Family Apparel: 150 Years of Iowa Style 1846-1996 (1997)

this presentation of family apparel 150 years Iowa style will show clothing items from the past that illustrate how family life has changed it features clothes from the costume and textile collection of the textiles and clothing department at Iowa State University these clothes were actually worn in Iowa or the Midwest between 1846 and 1996 the Iowa sesquicentennial Commission endorsed this presentation for the sesquicentennial celebration in 1996 the historic clothing worn in photographs of individuals and families are not part of the costume collection these family pictures came from a variety of sources as you look at this dress picture a very young girl who lived in 1841 five years before Iowa became estate life was hard and families were isolated as they began settling in Iowa among the Native Americans however beauty of detail and clothing was still appreciated note the scalloped hem of the sleeves when central heating mantle in a fireplace layers of clothing were needed men wore shawls even Abraham Lincoln our collection has only half of this German man's Shah from the 1850s because his daughters both wanted it and split it between them cloth was a precious commodity in the 1860s dresses wore out of the hem from frequent wear and sweeping the floor this brown dress survived but it's him was lined with unmatched scraps for longer we're pioneers seldom had many clothes and did not have special maternity clothes women expecting a baby were considered temporarily ill and in delicate health this 1860s wrapper is a rare example of a dress that was altered by adding plaid trim so it could be worn as a maternity dress this Hickory brown dress from 1860 was entirely hand sewn it was probably died with hickory park can you imagine trying to close a family before sewing machines women's needle skills were vital in the late 1800s large full skirts were the rage and were held out with hoops made of horsehair tape or wire this hoop is a smaller version with a waste of 25 inches and 14 spirals to hold out a skirt cashmere shawls were used for modesty as well as warmth in 1860 women were fully covered from head to toe when they ventured away from their homes Paisley shawls were imported from India to Europe as early as the 1700s the end of this one was pieced together to enhance the design sometimes these shawls were made into dresses several religious groups settled in Iowa in the early years of statehood religion helped foster a sense of community and was a link to past lives we believe this dress was worn by a Quaker ministers wife despite the difficult living conditions on early Iowa farms people tried to keep up with fashion bustles were warned to create a protruding and puffy effect on the back side to hold up elaborate skirts many bustles were larger than this one that is made of four spring coils covered with cotton both girls and boys wore dresses in the 1880s this colorful dress belonged to an iowa city boy in 1888 boys even wore ruffles and lace until age four or so when they graduated to knee breeches then later too long pants many children died in infancy this young boy lived in Buxton Iowa a predominantly african-american coal mining community that existed in the early 1900s you can see he wore a dress similar to the one in our collection Buxton descendants are alive today but the town died out in the 1920s from the 1800s to current times men's suits often have been black this 1893 wool suit has a frock coat the leg of mutton sleeves of this 1896 silk bridal gown balanced the wide skirt it came from a boon Iowa family many families could not afford such extra against they would buy a nice dress that could be worn again whether in church or at home a wedding was an important social event this green and black silk man's vest from the late 1800s has pearly buttons and a shawl collar very fashionable at the time variation and individuality in men's clothing often was expressed in vests and ties in 1905 fashion found a new focus the mono bosom although it is difficult to see in this picture when a woman warm on ilysm dressed like this she looked as if she had a pillow or full bag stuffed in front above the waist this 1903 wedding picture of a bride in a mono bosom dress also shows the s-shaped silhouette of the time the full front bodice was combined with a tightly corseted waist and a protruding derriere to form the S silhouette a starched ruffled corset cover was used to fill up the bodice if the bus line was not enough high-button mother shoes would have been worn with mono bosom dresses in the early 1900s both women's waists and feet were tightly confined in 1910 a woman might have worn this two-piece will swim suit with stockings and shoes but even showing this much flesh would have been scandalous wool was supposed to prevent chills x 1920 the time of this men's striped suit ideas had changed so that fabric and activities began to complement each other the man's suit is faster drying cotton Carrie Chapman Catt was from Charles City Iowa graduated from Iowa State in 1880 and on this dress cat was a woman suffrage leader and founded the League of Women Voters she bought the silk for this dress on a trip to China in 1914 it's blue color has fume faded and awaited silk is splitting so the dress is in delicate condition kat hall on the iowa state university campus houses the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics many women are remembered with their names engraved in bricks in the plaza of heroines this photo was taken before the building was renovated hats and hairstyles tend to go together large hair large hats small hair small hats this navy and green velvet had from the early 1900's would have been worn on top of a bouffant hairstyle wire cages and false hair were used to create the big hair that was popular in 1910 this peach basket hat was typical of the time this Buxton family shows a woman in a very fashionable and very large hat her daughter says her mother even wore the haft baseball games imagine this tan beaded silk crepe dress on an active young woman on her wedding day in 1924 the beating and uneven hem line provided by the side panels on the dress are examples of a height of fashion in the roaring 20s this time was characterized by jazz dancing and freedom as women finally won the right to vote a close-up shows the precise hand-sewn beadwork of the wedding dress that is a perfect example of a flapper style decoration the boyish flapper look was carried out with a straight line silhouette flat chest short skirts and bobbed hair Iowans have always been big sports fans even the busy coal miners formed the buxton wonders they wit as far as Kansas City to play ball wearing these loose wool flannel baseball uniforms Eric Wilson who was a sprinter and track team captain for the University of Iowa or this outfit to represent the United States at the 1924 olympic games in paris france the outfit was among the items that Iowa State received from the University of Iowa when their home economics program ended golfers in the 1920s worn nickers nickers were called plus-fours because they had an extra 4 inches to create puffiness at the knee and allow movement they were usually wool twill and gray black or blue in the 1930s the longer bias-cut dress replaced a flapper look this romantic rose satin gown was donated by Mary meixner a former Iowa State University faculty member during the Depression of the 1930s before world war two men's clothing was simple and conservative real welt pockets were replaced by cheaper patch pockets design was restricted because quad was needed for the war effort babies war cloth diapers and probably a walnut Soaker as a diaper cover disposables were unheard of can you picture someone in your family working in the kitchen wearing an apron like this this apron was made of a flour sack before World War two starting in the mid 1800s both feed and flour sacks were used to make home sewn clothing and household textiles this practice continued until the 1960s when agricultural companies changed to paper bags a World War two army officer in the 1940s came home wearing this olive drab wool uniform jacket and overseas cap his screaming eagle patch shows he was a member of the 100 first airborne division standard sized military uniform started to be used during the Civil War although once considered a working man's clothes by the 1940s almost every high school and college student or jeans these women's dungarees have a side zipper similar to the fitted skirts of the time innovations and textiles inspire new fashions this turquoise waffle or bubbles see-through nylon dresses from the early 1950s new synthetic fibers were thermoplastic and fabrics could be shaped by heat shrink treatment although easily washable and quick-drying these fabrics were as hot to wear as a plastic bag went out of fashion this 1955 ballerina length pink lace was typical of dressy dresses of the decade earlier during World War two women's skirts were short and straight and tops had padded shoulders in 1947 when fabric was plentiful again dior introduced a new look that featured tiny waists calf length skirts and unpadded shoulders it dominated the 1950s under the full ballerina length skirts a can-can petticoat was essential some teens were four or five in different colors all at the same time overalls have been around since the 1800s and this American style with the bib over the chest emerged in 1905 the pair shown here came from JC Penney's in 1958 once favored by farmers for work clothes by the 1990s the overall style was cut off short in Warren and many colors as a fashion statement by teen girls this 1950s aqua blue nylon swimsuit or mayo is a far cry from the swimsuit seen earlier the introduction of nylon and elastomeric fibers such as spandex allowed creation of form-fitting items like this attitudes about skin exposure also had changed drastically this blue poodle cloth suit from the 1960s reflects the understated simplicity that was characteristic of designs of the time the suit was donated to the collection by Mary Barton who is known in central Iowa for her quote collections often accompanying the suit in the 1960s was a pillbox hat and gloves in coordinating colors coats had three-quarter length sleeves but gloves were longer so arms were fully covered women usually wore hats and gloves to church or synagogue these accessories were donated by dr. gido Winokur a retired ISU textiles and clothing professor the me generation of the 1970s could choose almost any kind of garment meskwaki women and girls at the team of how walk or dress is trimmed with ribbon work applique a technique handed down from early days the colors in these costumes were popular nationwide as fashion turned a hot pink orange lime and lavender in psychedelic combinations a more subdued side of the 1970s is shown in this three-piece men's wool suit men's clothes were no longer limited to dark shades actually in the 1970s men's suits took on the livelier color of leisure polyester double knit asier suits expanded choices for men and were available in every color from bright Russ to lime green this tan leisure suit is not nearly as wild as many worn at the time this 1978 graduation photo shows that polyester was popular across generations from the youngest child to grandpa times were changing mothers were getting advanced degrees while men wore leisure suits women wondered where the leisure went more than half the women worked outside the home for pay their bell-bottom pants often had legs wider than these both men and women who are bright nylon print shirts easy care synthetic nits were washable dried quickly required no ironing and save time in the 1980s casual lifestyles and clothing grew in popularity all family members wore plaid shirts Jean cut-offs knits and sweatshirt fleece these fabrics took us into the 1990s as polyesters popularity dye t-shirts gradually moved from underwear to billboard status and in the 1990s were popular with everyone including this young meskwaki woman she is learning to make spot stitched beadwork from an older member of the tribe but she wears a t-shirt the flood of 1993 was documented with humor as shown in this t-shirt but for many Iowa families it was a true tragedy through it all Iowans showed courage a willingness to help their neighbors and a spirit of determination to make the best of things Iowans will keep passing the sandbags or do whatever else is necessary to build for generations in the next 150 years the textiles and clothing department has accepted the deferred estate gift to establish the Bertha and Edward Walde Center for study of costume the wall d's collected numerous batik pieces during their international travel and have donated them to the costume and textile collection the costume collection storage space in the department as shown here is inadequate but plans to renovate and expand the space are in process this will benefit future students researchers and interested Iowans the wall d gifts are greatly appreciated but further support from alumni and friends will be needed the wall d-bots eeks are from the 1950s batik a japanese word is a process of applying a wax or paste to fabric to resist the dye color when a text tool is submerged in it the process is simple but tedious because each color requires a new application of wax and separate dying batik crafts persons look to their natural surroundings for inspiration birds flowers leaves and elephants are used the batik process dates from the 4th century BC in India but was refined in Indonesia the textiles and clothing department is proud to be the home of the wall d batik collection you