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  • Suit of Coat, Vest, and Trousers, about 1920-1940

    Suit of Coat, Vest, and Trousers, about 1920-1940

    According to our records, the suit belonged to Henry Ford.Born in 1863 on a farm in what is now Dearborn, Michigan, Henry Ford parlayed a youthful aptitude for engineering into a career as an automotive innovator and founder/president of Ford Motor Company. Among his ideas were the introduction of the first moving automobile assembly line, affordable pricing, fair wages for employees, and the vertical integration of manufacturing processes from raw materials to the finished product. His many phi…

  • Dress Coat, about 1790-1810

    Dress Coat, about 1790-1810

    A very fashionable warm weather coat for a man, perhaps even a"dandy."The thin and barely lined, large pockets on interior skirt were very popular circa 1800.The coat is a rare survival.

  • Duster, about 1915

    Duster, about 1915

    The material does not feel as if it is all wool--perhaps wool and cotton or wool and linen. Worn by Willis C. Ward, it is typical in the styling of men's driving dusters. The material, however, is uncommon, as most dusters were generally linen. Willis C. Ward was born in 1861 to one of Michigan's wealthest families of the 19th century. His father David Ward, made his fortune in lumber and acquired and sold timbered land throughout the United States.

  • Evening Dress and Coat, about 1961

    Evening Dress and Coat, about 1961

    Born in Decatur, Illinois in 1897 Elizabeth Parke married Harvey S. Firestone Jr., son of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company founder Harvey S. Firestone, in 1921.Once described by a friend as, "the most luxurious woman in the history of luxury," Elizabeth Parke Firestone's clothing collection illustrates her impeccable taste in fashion.