Clothing & Accessories - Overview
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.
"Clothing & Accessories - Overview" showing 7 items.
Woman's Quaker Bonnet
- Description
- This bonnet from 1850-1874 is what a Quaker woman would have worn. Quaker bonnets were much plainer than the fashionable bonnets of the nineteenth century, with less adornment. They changed very little in style and shape making them difficult to date accurately. This bonnet with its quilted lining and skirt section would offer warmth to the wearer during inclement weather.
- This bonnet is constructed of dark navy blue velvet with a quilted maroon lining and curtain. The bonnet fastens with two black ribbon ties with a single long maroon ribbon attached to either side of the front edges. It measures 12 ½ inches high by 9 ½ inches wide by 12 inches deep.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1850-1874
- ID Number
- 1983.0805.04
- accession number
- 1983.0805
- catalog number
- 1983.0805.04
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Boy's School Cap
- Description
- This beanie style cap of blue and white cotton twill was worn by a lower grade school boy in the New York Public Schools. The "P.S. 49" logo stamped in blue ink at front center indicates "Public School" followed by the number to identify the school and area in which it was used. The crown is constructed of six white traingular sections coming together at a point with a blue twill covered button. A stiffened blue twill brim is attached at front. Overall it measures 3" high by 7 Inches wide by 8 5/8 inches deep.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1940-1950
- ID Number
- 1995.0019.012
- accession number
- 1995.0019
- catalog number
- 1995.0019.012
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Cruise Ship Doorman’s Hat
- Description
- This hat, resembling the traditional hotel bellhop’s cap, was part of the uniform worn by a doorman, named Dadang, who worked aboard the Holland America Line’s cruise ship Zuiderdam in 2007. The hat is red and blue polyester, with a golden braid stretching across the top of the head from ear to ear. The uniform also included a tailored red jacket, dark blue trousers, and a name tag. As a food and beverage worker in the ship’s hotel department, Dadang reported directly to the dining room manager. His primary job was to welcome passengers into the dining room by opening the door, to ring the dinner chime, to serve breakfast pastries, and to perform other services in the restaurant arm of the organization. In 2009, a cruise ship job similar to this paid about $1,200 to $1,400 per month, with room and board provided on the ship.
- Taking a cruise has become a popular leisure activity for many Americans. In 1980, 1.4 million Americans took a North American cruise and by 2005, that number had increased to 9.6 million. As both the number and size of cruise ships have grown, the number of people required to keep them running smoothly and to serve the needs of passengers has increased as well. Aboard the Zuiderdam, 800 crew work around the clock to fulfill the needs of 1,848 passengers.
- Cruise ship employees are recruited from around the world for a wide variety of jobs, from waiters to chefs, housekeepers to hair and nail technicians, and shop managers to wine auctioneers. For the many jobs requiring interaction with passengers, workers must have a good command of English, and English-speaking workers from the Philippines or Indonesia (like Dadang) fill many hospitality jobs aboard modern cruise ships. Americans are not typically attracted to most cruise-ship hospitality and service jobs because of low wages, long workdays at sea, and the hardship of having to be away from home and family for long periods of time.
- date made
- ca 2007
- ID Number
- 2007.0172.04
- catalog number
- 2007.0172.04
- accession number
- 2007.0172
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Bride's Cap
- Description
- This bride's cap was worn by Mary Eloise Tasher when she married William T. Moore on June 1, 1929 in South Bend, Indiana. It is constructed of white lace decorated with pearls and wax orange blossoms. The wax orange blossoms on the cap are a symbol of fertility since no tree is more prolific, bearing fruit and blooming at the same time. The blossom which is white is also a symbol of innocence and chastity. The use of orange blossoms became popular in the early nineteenth century and continued well into the 1950s. When real orange blossoms were not available or were in short supply, wax replicas, as on this bride's cap, were used instead.
- The cap was worn with a white satin dress, with a tiered skirt edged with net, and white satin shoes as well as a brassiere and panties that are all part of the Smithsonian collections. The pink georgette mother of the bride dress, worn by Mrs. Charles A. Tasher, and the yellow crepe de chine and green silk taffeta bridesmaid dress, worn by Lucy Lucile Tasher, sister of the bride, are also in the collections.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1929
- used by
- Tasher, Mary Eloise
- ID Number
- CS*058341
- catalog number
- 058341
- accession number
- 205719
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Standard Trainman, Conductor and Porter's Cap
- Description
- This generic railroad cap is black with a stiff crown, flat circular top and a short visor. The cap's basic shape, similar to the French kepi, was used for passenger train conductors, passenger train brakemen (also termed "trainmen"), Pullman porters (in the ten decades before Amtrak), "Red Caps" (who help travelers with their luggage at stations), and - in the 19th century and first half of the 20th - stationmasters and station agents. Hat badges and other decoration could be added to signify the wearer's position and railroad.
- ID Number
- TR*334516
- catalog number
- 334516
- accession number
- 309861
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Roy Wilkin's NAACP cap
- Description
- Roy Wilkins, executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, wore this cloth hat during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
- Date made
- before 1963
- user
- Wilkins, Roy
- referenced
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- ID Number
- 1980.0668.102
- accession number
- 1980.0668
- catalog number
- 1980.0668.102
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Cruise Ship Sailor’s Hat
- Description
- This white, European-style sailor’s hat with a dark blue ribbon and bow in the back was part of the classic sailor’s uniform worn by a member of the Nautical Department aboard the Holland America Line’s cruise ship Zuiderdam in 2007. The uniform also included a blue sailor’s shirt, dark blue pants, and a name tag. The wearer, named Handriyo, held the position of “sailor AB (able-bodied)” and he reported to the ship’s boatswain.
- The job involved performing maintenance and cleaning duties aboard the ship, including painting the ship inside and out; cleaning the outside decks and accommodations; working the mooring ropes; driving the ship’s tender; making small maintenance repairs; assisting in the maintenance of boats, rafts, and other gear on the deck; rigging cargo, baggage, and tender gear; opening and closing hatches; baggage handling; and performing shore duties. In 2009, an entry-level, able-bodied seaman working aboard a typical cruise ship earned about $1,500 to $1,800 per month, with room and board provided on the ship.
- Taking a cruise has become a popular leisure activity for many Americans. In 1980, 1.4 million Americans took a North American cruise and by 2005, that number had increased to 9.6 million. As both the number and size of cruise ships have grown, the number of people required to keep them running smoothly and to serve the needs of passengers has increased as well. Aboard the Zuiderdam, 800 crew work around the clock to fulfill the needs of 1,848 passengers.
- Cruise ship employees are recruited from around the world for a wide variety of jobs, from waiters to chefs, housekeepers to massage therapists, and pursers to shop managers. For the many jobs requiring interaction with passengers, workers must have a good command of English, and English-speaking workers from the Philippines or Indonesia (like Handriyo) fill many hospitality and service jobs aboard modern cruise ships. Americans are not typically attracted to most cruise-ship hospitality and service jobs because of low wages, long workdays at sea, and the hardship of having to be away from home and family for long periods of time.
- date made
- ca 2007
- ID Number
- 2007.0172.08
- catalog number
- 2007.0172.08
- accession number
- 2007.0172
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center