Cotton and Wool Girl's Ruffled Dress, 1880

Description:
Long-sleeved collar-less dress; wool-cotton blend of variegated brown and tan; red trim. Two ruffles descend from shoulders to waist, curving towards back; skirt trimmed horizontally with scallops; self-fabric overlays above hem. Red wool bias tape trim on ruffles, cuffs, scallops, and hem. Body lined with two patterns of brown checked cotton; sleeves lined with red checked cotton. Center-back opens completely; ten button closure. Home machine-made; tension on stitches variable; seams unfinished; some basting stitches evident. Princess-line dresses with long sleeves were popular from the 1860s to the 1880s. According to the donor, this dress was worn by Alice Arick Johnson (born Elmina Alice Arick, 9/20/1877) of Roanoke, Indiana in about 1880, when she was about three. Its construction indicates that it was not expertly made, but machine-made at home from a paper pattern; tension on the stitches is variable, the seams were left unfinished and have begun to unravel, and some basting stitches are evident. The additive trim, which would have been simple to make, adds visual interest.
Date Issued:
[1855 TO 1905]
Data Provider:
Wayne State University. Libraries and The Henry Ford
Collection:
Digital Dress Collection
Place:
Roanoke, Indiana, United States
Subject Topic:
Dresses and Children's clothing
Format:
clothing
Rights:
Images are copyright The Henry Ford. Web versions may be used for reference purposes only. If you would like a higher quality image please contact the Benson Ford Research Center.
URL:
http://digital.library.wayne.edu/item/wayne:EM02_90_88_2