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At left - Figure 3: Printed cotton gown, Massachusetts,
circa 1832. Old Sturbridge Village Museum Collections 26.33.73.

Figure 4: Fall River Printworks fabric swatch book, Massachusetts, 1832.
Figure 6: Man’s vest, late 1820s- late 1830s.
Old Sturbridge Village Museum Collections 26.79.8.
Old Sturbridge Village Museum Collections 26.31.75.

over twenty years and find excitement in trying to popular at the time. As tastes changed in the 1830s,
learn more about early nineteenth-century New vests with folded shawl or notched collars became
Englanders by examining their clothing. Wherever the newest fashion. In response, the original wearer C
possible, the garments included in the book of this vest began to wear it with the collar folded
were chosen due to an identified maker or were down to emulate those styles and even had the
examples where the construction methods roll of the collar tacked down to hold it flat. This
indicate household manufacture. small change to the garment updated it and
extended its lifespan.
The Ladies
Women’s gowns, with their voluminous Beneath the Outer Layers
sleeves and ample skirts, are some of the most Undergarments and accessories were just as
distinct and recognizable garments of the crucial to the story of clothing the family.
1830s. Highlighted in Needle & Thread is one Under layers such as shifts, petticoats, and even
such gown [Figure 3], dated circa 1832, which shirts were often relatively simple to construct at
incorporates a stylish pleated bodice and full home [Figure 7]. Women’s stays (supportive
sleeves. Remarkably, an identical bodice pattern undergarments often using cording and minimal
can be found in the Workwoman’s Guide (1838) boning and fit to a wearer’s body) could be
along with brief instructions for recreating this constructed at home, but it was often recommended
bodice style. The gown shows other typical details that women seek out a professional to fit and cut
of the period such as piped seams that create a subtle, the components, even if they intended to sew the
yet polished look to the finished garment. The garment at home. These underlayers were crucial to
material is a domestically manufactured cotton print creating the proper foundation for a fashionable
documented to the Fall River Print Works. A swatch silhouette. As the layers worn closest to the body, they
book [Figure 4] also housed in the Old Sturbridge Village were also the most frequently changed and laundered
Museum Collection from this print works, dated 1832, garments within an individual’s wardrobe.
contains swatches of this pattern and numerous variations in color
and design. The swatch book contains a handwritten notation indicating Above - Figure 5: Man’s calico tailcoat,
that 450 yards of cloth from the print works were purchased by a late 1830s. Old Sturbridge Village Museum
dry goods seller in Lowell, Massachusetts and presumably sold to Collections 26.64.13.
households throughout the community.

The Gentlemen
One of the first men’s garments featured in Needle & Thread is a
calico tailcoat [Figure 5] that not only gives us a sense of how everyday
fashion could be suited to the demands of different seasons but further
shows how colorful and patterned such clothing often was. The double-
breasted tailcoat is made from lightweight printed cotton featuring a
pattern of small red, brown, and blue sprigs. The coat is unlined, and,
unlike heavier woolen examples, the coat has no buckram or pad stitching
in the collar or lapels to give it shape or structure. Many surviving
summer coats of the period, including several in the OSV textile
collection, are constructed in this way. They gave the wearer a fashionable
appearance, while also keeping their comfort on hot summer days in mind.
Like today, styles in the early nineteenth century might change
frequently and the vest shown [Figure 6] is an example of how one Figure 7: Silk quilted petticoat,
individual responded to one of those changes. Made from an attractively Little Compton, Rhode Island,
striped woolen cloth, the vest was likely made in the mid-1820s and circa 1820-40. (With detail)
Old Sturbridge Village Museum Collections 26.35.28.
features the standing collar and fully buttoning center front that was
34 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles