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.

Date: 1880s

Animal Locomotion. Plate 90.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002505
catalog number
2505
accession number
65115

Animal Locomotion. Plate 78.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002494
catalog number
2494
accession number
65115

Animal Locomotion. Plate 1.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002425
accession number
65115
catalog number
2425

Animal Locomotion. Plate 22.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002442
catalog number
2442
accession number
65115

Animal Locomotion. Plate 429.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.78.36.044
catalog number
78.36.44

Animal Locomotion. Plate 57.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002472
catalog number
2472
accession number
65115

"Animal Locomotion. Plate 60."; Male, Running

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002475
catalog number
2475
accession number
65115

Animal Locomotion. Plate 4.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002428
catalog number
2428
accession number
65115

Animal Locomotion. Plate 25.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002445
catalog number
2445
accession number
65115

Animal Locomotion. Plate 7.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002431
catalog number
2431
accession number
65115

Animal Locomotion. Plate 44.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.000587
catalog number
587

Animal Locomotion. Plate 53.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002468
catalog number
2468
accession number
65115

Animal Locomotion. Plate 50.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002464
catalog number
2464
accession number
65115

Animal Locomotion. Plate 29.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002447
catalog number
2447
accession number
65115

Whaler's Monkey Belt

After a whale was captured and killed, its carcass was towed by the whaleboat to the side of the mother ship for processing.
Description
After a whale was captured and killed, its carcass was towed by the whaleboat to the side of the mother ship for processing. Cutting up the whale was done by crewmen standing on a wooden plank, or cutting stage, rigged out over the side of the ship so that they could stand directly over the body. Crewmen used this canvas “monkey belt” to secure themselves while they stripped the whale of its blubber. It was dangerous and slippery work. If a sailor slid into the water he risked drowning or being attacked by sharks looking for an easy meal.
date made
1883
ID Number
AG.057716
catalog number
057716
accession number
2009.0184

dress, 2-piece

This dress was worn by Grace Greenwood Ziegler Fahnestock. In 1873, when she was 22, she married Louis Fahnestock of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania who was 24. He had been educated at the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and was an engineer.
Description
This dress was worn by Grace Greenwood Ziegler Fahnestock. In 1873, when she was 22, she married Louis Fahnestock of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania who was 24. He had been educated at the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and was an engineer. In 1870, he was one of the members of the engineering party sent West to build the North Pacific Railroad. Soon he was working for the railroad in St. Paul, Minnesota, and later he was associated with the German-American Bank there. After their marriage, they moved to St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1889, they moved again, this time to Washington, D. C. where he was involved with the Richmond and Danville Railroad. Together they had five children including four sons and a daughter She died in 1915, but Mr. Fahnestock lived to be 100 years old, dying in Washington in 1949.
The family always believed that this dress was part of Grace's trousseau that she took with her to "the frontier." However, the style of the dress indicates that it was made in the 1880s when Grace and her husband were already living in Minnesota. The basque or bodice is very short which is a fashionable detail of the1880s rather than the 1870s. There is no evidence of the dress having been remade, except that one seam has been let out, presumably because she gained weight. It is a very plain example of a bustle dress with very little trimming. It would have been appropriate daytime attire for a middle-class woman living in a relatively small town.
This two-piece bustle style dress is constructed of pink silk taffeta. The bodice has a round neck edged with self-piping. The center front opening fastens with ten self-fabric buttons decorated with thread. The bodice has a waist seam with the sides and back longer in length than the center front and two boned darts on either side of the center front. The lower edge of the bodice center front is edged with wadded self-fabric, and the front bodice extends over the shoulders and into the sides. There are two pieces on either side of the bodice center back seam, and the pleated peplum at the back is trimmed at the center back waist with two self-covered buttons decorated with thread. The three-quarter length sleeves on the bodice are trimmed with self-ruffles ending in points that are edged with wadded piping. The bodice is lined with white cotton. The skirt is trained with an inverted pleat on either side of center front and gauging at the center back for fullness. There is an opening at the right side of the skirt for the pocket. The skirt is lined with glazed white cotton, and the lower edge is faced with a light pink glazed cotton. The waist measures 23 inches.
This dress was exhibited in the Hall of American Costume at the Smithsonian Institution from 1964 to1973.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1885-1888
ID Number
CS.225209.001
catalog number
225209.001
accession number
225209

Fishermen’s Woolen Nippers

Fishermen working trawl lines in the 19th century often suffered cuts and rope burns on their hands. They typically wore mittens or gloves to protect themselves when hauling the long lines aboard and removing the fish.
Description
Fishermen working trawl lines in the 19th century often suffered cuts and rope burns on their hands. They typically wore mittens or gloves to protect themselves when hauling the long lines aboard and removing the fish. These sturdy but soft rings, called nippers, are knitted of woolen yarn and stuffed with more wool. They would have fit around a fisherman’s palms, protecting his hands while his fingers remained free for tasks requiring dexterity.
These nippers were probably made in Gloucester, Mass., for use by local fishermen working on offshore schooners. The shallow, fertile banks stretching from Georges Bank east of Nantucket to the Grand Bank off Newfoundland, Canada, were prime fishing areas for Gloucestermen. Cod, haddock, and halibut were the principal species caught by fishermen working aboard schooners in these waters in the late 19th century.
These nippers were among the fishermen’s clothing, tools, and apparatus featured by the United States in the 1883 International Fisheries Exhibition in London.
Date made
1880s
used
late 19th century
on exhibit
1883
ID Number
AG.102074
catalog number
102074
accession number
2009.0157

Wedding Veil of Princess Stéphanie of Belgium

This wedding veil was designed and made for Princess Stéphanie of Belgium for her wedding to Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria in 1881.
Description
This wedding veil was designed and made for Princess Stéphanie of Belgium for her wedding to Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria in 1881. The Hapsburg-Lothringen shield dominates the center back of the veil, while the coat-of-arms of Belgium is in the center of the garland of 21 coats-of-arms along the border with Belgian province shields on one side and the Austro-Hungarian on the other. The name "Leon Sacré" and "Bruxelles 1880" are worked in needlepoint by the central border motif of the Belgian Lion. The veil is made in fine Brussels Point de Gaze needle lace embellished with elaborate ferns, lilies, roses and other flowers on a gossamer fine handmade ground powdered with tiny dots. Queen Henriette commissioned Leon Sacré to design the veil for her daughter to be made by the best lace makers in Belgium. It was a wedding gift from the city of Brussels
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880
used date
1881-05-10
1927-01-27
associated date
1964-06-18
ID Number
TE.T13491
catalog number
T13491
accession number
254382

Fisherman’s Oilskin Hat

Gloucester fishermen working on the North Atlantic were exposed to harsh weather conditions. Waves and freezing rain splashed over the decks and into the dories while the men worked.
Description
Gloucester fishermen working on the North Atlantic were exposed to harsh weather conditions. Waves and freezing rain splashed over the decks and into the dories while the men worked. For some measure of protection, fishermen in the 19th century wore oiled clothes, the precursors to today’s waterproof foul weather gear.
This hat, referred to as a “Cape Ann sou’wester” because of its wide use in the fisheries around Cape Ann, Mass., is made of soft oiled canvas and lined with flannel. It has an elongated brim in the back to keep water from running down the wearer’s neck and inside his clothing. Ear flaps for warmth are also part of the hat’s design.
A catalog from the 1883 International Fisheries Exhibition in London claimed that with the sou’wester, “no class of seamen were so comfortably clothed as the New England fishermen.” At the time of the exhibition’s opening, sou’westers cost about $6.50 per dozen.
This Cape Ann sou’wester was displayed at the London exhibition, courtesy of its manufacturer, A. J. Tower of Boston, Mass. It was part of a display of the latest gear used and worn by American fishermen.
date made
early 1880s
used
late 19th century
on exhibit
1883
ID Number
2009.0157.03
catalog number
102126
accession number
2009.0157

Vivandière Items

Physical DescriptionHousewife sewing kit of blue wool with needle, thread, and buttons. Tobacco twist.
Description
Physical Description
Housewife sewing kit of blue wool with needle, thread, and buttons. Tobacco twist. Sugar bag, coffee bag and metal can, circular lamp, and camp stove.
General History
A vivandière, a woman who traveled with soldiers, often provided creature comforts to the men, including sugar, coffee, and tobacco. A housewife, or hussif, was a cloth sewing kit that soldiers carried into battle. Usually made of cloth or leather, it contained needles, thread, and a thimble for mending uniforms. While it was often difficult for the public to obtain tobacco, soldiers in the Civil War found it plentiful. The U.S. Navy supplied sailors with tobacco rations and in 1864, the Confederate government did the same for its soldiers. Confederate officers did not receive a tobacco ration as they were more likely to smoke the more fashionable cigar. Sugar and coffee were generally distributed to soldiers on an individual basis and carried in bags. Coffee cans were issued as part of a mess kit for cooking or boiling, as were oil lamps and camp stoves.
associated date
1864 - 1865
ID Number
AF.17090
catalog number
17090
accession number
60666

Spectacles

These gold-plated eyeglass frames with rectangular glass lenses connected by a broad bridge date from about 1850 to 1880. The straight temples terminate in teardrop-shaped fenestrations.Currently not on view
Description
These gold-plated eyeglass frames with rectangular glass lenses connected by a broad bridge date from about 1850 to 1880. The straight temples terminate in teardrop-shaped fenestrations.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850-1880
1850-1900
maker
unknown
ID Number
1981.0828.12
catalog number
1981.0828.12
accession number
1981.0828

Fire Helmet, "Independent 1 Dunmore"

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 made by Cairns & Brother of New York, New York in the late-19th century. This red helmet was a Cairns Ventilater model with four combs in a cross-thatched design and a metal eagle frontpiece holder mounted on the crown of the hat. The date “1885” is painted in white on the rear brim of the helmet. The leather frontpiece is painted white with a black cross in the center. The frontpiece reads “INDEPENDENT/1/DUNMORE.” The helmet likely belonged to the Independent Hose Company Number 1 of Dunmore, Pennsylvania founded in 1885.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1885
producer
Cairns & Brother
maker
Cairns & Brother
ID Number
2005.0233.0150
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0150

Fire Helmet, "Asst. Chief Engineer F. W. K."

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 made by Cairns & Brother of New York, New York around 1888. This helmet was likely presented to Frank W. King of Paterson, New Jersey after he finished his term as assistant chief engineer in 1888. The leather helmet is painted white and has sixty-four combs with a metal eagle frontpiece holder mounted on the crown. The brim has a stamped scrolled border, with two hydrants flanking a frontpiece-shaped brass plate in the rear that bears the engraving "Frank W. King, Ass't Chief Engineer, 1886-1888." The leather frontpiece bears the text “ASS’T CHIEF/ENGINEER/FWK” and a painted image of spider-type hose reel in the center. Frank W. King had been a member of the Hibernia Hose Co. No. 3 of Paterson and served as the company's secretary before his election to Assistant Chief Engineer, with its standard two years of service. He was a machinist by trade.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1888
user
King, Frank W.
maker
Cairns & Brother
ID Number
2005.0233.0135
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2205.0233.0135

Firefighter's Helmet

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 (Brief)
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 made by Cairns & Brother of New York, New York around 1883 until 1885. The helmet is composed of 16 combs, painted yellow, with an eagle frontpiece holder on the crown and a rear brim embossed with hose and hydrants. The leather frontpiece is painted gold with the text “ASSISTANT/ENGINEER” above an image of a spider-type hose carriage, with the initials “P.Z.” underneath. The initials stand for Peter Zeluff, an assistant engineer in Paterson, New Jersey during the late 19th century who owned the hat.
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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