Object Exercise 4

[Dress of 1837]

1.     This light ivory striped silk dress with multicolored flower needle works was worn at wedding in 1837. Sleeves and tight tops express the latest fashion of 1830s. Long shirring, “ham-string” shaped sleeves were fashion in 1830s. Small tight tops were also popular. Compare to the volume of the bottoms, tops are very small and waist is only 24 inches.

[Dress of 1845]

1.     This ivory colored beautiful silk dress was worn at wedding in 1845. Significance of this dress is a lot of fringes. In 1840s, the trends of dresses are short sleeves and volume skirts. On the bottom of the skirt, there are two lines of ivory colored fringes. This is unusual for wedding dresses, but those fringes make a skirt bigger and fashion.

[Comments]

These captions express details of the dress and materials. Those captions did not focus on historical and cultural background of people, but more explained fashion and trend of 1830s and 1840s. Visitors can learn what the latest fashions were at that time and can compare differences of trends between 1830s and 1840s. Also descriptions of materials and designs express details of dresses.  

[Dress of 1837]

2.     This dress was worn in Appleton’s wedding in 1837. Appleton was one of the famous families, so the woman who wore the dress at their wedding was in a certain status. This dress features the latest trends of long shirring sleeves. This latest fashion of silk detailed dress express owner’s higher position in society.

[Dress of 1845]

2.  This 1845 wedding dress was donated by Samuel K. Reeves. Reeves family is one of the prestigious families with a long history. A white wedding dress was a status of elite in 1840s. This dress has numbers of back buttons, which indicates bride needed helper to wear the dress. This white, silk, detailed dress was a symbol of high status.

[Comment]

In those captions, I focused on family background and their status in society at that time. Clothing express people’s class and status, so visitors can learn how those dresses worked as a status symbol in 1830s and 1840s. I also assume that displaying beautiful dresses and explaining owners of rich families help visitors to imagine invisible working class fashion. Emphasizing dresses as status symbols, people can imagine existence of dresses and clothes for working class people.

[Dress of 1837] [Dress of 1845]

3.  Those dresses of 1837 and 1845 were the style of sentimental dress. Rise of middle class culture created cult of womanhood and sentimental mood from mid-1830s to 1840s. Sentimental women were less active and simple in style to embrace the domestic virtue of women. The style of dress expressed women’s position in society.

[Comment]

This caption explains relationship between dresses and women. Since fashion strongly connected to women’s social and cultural situations, it is interesting to know how social expectation to women reflected in fashion. I hope I can use this caption 3 for express both two dresses, and also use caption 2 for individual expressions.