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.

Search term: *:* Set Name: Clothing & Accessories Online visual material: Yes Museum / Unit: NMAH Museum / Unit: NMAH-AF Museum / Unit: NMAHLC YT Museum / Unit: NMAH BL Museum / Unit: NMAH YT Museum / Unit: ACAH Place: London Clear All

Full Dress

Date made
1823-12
ID Number
CS.228001.1609
catalog number
228001.1609

Walking Dresses

Date made
1809-06
ID Number
CS.033675.206
catalog number
033675.206

Ball Dress

Date made
1817-11
ID Number
CS.228001.0021
catalog number
228001.0021

Morning Dress

Date made
1823-01
ID Number
CS.228001.0277
catalog number
228001.0277

Parisian Opera Costume

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1822-01
ID Number
CS.228001.0253
catalog number
228001.0253

Railroad Watch

This English watch was a part of a technical fix applied to U.S.
Description
This English watch was a part of a technical fix applied to U.S. railroads following accidents in the middle of the 19th century.
Back then timetables governed train arrivals and departures, established train priorities, and ensured that trains did not collide on single-track lines. Clocks in railroad stations and watches held by conductors and engineers helped to enforce the timetables.
But in the middle of the 19th century, timepieces in use on the railroads varied wildly in quality and availability to employees of the line. There was no single standard of quality for railroad timekeepers. After a horrific fatal accident on the Providence & Worcester Railroad in August 1853, caused in part by the inaccuracy of a conductor's watch, some railroads in New England responded to public criticism of their industry by tightening up running rules and ordering top-quality clocks and watches for their employees.
This is one such high-quality railroad watch.
An official representing the Vermont Central Railroad and three other New England lines, William Raymond Lee, ordered watches and clocks in late 1853 from William Bond & Sons, Boston, the American agent for Barraud & Lund of London. The English firm delivered the first of the timepieces in January 1855. The Vermont Central purchased fifteen watches for $150 each and one clock for $300.
Barraud & Lund, founded in 1750 by Huguenot watchmaker Francis-Gabriel Barraud, had a long-standing reputation for high-quality timepieces, including marine chronometers, clocks and watches. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the firm had extensive foreign markets and added John Richard Lund, a chronometer maker, to their business.
William Bond & Son, the firm named on the watch's dust cap, was one of the principal timepiece purveyors of nineteenth-century America. Intimately connected to navigation and commercial shipping, the firm rated and repaired marine chronometers for the busy port of Boston and supplied instruments of all sorts to agencies of the federal government-specifically, the coast survey, the topographical engineers, and the navy. The firm, whose original business provided time for navigating at sea, branched out with the railroad business to perform the same service on land.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1853
maker
Barraud & Lund
ID Number
1999.0278.01
catalog number
1999.0278.01
accession number
1999.0278

Walking Dress

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1810-11
ID Number
CS.033675.205
catalog number
033675.205

Ball Dress

Date made
1823-01
ID Number
CS.228001.0275
catalog number
228001.0275

Parisian Public Promenade Dress

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1816-11
ID Number
CS.244128.097
catalog number
244128.097

Ball Dress

Date made
1810-03
ID Number
CS.228001.0118
catalog number
228001.0118

Woman's Dress, 1911

This dress, designed by Jeanne Lanvin, was worn by Marjorie Wilder, who may have been known as Martha as a child. She was born, we believe, in 1891, in Kentucky to Amanda and Wilson Wilder. Information about her life is sketchy, but around 1910 or 1911 she married Edward A.
Description
This dress, designed by Jeanne Lanvin, was worn by Marjorie Wilder, who may have been known as Martha as a child. She was born, we believe, in 1891, in Kentucky to Amanda and Wilson Wilder. Information about her life is sketchy, but around 1910 or 1911 she married Edward A. English of Atlanta, Georgia. Unfortunately, that marriage lasted only a short time, as Mr. English died within a few years of their marriage. It was, however, around the time of their marriage that this dress was made. According to the donor, who was an old friend, Mrs. English wore the dress to a garden party at the American Embassy in London in 1911. This corresponds with the 1911 date written on the label. We speculate that the trip to Paris and London may have been a wedding trip for the newlyweds, but to date, we have been unable to find any documentation to confirm this speculation. The style of the dress, with its youthful appearance, would have been appropriate for a new, young bride. Later, Marjorie moved to New York City, where she married James Cunningham and became part of the social set. According to articles in the New York Times, she made several trips to Europe during this marriage. After the marriage ended in divorce, she married a third time in 1943 to I. Henry Walker, who died a few months later. According to the donor, Marjorie died in 1953 in a boating accident.
Jeanne Lanvin was born in Paris, France in 1867. She began her fashion career, which lasted over fifty years, as a milliner, opening her own establishment in Paris in 1889. Her daughter inspired her to branch out into making children's clothing, and she began selling matching mother and daughter garments. As those children became adults, her styles evolved to include wedding and evening gowns that would appeal to youthful women as well as more mature women. Before World War I, Lanvin created her famous "robes des style” which was based on eighteenth-century designs. These full skirted dresses with waists remained popular into the early 1920s. By 1925, she was frequently featured in Vogue with both text and illustrations. She preferred clear, subtle and feminine colors, especially a shade of blue that became known as “Lanvin blue.” The use of cummerbunds and net openings with piping, which were both used in this dress, were indicative of her feminine and youthful designs of the early twentieth century.
This one-piece "robes de style" dress is constructed of green silk taffeta. A cape-like collar of net with a pleated taffeta ruffle applied in a swag pattern with loops of bias piping between ruffles is attached to a low, round neckline edged with narrow bias piping. The bodice is gathered to the waist and the yoke at the front and the back with piping at the lower edge. A center back opening has a hook-and-eye closure at the neck. Barrel shaped buttons, covered with bias piping, extend from part way down the back to just above the waist and from below the waist into the skirt section with bias piping loops on the right side of the back for closure. A cummerbund style waistband is quilted and applied to the dress just above the waist fastening at the center back with three barrel shape buttons and loops. Elbow-length sleeves have fullness at the armholes that is controlled with pleats. Shirring at the elbow of the sleeves is covered with cuffs of the same construction as the collar. The skirt section is gathered at the waist. The lower portion of the skirt is also made of the same construction as the collar. An attached petticoat of white chiffon has a band of green taffeta at the lower portion that is visible beneath the net of the skirt. The dress is unlined, with a wide, heavy grosgrain band attached to the waist on the inside extending above and below the waist. All seams are hand finished. The label, which reads "Jeanne Lanvin Paris" and "Ae 1911," is sewn to the inside of the waistband. The waist measures 26 ½ inches.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1916 - 1918
1911
maker
Lanvin, Jeanne
wearer
Walker, Marjorie Wilder English Cunningham
maker
Lanvin, Jeanne
ID Number
CS.293275.001
catalog number
293275.001
accession number
293275

Correct Sketches of Kensington Garden Promenade Dresses

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1806-06
ID Number
CS.228001.0103
catalog number
228001.0103

Walking Dress

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1823-01
ID Number
CS.228001.0268
catalog number
228001.0268

Blucher Bonnet & Spencer

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1814-05
ID Number
CS.244128.100
catalog number
244128.100

Walking Dress

Date made
1818-02
ID Number
CS.228001.0192
catalog number
228001.0192

Morning Dress

Date made
1822-07
ID Number
CS.228001.0256
catalog number
228001.0256

Fashionable Walking & Evening Dresses for April 1822

Date made
1822-04
ID Number
CS.228001.0252
catalog number
228001.0252

Promenade Dress

Date made
1809-07
ID Number
CS.228001.0107
catalog number
228001.0107

Woman's Dress, 1968–69

This particular paper dress was known as a “Poster Dress,” being the invention of Harvey Gordon, an American artist who was living in England. He thought that paper could be treated as if it were cloth.
Description
This particular paper dress was known as a “Poster Dress,” being the invention of Harvey Gordon, an American artist who was living in England. He thought that paper could be treated as if it were cloth. When these dresses were introduced in the United States in 1968 they sold for $3.00. This dress was purchased and worn by Jean Stuart, wife of the donor, in Washington, D.C. She liked the idea of paper dresses and was particularly drawn to this one because the cat depicted in the design resembled her own cat. This cat dress was featured, along with some of the other Poster Dresses, in Life magazine on April 5, 1968.
The disposable dress was a short-lived phenomenon from about 1966 to 1968. It started when the Scott Paper Company came up with an idea to sell its paper towels by demonstrating that the paper was attractive enough to be worn. With a mail-in promotion in magazines, the company invited consumers in 1966 to send a coupon from a Scott product, along with $1.25, in order to receive a paper dress of either a black and white Op Art pattern or a red bandana print. The campaign became an overnight sensation, with over 500,000 dresses shipped. The demand for the dresses spurred other companies to develop new textures, finishes, and colorful prints. The big appeal for these dresses was their eye-catching patterns and images. People hosted paper parties in their home and for charity balls, which were called “paper balls.” Some wore disposable paper wedding dresses, bathing suits, jewelry, and underwear. By 1968, however, paper dresses lost their appeal. Wearers found them to be ill-fitting and uncomfortable, the painted surfaces were often unstable, and there were concerns about flammability. Most importantly, their novelty had worn off due to overexposure.
This one-piece paper dress is a black and ecru print of a blown-up cat photo. The image of the cat’s face is off center and covers most of the upper portion of the dress. The same photo is positioned on both the front and the back. The dress is a sleeveless A-line cut with a scooped neckline in the front and the back. It is constructed with shoulder and side seams and darts for fitting. The neckline, armholes, and bottom edge are left raw with no finishing. The dress measures 34 inches at the center back.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1968-1969
user
Stuart, Jean
maker
Poster Dress
ID Number
1996.0365.001
accession number
1996.0365
catalog number
1996.0365.001

Dinner Dress

Date made
1817-07
ID Number
CS.228001.0186
catalog number
228001.0186

The Bottle: Plate VIII. The Bottle Has Done Its Work...designed and etched by George Cruikshank and published by David Bogue

This black and white etching is the last of eight scenes designed and etched by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. This print is an interior scene of a cell with a man huddling in a corner before a caged fire.
Description
This black and white etching is the last of eight scenes designed and etched by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. This print is an interior scene of a cell with a man huddling in a corner before a caged fire. He is being visited by his grown children, now a thief and a woman of shame. A guard is visible through an open doorway in the background. This series is a folio edition. On the reverse of Plate I. is the title page of the series and an inscription from the artist, including the cost of one shilling or six shillings for prints block tinted for shading on finer paper. The series is contained in a portfolio.
This series of prints is by the English artist George Cruikshank (1792-1878). Cruikshank’s father, Isaac Cruikshank, was an artist who specialized in song sheets and caricatures and trained George and his brother Robert Cruikshank in these arts. George started as a caricaturist for magazines and children’s books. His most famous works included The Bottle and The Drunkard’s Children, designed and etched by Cruikshank to show the wickedness of alcohol. Cruikshank's father and brother were both alcoholics and he himself drank heavily until he took a vow of abstinence in 1847. These prints were published by David Bogue, who published most of Cruikshank’s works in the 1850s. David Bogue (1807–1856) was born in Scotland and moved to London in 1836. Bogue began working in Charles Tilt's bookshop as a publisher and bookseller in 1836 and became Tilt's partner in 1840. Bogue bought the shop in 1843. He was the principle publisher of Cruikshank’s short-lived periodicals, brief illustrated stories, and the Comic Almanack 1835-53. David Bogue published The Bottle series in 1847. Bogue suffered from heart disease and died in 1856 at the age of 48.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1847
maker
Cruikshank, George
publisher
Bogue, David
ID Number
DL.60.2917
catalog number
60.2917
accession number
228146

The Bottle: Plate VII. The Husband, in a State of Furious Drunkeness Kills His Wife...designed and etched by George Cruikshank and published by David Bogue

This black and white etching is seventh of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. This print is an interior scene of a crowd gathered around the body of a dead woman.
Description
This black and white etching is seventh of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. This print is an interior scene of a crowd gathered around the body of a dead woman. The weapon, a broken bottle, lies on the floor at her feet. The husband stands next to the fireplace and is being seized by a policeman. Another policeman consoles and interrogates the crying daughter, who is pointing to the broken bottle. The son, also crying, stands next to the fireplace. This series is a folio edition. On the reverse of Plate I. is the title page of the series and an inscription from the artist, including the cost of one shilling or six shillings for prints block tinted for shading on finer paper. The series is contained in a portfolio.
This series of prints is by the English artist George Cruikshank (1792-1878). Cruikshank’s father, Isaac Cruikshank, was an artist who specialized in song sheets and caricatures and trained George and his brother Robert Cruikshank in these arts. George started as a caricaturist for magazines and children’s books. His most famous works included The Bottle and The Drunkard’s Children, designed and etched by Cruikshank to show the wickedness of alcohol. Cruikshank's father and brother were both alcoholics and he himself drank heavily until he took a vow of abstinence in 1847. These prints were published by David Bogue, who published most of Cruikshank’s works in the 1850s. David Bogue (1807–1856) was born in Scotland and moved to London in 1836. Bogue began working in Charles Tilt's bookshop as a publisher and bookseller in 1836 and became Tilt's partner in 1840. Bogue bought the shop in 1843. He was the principle publisher of Cruikshank’s short-lived periodicals, brief illustrated stories, and the Comic Almanack 1835-53. David Bogue published The Bottle series in 1847. Bogue suffered from heart disease and died in 1856 at the age of 48
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1847
maker
Cruikshank, George
publisher
Bogue, David
ID Number
DL.60.2916
catalog number
60.2916
accession number
228146

Man's Trousers, 1878-88

In 1883 the United States participated in a sort of world’s fair of fishing called The London International Fisheries Exhibition, held at the Royal Horticulture Society in London. Congress instructed the U. S.
Description
In 1883 the United States participated in a sort of world’s fair of fishing called The London International Fisheries Exhibition, held at the Royal Horticulture Society in London. Congress instructed the U. S. Commissioner of Fisheries to prepare “a complete and systematic representative exhibition of the fisheries of the United States,” to be presented under the auspices of the Department of State and to draw upon the resources of the Smithsonian Institution. It would be an understatement to say that the resulting exhibit was comprehensive. It dealt with the biology of marine and freshwater animals of all species, the geography of American fishing fields, the technology of fishing equipment and food processing, the science of deep sea research, the demographics of people involved in the fishing industry, and the anthropology of fishermen and anglers, which included a study of their games, hobbies, and appearance.
These trousers were displayed in the “Section E. – XXII. FISHERMEN AND ANGLERS” portion of the United States entry at the Exhibition. It featured large photographs, anglers’ apparel, a collection of fishermen’s wool and oiled cotton, rubber apparel such as mittens and boots, and “Lay figures [or mannequins] of fishermen of different classes, showing costumes."
This pair of trousers is made from heavy-duty cotton, woven in a small-scale plaid of brown, tan, red, and orange. The trousers have a 9” concealed two-button fly, a back yoke, and a waistband that originally had six suspender buttons as well as a button and buttonhole at the center front above the fly. One of the four front suspender buttons is now missing. A pair of short belts sewn to the back yoke span a V-shaped vent at the center back of the yoke and waistband. The left belt ends with a black japanned metal buckle.
The cutting and sewing techniques used here were very simple, and suggest that these trousers were inexpensive factory-made goods. All buttons are made of white metal pressed over a molded form, with four holes in a slightly dished center surrounded by a textured rim. All seams were sewn with brown thread, and all buttons were attached with off-white thread. There was no attempt to turn under any edge, raw or selvedge, except along the ½” hem at each ankle. Each slightly tapered pant leg was cut in one piece and double top-stitched along the inseam. Most other seams and edges are top-stitched with a single line of stitching. The muslin pocket bag over each hip was inserted into an almost vertical slit cut into each side of the trousers just below the waistband; a dart extends 1.5” beyond the lower end of each pocket to reinforce it. The trouser legs are cut with the grain of the fabric running up and down, while the waistband, back yoke, and back belts are cut with the grain going sideways. This is made obvious by the fact that the red stripes in the fabric appear only in the cross-wise weft threads, while the orange stripes appear only in the vertical warp. The fabric has a vertical repeat of 1.0625” and a horizontal repeat of 0.75”. The waist measure, excluding the back vent, is 38.75”, and the overall length is 42.125”.
To read the catalog of the London International Fisheries Exhibition, including a description of the American exhibits that were on display, link to The Fisheries Exhibition Literature. Volume XII. Official catalogue. Awards of the International Juries (London: William Clowes and Sons, 1884).
This Web entry was made possible in part by a generous grant from The National Association of Men’s Sportswear Buyers, in memory of Joseph S. Klein.
Date made
1883
date made
1878-1888
1878-1883
ID Number
CS.310128.022
catalog number
310128.022
accession number
310128

The Bottle: Plate I. The Bottle Is Brought Out for the First Time...designed and etched by George Cruikshank and published by David Bogue

This black and white print is the first of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. The print depicts an interior scene of a man, a woman, and three children.
Description
This black and white print is the first of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. The print depicts an interior scene of a man, a woman, and three children. The family is depicted as happy and healthy in an orderly home. The man and woman are seated at a table; the man is pouring a drink for the woman. They are surrounded by comfortable, middle-class furnishings that include a fireplace with stove insert, pictures on the wall including one depicting a church and china figurines above the mantle. The tall case clock indicates the passing of the mid-day meal. A cat and a kitten play by the fire near the two younger children. This series is a folio edition. On the reverse of Plate I. is the title page of the series and an inscription from the artist, including the cost of one shilling or six shillings for prints block tinted for shading on finer paper. The series is contained in a portfolio.
This series of prints is by the English artist George Cruikshank (1792-1878). Cruikshank’s father, Isaac Cruikshank, was an artist who specialized in song sheets and caricatures and trained George and his brother Robert Cruikshank in these arts. George started as a caricaturist for magazines and children’s books. His most famous works included The Bottle series and The Drunkard’s Children series, designed, and etched by Cruikshank to show the wickedness of alcohol. Following in the tradition of earlier artists, like the 18th century painter William Hogarth, Cruikshank used storytelling techniques to create these works, which contained plots, recurring characters, and symbolic background details. Cruikshank's father and brother were both alcoholics and he himself drank heavily until he took a vow of abstinence in 1847. These prints were published by David Bogue, who published most of Cruikshank’s works in the 1850s. David Bogue (1807–1856) was born in Scotland and moved to London in 1836. Bogue began working in Charles Tilt's bookshop as a publisher and bookseller in 1836 and became Tilt's partner in 1840. Bogue bought the shop in 1843. He was the principle publisher of Cruikshank’s short-lived periodicals, brief illustrated stories, and the Comic Almanack 1835-53. David Bogue published The Bottleseries in 1847. Bogue suffered from heart disease and died in 1856 at the age of 48.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1847
maker
Cruikshank, George
publisher
Bogue, David
ID Number
DL.60.2910
catalog number
60.2910
accession number
228146

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