies, during the Victorian era. The production process of "calendering"—folding, rolling and heating of the fabric—produced the lustrous moire watermark effect.

The style of the dress is characteristic of the 1840s fashion, with low and sloping shoulders, a low pointed waist, and bell-shaped skirt.

Margaret Will Hay inherited the dress from her mother, Katherine Denison Gignoux. It was likely worn by a member of the Denison or Gignoux families of Portland and Cape Elizabeth.