Clothing & Accessories

Women's Gown (cheong sam) ca. 1930

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.

Topic: Celluloid

Straight Razor with Celluloid Handle

A carbon steel razor with a molded cream celluloid handle. The handle is designed to look like the bones of a finger (phalanges).The inscription on the blade reads “...BURKE / HAND MADE / SYRACUSE, N.Y.”Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A carbon steel razor with a molded cream celluloid handle. The handle is designed to look like the bones of a finger (phalanges).
Description
The inscription on the blade reads “...BURKE / HAND MADE / SYRACUSE, N.Y.”
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2006.0098.1254
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.1254

Bonnet brush

Bonnet brush with natural bristles and a celluloid handle. The “Solid French Ivory” inscription is a pretentious term that was applied to many celluloid products from the late nineteenth until well into the twentieth century.Currently not on view
Description
Bonnet brush with natural bristles and a celluloid handle. The “Solid French Ivory” inscription is a pretentious term that was applied to many celluloid products from the late nineteenth until well into the twentieth century.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1910
ID Number
2006.0098.1444
catalog number
2006.0098.1444
accession number
2006.0098

Art Moderne hand mirror

A hand mirror made of black and white laminated celluloid. On the mirror back is an Art Moderne design, part of which is a metal, shield-shaped insert. The mirror is unmarked.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A hand mirror made of black and white laminated celluloid. On the mirror back is an Art Moderne design, part of which is a metal, shield-shaped insert. The mirror is unmarked.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920-1935
ID Number
2006.0098.0918
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0918

Celluloid Comb

A novelty folding comb. It is cream celluloid and laminated with a pink pearlescent celluloid sheet. The pearlescent sheet is decorated with rhinestones and an Art Deco motif. It is unmarked.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A novelty folding comb. It is cream celluloid and laminated with a pink pearlescent celluloid sheet. The pearlescent sheet is decorated with rhinestones and an Art Deco motif. It is unmarked.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1925
ID Number
2006.0098.1717
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.1717

Cigarette case

A mottled green celluloid cigarette case with amber trim and a white rhinestone decorative motif. There are no maker's marks.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A mottled green celluloid cigarette case with amber trim and a white rhinestone decorative motif. There are no maker's marks.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2006.0098.1397
catalog number
2006.0098.1397
accession number
2006.0098

Spirit of St. Louis pin

Pin made of celluloid in the shape of an airplane. The body of the plane is cream-colored, with black wings and propeller. The pin bar is metal. Gold foil is on the wheels.
Description (Brief)
Pin made of celluloid in the shape of an airplane. The body of the plane is cream-colored, with black wings and propeller. The pin bar is metal. Gold foil is on the wheels. The pin is a souvenir commemorating Charles Lindbergh's nonstop flight across the Atlantic in 1927.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1927
referenced
Lindbergh, Charles A.
ID Number
2006.0098.1548
catalog number
2006.0098.1548
accession number
2006.0098

Cigarette case

A cigarette case made of mottled brown translucent celluloid. Its black lid has a rhinestone motif. It is part of a set that includes a match case. It has no maker's marks.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A cigarette case made of mottled brown translucent celluloid. Its black lid has a rhinestone motif. It is part of a set that includes a match case. It has no maker's marks.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2006.0098.1398
catalog number
2006.0098.1398
accession number
2006.0098

Bar pin

A green celluloid bar pin on its original card. Three faux pearls are decorations. The pin closes with a C-clasp. The card identifies the green material as "Parisian Ivory."Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A green celluloid bar pin on its original card. Three faux pearls are decorations. The pin closes with a C-clasp. The card identifies the green material as "Parisian Ivory."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
ID Number
2006.0098.0811
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0811

Celluloid Comb

A celluloid novelty comb in the shape of a penguin. The penguin's head pulls out to reveal a comb made of imitation tortoiseshell. The holder is marked "France" and "Alain Saint . . ."Celluloid comb in a delightful penguin-shaped case.
Description (Brief)
A celluloid novelty comb in the shape of a penguin. The penguin's head pulls out to reveal a comb made of imitation tortoiseshell. The holder is marked "France" and "Alain Saint . . ."
Description
Celluloid comb in a delightful penguin-shaped case. The “Alain / Saint-Joanis” inscription refers to a French design firm that began in business in 1876.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930
ID Number
2006.0098.1719
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.1719

Pocket Knife with Celluloid Cover

A pocket knife with two blades made of ferrous metal. A sheet of cream celluloid is attached to each side with rivets. There is no maker's label, but the knife was likely a souvenir from the coronation of King George V or King George VI of England.
Description (Brief)
A pocket knife with two blades made of ferrous metal. A sheet of cream celluloid is attached to each side with rivets. There is no maker's label, but the knife was likely a souvenir from the coronation of King George V or King George VI of England. It reads "Coronation Souvenir" and bears the image of a crown with a G and an R on either side. "GR" could be the royal cypher of either king, as it stands for "George Rex."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1911-1937
ID Number
2006.0098.1373
catalog number
2006.0098.1373
accession number
2006.0098

Brooch

A brooch with a photo portrait of a woman printed on celluloid. It is mounted in a heavy twisted ribbon cage. It fastens with a C-clasp. It is unmarked.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A brooch with a photo portrait of a woman printed on celluloid. It is mounted in a heavy twisted ribbon cage. It fastens with a C-clasp. It is unmarked.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
ID Number
2006.0098.0817
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0817

Jamestown Exposition - Garrett's American Wines

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

Fish pin

A pin made of ivory-colored celluloid in shape of a fish. The pin is decorated with rhinestones and the fins are colored brown. Designed in an Art Deco manner, style popular from 1910 through the 1940s. There are no markings.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A pin made of ivory-colored celluloid in shape of a fish. The pin is decorated with rhinestones and the fins are colored brown. Designed in an Art Deco manner, style popular from 1910 through the 1940s. There are no markings.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920-1930
ID Number
2006.0098.0802
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0802

Chinese woman pin

A molded celluloid pin, ivory-colored and tinted green, with green rhinestones. The pin is in the shape of a Chinese woman holding a parasol. The pin has a C-clamp closure, and is unmarked.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A molded celluloid pin, ivory-colored and tinted green, with green rhinestones. The pin is in the shape of a Chinese woman holding a parasol. The pin has a C-clamp closure, and is unmarked.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920-1935
ID Number
2006.0098.0836
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0836

Fatherless Children of France

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

Ladies Night Reading Consistory

Folding pocket mirror made of ivory-grained celluloid. Printing in black reads "Ladies Night Reading Consistory" and has the image of a double-headed eagle with a triangle on its chest and the number 32.
Description (Brief)
Folding pocket mirror made of ivory-grained celluloid. Printing in black reads "Ladies Night Reading Consistory" and has the image of a double-headed eagle with a triangle on its chest and the number 32. Below it is a banner reading "spes mea in deo est," which means "My hope is in God."
This is likely a favor from a consistory of the Thirty-Second Degree, or Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret in the Ancient and Accepted Rite Scottish Rite of Reading, Pa. A branch of freemasonry, the group uses the word "consistory" in place of the word "meeting."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1922
ID Number
2006.0098.1162
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.1162

Cigarette holder

A novelty cigarette holder, extra long. Its box is marked "To Help You Keep Away From Cigarettes." The holder is made of cream celluloid with a brown celluloid insert and a floral motif. It has no maker's marks.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A novelty cigarette holder, extra long. Its box is marked "To Help You Keep Away From Cigarettes." The holder is made of cream celluloid with a brown celluloid insert and a floral motif. It has no maker's marks.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2006.0098.1396
catalog number
2006.0098.1396
accession number
2006.0098

Buckle

A belt buckle made of brown celluloid and decorated with rhinestones and bars of black celluloid. The style is Art Moderne. It is unmarked.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A belt buckle made of brown celluloid and decorated with rhinestones and bars of black celluloid. The style is Art Moderne. It is unmarked.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930
ID Number
2006.0098.1731
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.1731

Clutch purse

A cream celluloid clutch purse with an attached change purse inside. The clasp is a solid piece of yellow celluloid. The purse is lined with satin, and has a short leather strap on the back. It has no maker's marks.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A cream celluloid clutch purse with an attached change purse inside. The clasp is a solid piece of yellow celluloid. The purse is lined with satin, and has a short leather strap on the back. It has no maker's marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930
ID Number
2006.0098.1449
catalog number
2006.0098.1449
accession number
2006.0098

Golfer

Ivory-colored celluloid pin with hand-painted details in the shape of a golfer wearing plus fours. The pin, made in Japan, fastens with a C-clasp.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Ivory-colored celluloid pin with hand-painted details in the shape of a golfer wearing plus fours. The pin, made in Japan, fastens with a C-clasp.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930-1935
ID Number
2006.0098.0830
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0830

Celluloid Comb

An imitation tortoiseshell celluloid back comb, most likely Victorian. It is unmarked.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
An imitation tortoiseshell celluloid back comb, most likely Victorian. It is unmarked.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
ID Number
2006.0098.0901
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0901

Elephant pin

A pin made of ivory-colored celluloid in the shape of a running elephant. Rhinestones dot the elephant's back and its eye is also a rhinestone. In the Art Moderne style. There are no markings.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A pin made of ivory-colored celluloid in the shape of a running elephant. Rhinestones dot the elephant's back and its eye is also a rhinestone. In the Art Moderne style. There are no markings.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920-1935
ID Number
2006.0098.0808
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0808

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