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 12 items.
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Delaware Company Cape
- Description
- Some early American firefighters wore capes for protection, ornamentation, and identification. The stiff oil cloth protected their shoulders and upper body against fiery embers and water, and the decorative painting served to identify company members at chaotic fire scenes or on parade. The capes were often painted by local sign painters, some skilled artists like John A. Woodside, who also painted the company’s hats and banners and decorated their fire engines. Many of the capes in the firefighting collection display patriotic names and symbolism, reflecting themes important to 19th century volunteers, as well as the pride they felt in the early founding date of their fire company.
- This oil cloth cape is painted blue, with the company name “Delaware” in gold with black shading and the date "1821" in gold with red shading. The company number "4" is at each end of the cape in gold with black shading. The cape was most likely from the Delaware Fire Company based in Trenton, New Jersey, founded in 1821. The cords on this cape are still intact and show how these rather heavy capes would be tied around the fireman’s neck.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1840-1850
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0122
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0122
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
America Hose Company Cape
- Description
- Some early American firefighters wore capes for protection, ornamentation, and identification. The stiff oil cloth protected their shoulders and upper body against fiery embers and water, and the decorative painting served to identify company members at chaotic fire scenes or on parade. The capes were often painted by local sign painters, some skilled artists like John A. Woodside, who also painted the company’s hats and banners and decorated their fire engines. Many of the capes in the firefighting collection display patriotic names and symbolism, reflecting themes important to 19th century volunteers, as well as the pride they felt in the early founding date of their fire company.
- This oil cloth cape is painted maroon with gold trim. The center of the cape has gold letters that read “America Hose” with a golden “A” (for America) on each shoulder. America was a common name among fire companies, making it difficult to determine which company this cape, painted burgundy with yellow lettering, belonged. Companies often chose monikers such as America, Eagle, Columbia, Washington, and United States to link their company with patriotic values of a still young republic. Hose companies began to form the first decades of the 19th century, with the creation of municipal water systems and developments in hose design that made the equipment more functional and essential in fighting fires in larger cities. Hose companies were responsible for maintaining the leather hoses, transporting and working them at fires. The hose allowed firemen to quickly bring water to a blaze from a distance, as well as the ability to put more water directly on the conflagration.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1840-1850
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0120
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0120
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Columbia Company Cape
- Description
- Some early American firefighters wore capes for protection, ornamentation, and identification. The stiff oil cloth protected their shoulders and upper body against fiery embers and water, and the decorative painting served to identify company members at chaotic fire scenes or on parade. The capes were often painted by local sign painters, some skilled artists like John A. Woodside, who also painted the company’s hats and banners and decorated their fire engines. Many of the capes in the firefighting collection display patriotic names and symbolism, reflecting themes important to 19th century volunteers, as well as the pride they felt in the early founding date of their fire company.
- This oil cloth cape is painted blue with gold trim and lettering that reads “COLUMBIA/1763.” Early American fire companies often linked themselves with patriotic names or symbols. Linked to the goddess of Liberty, Columbia was popularized as the female personification of the United States in the late 18th century, as the country began to agitate for its independence. Actually founded in 1765, Columbia Fire Company began as the Fellowship Engine Company (Lower Ward) in the Germantown area of Philadelphia. The company took the name Columbia around 1809.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1820-1840
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0121
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0121
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Eagle No. 3 Company Cape
- Description
- Some early American firefighters wore capes for protection, ornamentation, and identification. The stiff oil cloth protected their shoulders and upper body against fiery embers and water, and the decorative painting served to identify company members at chaotic fire scenes or on parade. The capes were often painted by local sign painters, some skilled artists like John A. Woodside, who also painted the company’s hats and banners and decorated their fire engines. Many of the capes in the firefighting collection display patriotic names and symbolism, reflecting themes important to 19th century volunteers, as well as the pride they felt in the early founding date of their fire company.
- This oil cloth cape is painted blue with the text "EAGLE No. 3" in gold with red shading, with gold stars on at each end of the cape. “Eagle” was a common name for American fire companies, which used patriotic names and symbolism to proudly link themselves with the newly established United States of America.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1850-1900
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0123
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0123
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Fair Mount Company Cape
- Description
- Some early American firefighters wore capes for protection, ornamentation, and identification. The stiff oil cloth protected their shoulders and upper body against fiery embers and water, and the decorative painting served to identify company members at chaotic fire scenes or on parade. The capes were often painted by local sign painters, some skilled artists like John A. Woodside, who also painted the company’s hats and banners and decorated their fire engines. Many of the capes in the firefighting collection display patriotic names and symbolism, reflecting themes important to 19th century volunteers, as well as the pride they felt in the early founding date of their fire company.
- This oil cloth cape is painted red with the company name “FAIR MOUNT” written in gold. The letters “F’” and “A” are painted on each shoulder. A gold-painted image of a fire hydrant with protruding hose is flanked by the initials “FA” in the center of the cape. This was the logo of the Fire Association of Philadelphia, an insurance company founded by a group of eleven volunteer engine companies and five volunteer hose companies in 1817. Fairmount Fire Company was a member. It was named for the Fairmount Water Works of Philadelphia, the first municipal water system in the US and a boon to volunteer firefighters.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- mid 19th century
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0124
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0124
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Friendship Company Cape
- Description
- Some early American firefighters wore capes for protection, ornamentation, and identification. The stiff oil cloth protected their shoulders and upper body against fiery embers and water, and the decorative painting served to identify company members at chaotic fire scenes or on parade. The capes were often painted by local sign painters, some skilled artists like John A. Woodside, who also painted the company’s hats and banners and decorated their fire engines. Many of the capes in the firefighting collection display patriotic names and symbolism, reflecting themes important to 19th century volunteers, as well as the pride they felt in the early founding date of their fire company.
- This oil cloth cape is painted red overall with a gold trim. A black banner in the center of the cape reads “FRIENDSHIP” in gold text with the date “1775” in gold below, and the letter “F” in gold on each end. The cape likely belonged to a member of the Friendship Fire Company of Wilmington, Delaware, which was founded in December of 1775. In addition to patriotic ideals, early fire companies also lauded altruistic social values, with names like “Good Will,” “Hope,” and “Harmony.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1840
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0125
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0125
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Good Will Company Cape
- Description
- Some early American firefighters wore capes for protection, ornamentation, and identification. The stiff oil cloth protected their shoulders and upper body against fiery embers and water, and the decorative painting served to identify company members at chaotic fire scenes or on parade. The capes were often painted by local sign painters, some skilled artists like John A. Woodside, who also painted the company’s hats and banners and decorated their fire engines. Many of the capes in the firefighting collection display patriotic names and symbolism, reflecting themes important to 19th century volunteers, as well as the pride they felt in the early founding date of their fire company.
- This oil cloth cape has been painted red overall with the name “Good Will” written in gold, with the date “1804” below. The number “3” is painted in gold on each shoulder. This cape likely belonged to a member of the Good Will Steam Fire Engine Company No. 3 of Trenton, New Jersey. The Good Will Fire Company was originally organized in January of 1848, but after it became an auxiliary company to the Resolution Fire Company in December of that same year, it took the Resolution Company’s founding date of 1804 for its own.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1804
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0126
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0126
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Lafayette Hose Company Cape
- Description
- Some early American firefighters wore capes for protection, ornamentation, and identification. The stiff oil cloth protected their shoulders and upper body against fiery embers and water, and the decorative painting served to identify company members at chaotic fire scenes or on parade. The capes were often painted by local sign painters, some skilled artists like John A. Woodside, who also painted the company’s hats and banners and decorated their fire engines. Many of the capes in the firefighting collection display patriotic names and symbolism, reflecting themes important to 19th century volunteers, as well as the pride they felt in the early founding date of their fire company.
- This oil cloth cape is painted with equal sections of red, white and blue. The cape has the name “LAFAYETTE” painted in gold in the center of the cape, with the letters “L” on one end and “H” on the other. These initials likely stand for Lafayette Hose Company, founded in Philadelphia in 1833. The red, white, and blue coloring on the cape displayed the company’s patriotism, as did its name, which celebrated the Major General Gilbert du Motier, the marquis de Lafayette, a hero of the Revolutionary War. Lafayette returned in 1824 on a celebrated tour, and was feted in Philadelphia and other American cities. Attesting to his continuing popularity among Americans, the hose company took his name nearly a decade later.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- mid 19th century
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0128
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0128
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Shiffler Company Cape
- Description
- Some early American firefighters wore capes for protection, ornamentation, and identification. The stiff oil cloth protected their shoulders and upper body against fiery embers and water, and the decorative painting served to identify company members at chaotic fire scenes or on parade. The capes were often painted by local sign painters, some skilled artists like John A. Woodside, who also painted the company’s hats and banners and decorated their fire engines. Many of the capes in the firefighting collection display patriotic names and symbolism, reflecting themes important to 19th century volunteers, as well as the pride they felt in the early founding date of their fire company.
- This oil cloth cape is painted dark red overall, with a blue scroll in the center of the cape bearing the text “SHIFFLER” in gold. Above this, the initials “J.C.D.” are painted in gold, likely belonging to the owner of the cape. The shoulders of the cape have painted images of the American flag furled around a pole. The cape is likely from the Shiffler Hose Company of Philadelphia. The company was named for George Shiffler, an 18 year old who was killed during religious riots in Philadelphia in 1844. These riots occurred during a time of growing tension between largely Protestant Nativists and immigrant Irish Catholics. Shiffler, killed outside an Irish Catholic firehouse, became a celebrated martyr for the Nativist cause. These political and religious differences could divide fire companies, as volunteer fireman aligned with those who shared similar backgrounds. The Shiffler Hose Company would often brawl with the Irish Catholic members of the Moyamensing Hose Company when they crossed paths on the way to fires.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1846-1870
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0129
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0129
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Union Company Cape
- Description
- Some early American firefighters wore capes for protection, ornamentation, and identification. The stiff oil cloth protected their shoulders and upper body against fiery embers and water, and the decorative painting served to identify company members at chaotic fire scenes or on parade. The capes were often painted by local sign painters, some skilled artists like John A. Woodside, who also painted the company’s hats and banners and decorated their fire engines. Many of the capes in the firefighting collection display patriotic names and symbolism, reflecting themes important to 19th century volunteers, as well as the pride they felt in the early founding date of their fire company.
- This oil cloth cape is painted white, with the text “UNION/1747” in red with brown shading in the center of the cape. The cape’s shoulders have the number “1” painted in red with brown shading. This cape likely belonged to a member of the Union Fire Company of Trenton, New Jersey, which was founded February 8th, 1747.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 18th or 19th century
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0130
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0130
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center