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  • Child's Tunic, 1840-1850

    This might be a boy's tunic, to be worn with trousers, although one wonders if the color and fabric were sufficiently masculine (it might also be a girl's tunic, but appears to be too short). This piece might have been used by the Bowen family of Pennsylvania.

  • Girl's Embroidered Cotton Dress, 1840-1850

    White cotton dress with wide, collar-less neck and slightly belled sleeves. Bodice and skirt gathered; tight gauging along center-front and center-back waist. Empty whalebone casing at center-front. Self-fabric piping at neck, waist and sleeves. White embroidery at hem; hem and cuffs finished with irregular scalloping and crochet trim. Two tucks on skirt. Bodice lined with plain-weave cotton; sleeves and skirt unlined. Bodice open at center-back; hammered-wire hook and eye closures. Hand-sewn. T…

  • Girl's Dress, 1840-1850

    This is a party or special occasion dress, the light washable fabric probably meant for summer wear. The workmanship is exquisite, the gauging tight and beautiful, the hem stitching fine and nearly invisible. With its drop sleeves, gauging, and wide neckline, the line of the dress is very similar to those worn by older women in the early 1840s. The dress is a gift of a New York State family.

  • Printed Cotton Calico Girl's Dress, about 1845

    White cotton calico dress, roller-printed with tan stripes, small red dots, and small red stylized flower petal motif in narrow vertical stripe pattern. Long drop sleeves. Pointed front bodice; vertical gauging emanating from point to bustline; whalebone stiffening at center front; darts on either side; side seams; round neck. Skirt gathered at waistline with small bustle. Tucks on sleeve and hem. Piping throughout. Cotton lining. Hook and eye closures. Fine hand stitching. According to the sour…

  • Short Sleeve Wool Child's Embroidered Dress, 1840-1850

    Blue dress of fine wool twill. Square, gathered neckline. Gathered cap sleeves. Gathered and pleated bodice lined with cotton. Applied waistband. Box-pleated skirt. Hand-embroidered flowered vine motif around sleeves, waist, hem. Sleeve edging embroidered in the pieceand cut from cloth. Center-back closures of hammered wire hooks and threaded eyes. Hand-sewn. Appears to have been altered to fit fuller torso: bodice lining shows stitching removed to let out pleats, skirt changed from gathering to…

  • Boy's Jacket and Shorts, about 1935

    The shorts were found in the collection with the jacket and are presumed to be related. One wonders if the terriers were inspired by President Franklin Roosevelt's "Falla" - a dog that was beloved by Americans.