Clothing

This gold silk dress from the 19th century belonged to Louise L. Ober Osborne, graduate of Mount Holyoke College and wife of businessman and veteran, Rockwell Osborne. This style of dress was a very classic look during the 1870s with the cinched waist and the fabric of the skirt of the dress being pulled to the back. The layers of the dress and the braided lace called bobbin lace were also key elements to 19th century dresses by creating designs that made the dress stand out. However, there is minimal lace detail on this dress to keep the focus on the golden silk fabric of the dress. Louise most likely would have worn this as a going away dress or as a wedding dress to her marriage to Rockwell on August 17th, 1870, creating this idea that this dress was made for very special occasions.​

This pink silk baby jacket would have been worn to celebratory events such as holiday celebrations, birthday parties, and religious celebrations. This specific baby jacket was worn by Marilyn (Bruha) Wood as a child in 1931. In 1931 silk was a rather expensive material to use so a silk baby jacket is very rare. ​

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