Written by Sophia G.
Phi Sigma Society (1910)
Wellesley students, it seems, had plenty of events - whether they be dances in Boston, formal events for societies on campus, or concerts for Glee Club. As photography was much less common at the turn of the century, most of the photographic record of Wellesley students’ style is from official events (specifically May Day and Tree Day celebrations), but what did the average student wear around the dorms or to lectures or the dining halls?
This button, found during the excavation of the site of College Hall, could have been used as a clasp on a dress, sweater, or coat. Do you see any similar buttons on the garments in these pictures? Make sure to click on the links in the titles to get a better look at each photo!
Twelve students in a dorm room, knitting, doing needlework and playing instruments. (1916)
Some archival pictures give us a glimpse into the everyday style of Wellesley students. Interestingly, though their clothes are strikingly different, students in 1916 seem to sport the same hairdos when socializing with friends in the dorm as when taking formal pictures - the same loose bun typical in the early 1910s, as described on the main gender and style page. The students above and below, in the 1919 photos of students in a dorm and at the traditional hoop rolling illustrate an interesting trend in which students wore white or other light colors to formal events, but otherwise wore a wider variety of colors and patterns. Perhaps this had something to do with the Christian-based construction and reconstruction of young women as “pure,” or perhaps it was a way of conveying status, in that the students could either afford new light garments or otherwise afford to keep them clean.
Style, especially formal dress was also certainly one way in which young women away at college could express their growing independence and the final steps of coming into adulthood. As one student, Jane W. Cary, wrote to her mother in 1914: “I felt dreadfully grown up, clothes do influence one’s feelings, don’t they? I mean - now I never would feel anything but sort of dignified with a train.”
This bobby pin was found in the excavation done at the site of College Hall. Though we've seen that students pinned their hair up going back to the early 1900s, this hair pin is most likely from the 1980s because of the plastic bit at the end. As we look at these photos of Wellesley students more than a hundred years ago, it's important to remember the incremental changes that have occurred between us and them. Style, gender, and formality have had different significances during every era at Wellesley.
Another aspect of style that is all but lost in the narrative told by formal photos of students is the ways in which style was used in the early 1900s to express personality and individuality. To the modern eye, the long, white gowns donned by Wellesley students are more or less the same, but the plaids, stripes, and sweaters worn by students during more casual “hangouts” clearly display some individuality. To one Wellesley student, Mary Rosa, individual expression was imperative when shopping for new garments: “Finally I found just what I wanted, - a dress of the color blue like on my pink coat, - satin or charmeuse or something, trimmed with lovely white lace going over the shoulders and a tunic of it. I wanted that color, and this is not so extreme in style as to not look like me. It is simply made. There is an orange-colored rose on the front.”
Lastly, Wellesley students’ fashion choices were certainly also guided by convenience when going to informal events. In a letter to her mother, Janet E. Davison describes her disheveled appearance during a class, after she ran late and had to rush to class, similar to how a Wellesley student today might resort to wearing their pajamas to an 8:30am class after oversleeping.
“I felt dreadfully grown up, clothes do influence one’s feelings, don’t they? I mean - now I never would feel anything but sort of dignified with a train."
“I was red hot, had on my beautiful sweater with a huge safety pin dangling on the front, and I couldn’t take off the sweater because I had on your blue and white shirtwaist without a collar and with grandma’s jabot stuck jauntily on the front, and the shirttail was out in the back. I had on my old, blue shirt without a belt, and that and my high shoes were plentifully splashed with milk and my hands sweaty from the fire place. Do you wonder that I was fussed when Miss Mauwwaring announced that Miss Davison would read her story to the class. Imagine having to get up in front of the class in that rig!"
Letter from Mary Rosa, Wellesley, Massachusetts, to her mother, 1914 May 7
" Finally I found just what I wanted, - a dress of the color blue like on my pink coat, - satin or charmeuse or something, trimmed with lovely white lace going over the shoulders and a tunic of it. I wanted that color, and this is not so extreme in style as to not look like me. It is simply made. There is an orange-colored rose on the front"
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