Clothing & Accessories

Work, play, fashion, economic class, religious faith, even politics—all these aspects of American life and more are woven into clothing. The Museum cares for one of the nation's foremost collections of men's, women's, and children's garments and accessories—from wedding gowns and military uniforms to Halloween costumes and bathing suits.

The collections include work uniforms, academic gowns, clothing of presidents and first ladies, T-shirts bearing protest slogans, and a clean-room "bunny suit" from a manufacturer of computer microchips. Beyond garments, the collections encompass jewelry, handbags, hair dryers, dress forms, hatboxes, suitcases, salesmen's samples, and thousands of fashion prints, photographs, and original illustrations. The more than 30,000 artifacts here represent the changing appearance of Americans from the 1700s to the present day.

According to the donor, we believe that this dress was worn by Electra Wade of Northfield, New Jersey. She was married to Henry Beach.Although the dress is fashionable in its cut, it was most likely a work or everyday dress.
Description
According to the donor, we believe that this dress was worn by Electra Wade of Northfield, New Jersey. She was married to Henry Beach.
Although the dress is fashionable in its cut, it was most likely a work or everyday dress. The heavyweight linen from which it is made dictated that pleats rather than gathers be used to control the fullness at the center back of the upper skirt section. The donor claimed that the fabric had been woven by the wearer Electra Wade. Although we know that less expensive fabrics of this type were available from merchants, the construction of this particular fabric does appear to confirm the donor’s claim. If one looks closely at the fabric, it is evident that it was woven by a less skilled weaver, who periodically lost the pattern by leaving out a row of one of the colors. These mistakes are most noticeable part way down the center front of the skirt section and near the sleeve area on the front.
The dress is constructed of a two-tone blue and brown woven linen plaid. It is an empire style with a center front bodice opening that extends four inches into skirt section. The front bodice extends into the back at the sides and is applied over the back at the seams where it topstitched. There is deep U-shape at front neckline. A drawstring is attached to the dress at the back shoulder on either side and is inserted into a casing at the front neckline for tying at center front. There is a rectangular piece over each shoulder. A drawstring at the waist seam is attached the dress at the sides for an additional front closure. Blue and white striped linen lines the bodice. The lining is attached at the back and sides, but extends below the waist seam and hangs free. At the front the lining hangs free and is meant to lap over at center front, but with no visible means of closure. The long straight sleeves are set in far to the back. The skirt section consists of four pieces to include a straight piece at front, a triangular gusset at either side, and a rectangular piece for the back. The skirt back is pleated into the waist seam with box pleats. There is a fold over hem in skirt section.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1795 - 1825
1795-1825
worn by
Beach, Electa Wade
ID Number
CS.255655.001
catalog number
255655.001
accession number
255655
A jewelry box made of orange celluloid with a pearlescent finish. The Art Deco style box has a hinged lid which is decorated with a tulip motif. The bottom of the box is lined with felt. It has the Amerith trademark. Amerith was a tradename of the Celluloid Corporation.
Description
A jewelry box made of orange celluloid with a pearlescent finish. The Art Deco style box has a hinged lid which is decorated with a tulip motif. The bottom of the box is lined with felt. It has the Amerith trademark. Amerith was a tradename of the Celluloid Corporation. It is also marked with the pattern name, Brinkley, which was introduced in 1929.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1929
maker
Celluloid Manufacturing Company
ID Number
2006.0098.1675
catalog number
2006.0098.1675
accession number
2006.0098
Straight pin-back United War Work Campaign pin. The pin is a flat, white square with a blue circle.
Description (Brief)
Straight pin-back United War Work Campaign pin. The pin is a flat, white square with a blue circle. Text in the circle says “United War Work Campaign.” Within the circle is a red shield that says “For The Boys Over There.”
The United War Work Campaign was a joint effort undertaken by seven voluntary organizations active during World War I: the National War Work Council of the YMCA, the War Work Council of the YWCA, the National Catholic War Council (Knights of Columbus), the Jewish Welfare Board, the War Camp Community Service, the American Library Association, and the Salvation Army. The aim of the campaign was for these seven organizations to raise at least $170,500,000 in subscriptions and pledges during the week of November 11–18, 1918, to help boost American soldiers’ morale and provide them with recreational activities.
Much like the use of military insignia to identify its wearer (by association with an organization) and his/her achievements, these pins and buttons were meant to be worn by Americans on the home front during World War I to show their membership in an organization and/or their contribution to a particular war effort, such as the United War Work Campaign. The pins and buttons displayed the wearer’s patriotism and generosity and undoubtedly also served to prompt others to become similarly involved in the various war efforts.
SOURCE:
“United War Work Campaign,” Committee on Public Information, Bulletin 42, 1918.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
maker
Whitehead & Hoag Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0255
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0255
Straight pin-back United War Work Campaign pin. The pin is a flat red, white, and blue rectangle.
Description (Brief)
Straight pin-back United War Work Campaign pin. The pin is a flat red, white, and blue rectangle. White text in the red portion reads “I Gave For The Boys.” Blue text in the white portion reads “Did You?” White text in the blue portion reads “United War Work Campaign.”
The United War Work Campaign was a joint effort undertaken by seven voluntary organizations active during World War I: the National War Work Council of the YMCA, the War Work Council of the YWCA, the National Catholic War Council (Knights of Columbus), the Jewish Welfare Board, the War Camp Community Service, the American Library Association, and the Salvation Army. The aim of the campaign was for these seven organizations to raise at least $170,500,000 in subscriptions and pledges during the week of November 11–18, 1918, to help boost American soldiers’ morale and provide them with recreational activities.
Much like the use of military insignia to identify its wearer (by association with an organization) and his/her achievements, these pins and buttons were meant to be worn by Americans on the home front during World War I to show their membership in an organization and/or their contribution to a particular war effort, such as the United War Work Campaign. The pins and buttons displayed the wearer’s patriotism and generosity and undoubtedly also served to prompt others to become similarly involved in the various war efforts.
SOURCE:
“United War Work Campaign,” Committee on Public Information, Bulletin 42, 1918.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
maker
Whitehead & Hoag Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0261
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0261
A stamp holder and pocket calendar of cream celluloid. The inside contains a calendar for 1900. A promotional novelty, it advertises Oak Hall Clothing Co. of Boston.
Description (Brief)
A stamp holder and pocket calendar of cream celluloid. The inside contains a calendar for 1900. A promotional novelty, it advertises Oak Hall Clothing Co. of Boston. The front resembles a stamped envelope.
Oak Hall was a well-known men’s clothing retailer in Boston started by George W. Simmons. The name derives from the new woodwork in the store following an 1842 renovation—a look that became synonymous with high-end men’s clothing stores. Thanks to Simmons's aggressive marketing campaigns, the store was familiar to most residents of New England in the mid-19th century. It is mentioned in works by Nathaniel Hawthorne (“Main Street”) and derisively by Henry David Thoreau (“Ktaadn”), as well as in correspondence by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who was incensed at the store’s use of advertising poems (written by “Professor Goodfellow”), and patterned on Longfellow's style.
Source: “Oak Hall in American Literature” by Steven Allaback, in American Literature Vol. 46 No.4 Jan. 1975, p. 545-549.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1900
maker
Whitehead & Hoag Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0980
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0980
Round War Savings Service button.
Description (Brief)
Round War Savings Service button. The outer circle is brown with light brown text that reads “∙ War Savings Service ∙ W.S.S.” The inner circle is blue and white with an image of the Statue of Liberty’s torch.
The War Savings Service was related to the purchase of War Savings Stamps. The U.S. Treasury began issuing War Savings Stamps in late 1917 to help fund American participation in World War I. The War Savings Service button was a way for Americans to indicate that they were “enlisted in the great army of production and saving” on the home front.
Much like the use of military insignia to identify its wearer (by association with an organization) and his/her achievements, these pins and buttons were meant to be worn by Americans on the home front during World War I to show their membership in an organization and/or their contribution to a particular war effort, such as the United War Work Campaign. The pins and buttons displayed the wearer’s patriotism and generosity and undoubtedly also served to prompt others to become similarly involved in the various war efforts.
SOURCE:
“Drive on for War Savings Stamps: Opportunity Given to All to Help Defeat Germany by Lending to the Government,” Greater New York 7 (June 24, 1918): 12. books.google.com/books?id=tisiAQAAMAAJ.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1917-1918
maker
Whitehead & Hoag Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0312
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0312
A powder box made of orange celluloid with a pearlescent finish. The Art Deco style box has a lift-off lid that is decorated with a tulip motif. The box has the Amerith trademark. Amerith was a tradename of the Celluloid Corporation.
Description (Brief)
A powder box made of orange celluloid with a pearlescent finish. The Art Deco style box has a lift-off lid that is decorated with a tulip motif. The box has the Amerith trademark. Amerith was a tradename of the Celluloid Corporation. It is also marked with the pattern name, Brinkley, which was introduced in 1929.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1929
maker
Celluloid Manufacturing Company
ID Number
2006.0098.1674
catalog number
2006.0098.1674
accession number
2006.0098
This pair of iron gates from the 1870s hung in the Dobson textile mill in Philadelphia, Penn., until 1991.In the late 18th century most workers were farmers or artisans, accustomed to overseeing their own work and schedules, and setting the pace of their work by the seasons and c
Description
This pair of iron gates from the 1870s hung in the Dobson textile mill in Philadelphia, Penn., until 1991.
In the late 18th century most workers were farmers or artisans, accustomed to overseeing their own work and schedules, and setting the pace of their work by the seasons and centuries-old traditions. With the rise of the factory system of production in the 19th century, managers sought to mold workers into disciplined and coordinated armies of employees. They tried to regulate each laborer's schedule, pace, and work habits. They prohibited amusements, reading, games, and consumption of alcohol—diversions that had been permitted in the flexible work schedule of artisans' shops.
Fences around factories protected property and symbolically established who was in control. A fence forced workers to file through a gate past a timekeeper's office. Americans who worked in textile mills were among the first to experience the new relationship between managers and workers. Not everyone adapted to the new rules. Some workers found ways to continue to control their own work, formed unions to enforce their own work rules, or quit.
user
Dobson Mill
owner of the mill
Dobson, John
ID Number
1991.0731.01
accession number
1991.0731
catalog number
1991.0731.01
Round United War Work Campaign button. The button is white with a red border.
Description (Brief)
Round United War Work Campaign button. The button is white with a red border. White text on the border reads “* United * War Work Campaign.” A blue star and “7” are in the center of the button.
The United War Work Campaign was a joint effort undertaken by seven voluntary organizations active during World War I: the National War Work Council of the YMCA, the War Work Council of the YWCA, the National Catholic War Council (Knights of Columbus), the Jewish Welfare Board, the War Camp Community Service, the American Library Association, and the Salvation Army. The aim of the campaign was for these seven organizations to raise at least $170,500,000 in subscriptions and pledges during the week of November 11–18, 1918, to help boost American soldiers’ morale and provide them with recreational activities.
Much like the use of military insignia to identify its wearer (by association with an organization) and his/her achievements, these pins and buttons were meant to be worn by Americans on the home front during World War I to show their membership in an organization and/or their contribution to a particular war effort, such as the United War Work Campaign. The pins and buttons displayed the wearer’s patriotism and generosity and undoubtedly also served to prompt others to become similarly involved in the various war efforts.
SOURCE:
“United War Work Campaign,” Committee on Public Information, Bulletin 42, 1918.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914-1918
maker
Whitehead & Hoag Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0313
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0313
Straight pin-back United War Work Campaign pin. The pin is a flat, blue rectangle with white print that reads “United War Work Campaign.” Within the rectangle is a white square with a red shield.
Description (Brief)
Straight pin-back United War Work Campaign pin. The pin is a flat, blue rectangle with white print that reads “United War Work Campaign.” Within the rectangle is a white square with a red shield. The shield has white text that reads “For The Boys Over There.”
The United War Work Campaign was a joint effort undertaken by seven voluntary organizations active during World War I: the National War Work Council of the YMCA, the War Work Council of the YWCA, the National Catholic War Council (Knights of Columbus), the Jewish Welfare Board, the War Camp Community Service, the American Library Association, and the Salvation Army. The aim of the campaign was for these seven organizations to raise at least $170,500,000 in subscriptions and pledges during the week of November 11–18, 1918, to help boost American soldiers’ morale and provide them with recreational activities.
Much like the use of military insignia to identify its wearer (by association with an organization) and his/her achievements, these pins and buttons were meant to be worn by Americans on the home front during World War I to show their membership in an organization and/or their contribution to a particular war effort, such as the United War Work Campaign. The pins and buttons displayed the wearer’s patriotism and generosity and undoubtedly also served to prompt others to become similarly involved in the various war efforts.
SOURCE:
“United War Work Campaign,” Committee on Public Information, Bulletin 42, 1918.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914-1918
maker
Whitehead & Hoag Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0256
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0256
Color print of a circular track in the center of a wooded park. The track contains rails on which ride two carts propelled by pulley and chain mechanisms. People are standing outside a large building on the left and seated on benches around the track.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Color print of a circular track in the center of a wooded park. The track contains rails on which ride two carts propelled by pulley and chain mechanisms. People are standing outside a large building on the left and seated on benches around the track.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
unknown
ID Number
DL.60.3685
catalog number
60.3685
Color print depicting a large crowd of visitors standing in front of the New York Crystal Palace, a glass and iron structure with a central dome.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Color print depicting a large crowd of visitors standing in front of the New York Crystal Palace, a glass and iron structure with a central dome.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1853
publisher
Seitz, Emil
printer
Ballin, M.
artist; printer
Fay, Augustus
ID Number
DL.60.3748
catalog number
60.3748
Black and white print of the lavishly decorated “Gem Saloon,” known for containing the city's largest mirror. The top of the mirror features a large eagle. The “Gem Saloon” was located in a hotel on the corner of Broadway and Anthony (now Worth Street) in New York City.
Description
Black and white print of the lavishly decorated “Gem Saloon,” known for containing the city's largest mirror. The top of the mirror features a large eagle. The “Gem Saloon” was located in a hotel on the corner of Broadway and Anthony (now Worth Street) in New York City. Mayor Fernando Wood and eleven male politicians and businessmen are depicted drinking and conversing along with two bartenders and a dog. The title refers to the debate that was raging over the regulation of alcohol and a temperance movement that was launched in 1850 by the mayor of Portland, Maine in 1850. The Maine state bill forbid all alcoholic purchases except for "medicinal, mechanical or manufacturing purposes", resulting in an increase of alcoholic “quackery” medicines. Several other cities and states followed Maine’s example in legislation. In New York liquor law was passed in 1854 but vetoed by Governor Horatio Seymour. Then in 1855, with a new administration, the "Maine Law" was passed in New York, though it was never strictly enforced.
Augustus Fay was an engraver, lithographer and illustrator born in New York in 1824. He was active as an engraver in New York City 1848-1860, and as a lithographer in Hoboken, New Jersey and in New York in the 1850s.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1854
maker
Fay, Augustus
ID Number
DL.60.3000
catalog number
60.3000
accession number
228146
Hector Aguilar, trusted journalist and senior anchor at WNJU in New Jersey wore this jacket. Aguilar, a Cuban refugee who migrated to the United States in the 1960s, worked in broadcasting from an early age and made a career in radio and television.
Description
Hector Aguilar, trusted journalist and senior anchor at WNJU in New Jersey wore this jacket. Aguilar, a Cuban refugee who migrated to the United States in the 1960s, worked in broadcasting from an early age and made a career in radio and television. He chose stylish but formal clothing to signal his respect for the news and his audiences; he took both seriously and became a respected personality that viewers turned to for the news.
His daughter, Margarita Aguilar noted that he was “very fashion conscious and liked fabrics like tweed, pure wools and other natural fibers. He also admired great tailoring and fine design. He never wore a suit but well-tailored jackets such as this one ... with made-to-order pants from his tailor.”
In the 1950s, consumers made television the centerpiece of the home, fueling competition among broadcasters to create new products, new programming, new stations, and even new networks. Innovators, such as those behind the creation of independent Spanish-language stations and eventually the Spanish International Network (SIN), challenged established broadcasting companies by creating new programming in Spanish and catering to underserved audiences. Established in the early 1960s, SIN knit together independents and created new stations to serve a national audience. With a complex business and legal history, SIN eventually became Univision in the 1980s. In the decades after 1980, Spanish-language programing options grew with recognition of Latinx communities as powerful consumer groups and the advent of new broadcasting technologies such as cable and digital TV.
Description (Spanish)
Héctor Aguilar, periodista de renombre y presentador principal de WNJU en Nueva Jersey uso esta chaqueta. Aguilar, refugiado cubano que emigró a Estados Unidos en la década de 1960, comenzó a trabajar en radiodifusión desde temprana edad e hizo carrera en la radio y la televisión. Eligió ropa elegante y formal, para manifestar respeto por las noticias y por su audiencia; se dedicó con seriedad a ambos y se convirtió en una personalidad respetada a la que los espectadores acudían para mantenerse informados.
Su hija, Margarita Aguilar, señaló que él era “muy consciente de la moda y le gustaban las telas como tweed, las lanas puras y otras fibras naturales. También admiraba la gran sastrería y el diseño fino. Nunca vestía de traje, pero sí usaba chaquetas bien confeccionadas como esta ... con pantalones hechos a medida por su sastre ".
En la década de 1950, los consumidores hicieron de la televisión un componente central de sus hogares, fomentando la competencia entre las difusoras para crear nuevos productos, nueva programación, nuevas estaciones, e incluso nuevas redes. Los innovadores, como los creadores de los canales independientes de habla hispana y el Spanish International Network (SIN), desafiaron a las emisoras establecidas creando nuevos programas en español centradas en audiencias históricamente ignoradas. Establecido a principios de los sesenta, SIN unió a difusoras independentes y creó nuevas estaciones para responder a una audiencia nacional. Tras una compleja trayectoria empresarial y legal, SIN se convertiría en Univisión en la década de 1980. Durante las próximas décadas, las opciones de programación en español crecieron gracias al reconocimiento de la comunidad Latinx, como poderoso grupo de consumidores, y a la introducción de nuevas tecnologías de difusión, como el cable y la televisión digital.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca mid-1990s
1992 - 1996
ID Number
2017.0252.01
catalog number
2017.0252.01
accession number
2017.0252
Beginning in the late 18th century, some volunteer fire fighters began to wear hats painted with their company’s name to identify themselves at chaotic fire scenes.
Description
Beginning in the late 18th century, some volunteer fire fighters began to wear hats painted with their company’s name to identify themselves at chaotic fire scenes. During the 19th century, these fire hats became more ornate, as portraits of historical figures, patriotic scenes, allegorical images, or company icons were painted alongside the company’s name, motto, or founding date. Made of pressed felt, these “stove-pipe” hats were primarily used in Philadelphia, but other nearby cities such as Baltimore and Washington adopted them as well. Fire hats were personal items with the owner’s initials often painted on the top of the hat. While these hats were worn at fires, they are more colloquially known as “parade hats.” Fire companies commonly marched in the many parades of the period and these ornate hats contributed to the visual culture of their day. These distinguishing features in a company’s regalia often proclaimed the members’ cultural and political identity as well as their position on contested topics such as work, religion and immigration.
This fire hat dates to the first half of the 19th century. The hat is painted brown overall, with a portrait of George Washington painted inside a golden oval surrounded by green foliage. The text “Washington Co.” is arching above the portrait in gold paint. The back of the hat has the date “1820” in gold paint surrounded by a gold oval. The Washington Bucket Company was founded in 1820 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the company’s initials “W.B.” are on the top in gold block letters.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1820s
associated
Washington Co.
depicted
Washington, George
maker
unknown
ID Number
2005.0233.0094
catalog number
2005.0233.0094
accession number
2005.0233
Round Third Liberty Loan pin with metal pin-back. The pin is blue with a red border. White print reads “Third Liberty Loan.” An image of the Liberty Bell is in the center of the pin. A red, white, and blue plastic ribbon is attached to the pin.
Description (Brief)
Round Third Liberty Loan pin with metal pin-back. The pin is blue with a red border. White print reads “Third Liberty Loan.” An image of the Liberty Bell is in the center of the pin. A red, white, and blue plastic ribbon is attached to the pin. Blue text on the white portion reads “Volunteer.”
The Third Liberty Loan was part of the larger effort by the U.S. government to sell war bonds (also known as Liberty Bonds) during World War I to defray the expense of war. These bonds were issued by the U.S. Treasury. The Third Liberty Bond Act was passed by Congress on April 4, 1918, and the bonds began issuance shortly thereafter.
Much like the use of military insignia to identify its wearer (by association with an organization) and his/her achievements, these pins and buttons were meant to be worn by Americans on the home front during World War I to show their membership in an organization and/or their contribution to a particular war effort, such as the United War Work Campaign. The pins and buttons displayed the wearer’s patriotism and generosity and undoubtedly also served to prompt others to become similarly involved in the various war efforts.
SOURCE:
Treasury Department, Liberty Loan Acts (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1921). books.google.com/books?id=4qFAAAAAYAAJ.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
maker
Whitehead & Hoag Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0265
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0265
Advertising pin for Garrett & Company made specially for the Jamestown Exposition of 1907 in Norfolk, Virginia. The front features color images of Pocahontas, Virginia Dare and Minnehaha (described as "The Cousins") and a crest for Garrett's American Wines.
Description (Brief)
Advertising pin for Garrett & Company made specially for the Jamestown Exposition of 1907 in Norfolk, Virginia. The front features color images of Pocahontas, Virginia Dare and Minnehaha (described as "The Cousins") and a crest for Garrett's American Wines. An image of the Virginia Dare clock atop the Garrett and Co. building in Norfolk is on the back. The back also reads "Take Berkley ferry in Norfolk, Va."
Garrett & Company, established in North Carolina in 1835, was a manufacturer of American wines using the indigenous Scuppernong grape. Virginia Dare was their most popular wine, named for the first child born in America to English settlers. Dare was born on Roanoke Island, which is also home to the Mother Vine, a Scuppernong vine known to be the oldest cultivated grapevine in the world. Pocahontas and Minnehaha were names of two other Garrett & Company wines.
The company moved to Norfolk, Virginia, in 1903, after the growing temperance movement in the South made North Carolina an unfriendly environment for a wine business. By 1912, the spread of dry counties northward compelled the business to relocate for a final time to New York State. Eventually, nationwide Prohibition forced the company to abandon its wine manufacturing altogether. In the Dry years, the company diversified into Virginia Dare flavoring extracts and the sale of grapes for use in home winemaking.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1907
depicted
Pocahontas
advertiser
Garrett & Company
maker
Whitehead & Hoag Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0141
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0141
Pin for the Fatherless Children of France Society. The group was established to unite French orphans with American "godparents" through charitable giving. On the front is an image of a woman standing behind two children, against a green background.
Description (Brief)
Pin for the Fatherless Children of France Society. The group was established to unite French orphans with American "godparents" through charitable giving. On the front is an image of a woman standing behind two children, against a green background. Green print on reverse reads, "10 cents a day // $3.00 a month // $36.50 a year saves a child for France." Mrs. Walter S. Brewster is listed as the chairman.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1915-1920
maker
Whitehead & Hoag Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0130
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0130
The traditional American leather firefighter’s helmet with its distinctive long rear brim, frontpiece, and crest adornment was first developed around 1821-1836 in New York City. Henry T.
Description
The traditional American leather firefighter’s helmet with its distinctive long rear brim, frontpiece, and crest adornment was first developed around 1821-1836 in New York City. Henry T. Gratacap, a New York City luggage maker by trade, is often credited as the developer of this style of fire helmet. Gratacap created a specially treated leather helmet with a segmented “comb” design that led to unparalleled durability and strength. The elongated rear brim (also known as a duckbill or beavertail) and frontpiece were 19th century innovations that remain the most identifiable feature of firefighter’s helmets. The body of the helmet was primarily designed to deflect falling debris, the rear brim prevented water from running down firefighters’ backs, and their sturdy crowns could aid, if necessary, in breaking windows.
This leather fire helmet was manufactured by Cairns & Brother of New York, New York in the late 19th century. The 16 comb hat is painted black overall, with ivy vine scroll work stamped around the brim, and a two hoses flanking an inset metal frontpiece on the back of the brim. There is a metal frontpiece holder in the form of the fireman with a speaking trumpet to his mouth. The frontpiece is black leather with a red background and white lettering. The frontpiece reads “LIBERTY/7” in white leather and is signed “Daniel Gregory/Paterson, NJ” in the center. Gregory served as a member of several different Paterson Fire Companies, and was an officer in the Exempt Association of Paterson.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875
maker
Cairns & Brother
ID Number
2005.0233.0209
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0209
Worn by Peter Zeluff, assistant chief engineerCurrently not on view
Description
Worn by Peter Zeluff, assistant chief engineer
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1883-1885
user
Zeluff, Peter
maker
Cairns & Brother
ID Number
2005.0233.0015
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0015

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