Dress, 1825

Printed cotton

American

Gift of Mrs. Richard G. Bauerbach, 1971.c.28

Bonnet, 1820s

leghorn straw

English

Gift of the Arizona Costume Institute

The earliest documented piece of American clothing in the Fashion Design Collection, this dress was worn by 15-year-old Charlotte Goddard in Marcellus, New York. (The Goddard family moved to Big Rock, Iowa in 1832 as a part of one of the early pioneer migrations toward the West.) 

Documented everyday garments rarely survive to our time because they were usually worn out or discarded. Such dresses are important for the more accurate understanding they give us of the actual clothing worn during a period—information not conveyed by the special-occasion garments such as wedding dresses or ball gowns that were more commonly saved. 

Sewn by Charlotte’s mother, Polly, the dress is made of an inexpensive printed cotton fabric. Technological developments in manufacturing during the 1820s made printed cottons faster and cheaper to produce than ever before. This textile could have been imported from India or England, but it was most likely made in one of the New England textile manufacturing mills that opened in the early 1820s. From 1825 to the mid-1830's, the full leg-of-mutton sleeves seen here were the most striking feature of the woman's clothing. 

The leghorn straw bonnet was an important accessory that shielded the face from the sun. Bonnets such as this one were made from long, narrow continuous stripes of braided straw. The girls who wove these stripes would moisten the straw with their mouths to make it pliable for braiding, and as a result it caused their teeth to blacken over time. These workers were often considered to be of loose morals, because no tools were required for their trade and thus they were free to set up their day’s work anywhere. After the stripes were made, they were purchased by milliners who formed them into hats and bonnets.

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