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There is perhaps no more intimate connection to the people of the past than the clothing they left behind—garments that were once worn on a living, breathing person going about her daily business, garments that were soiled and washed and mended and altered; garments that expressed her aspirations and reflected her condition.
There is perhaps no more intimate connection to the people of the past than the clothing they left behind—garments that were once worn on a living, breathing person going about her daily business, garments that were soiled and washed and mended and altered; garments that expressed her aspirations and reflected her condition.
Fashioning Illinois, 1820-1900 is a celebration of nineteenth-century Illinois clothing that explores both the personal experience of wearing and caring for clothing as well as the way that fashion reflected the changing roles and attitudes about women over the first 80 years of Illinois statehood.
Fashioning Illinois, 1820-1900 is a celebration of nineteenth-century Illinois clothing that explores both the personal experience of wearing and caring for clothing as well as the way that fashion reflected the changing roles and attitudes about women over the first 80 years of Illinois statehood.
Click the images to explore each topic.
First Lady's Selection
First Lady's Selection
Afternoon dress
Afternoon dress
ca. 1885
ca. 1885
Taffeta, Velvet
Taffeta, Velvet
Gift of Joan Grout Leiner
Gift of Joan Grout Leiner
This vibrant bustle gown originally belonged to Percie Carpenter Grout (1848-1938) of Scott County, Illinois. It dates to an era where women were beginning to step out of the domestic sphere, enjoying expanded opportunities for receiving an education, working outside the home, and participating in reform movements.
Illinois First Lady MK Pritzker selected this gown for display.
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