Maine Memory Network

Historic Clothing Collection - Fashions Far & Away

"This slide show highlights the collection's 19th century traditional Chinese embroidered pleated skirt, and other items ranging in use from personal…"

Historic Clothing Collection - Early Nineteenth Century

"… for convenience, the Early Nineteenth Century fashions in this overview are organized by decades: 1800-1830, and 1830 to 1850."

Historic Clothing Collection - Mid Twentieth Century

"Although, despite this focus, the featured mid twentieth century examples within this narrative are almost exclusively from the Westbrook College…"

Historic Clothing Collection - Early Twentieth Century

"1900Maine Historical Society Fashion moves forward into the new century with Mary Scrimgeour’s elegant black suit dress with its aquamarine silk…"

Historic Clothing Collection - Eighteenth Century - Page 3 of 3

"Social elite and economically advantaged people in every European country, and in America, all followed fashion and dressed in the same style."

Historic Clothing Collection - Mid to Late Nineteenth Century

"By mid-century popular print media offered a regular flow of fashion news and commentary. Godey's Ladies Magazine, founded in 1830, was the most…"

Historic Clothing Collection - Eighteenth Century - Page 2 of 3

"The new fashion had origins in soft informal one-piece muslin gowns such as those favored by French Queen Marie Antoinette and her circle as an…"

Historic Clothing Collection - Eighteenth Century - Page 1 of 3

"… Society Contrasting with these two luxurious and fashionable gowns, a modest small child’s dress in the collection is a rare eighteenth century…"

Historic Clothing Collection - Northern Threads: Two centuries of dress at Maine Historical Society - Page 3 of 3

"… wool exemplifies an extreme and short-lived mid-19th century bustle skirt style known as the cuirasse."

Historic Clothing Collection - Northern Threads: Two centuries of dress at Maine Historical Society - Page 1 of 3

"… which until that time focused largely on 19th century garments. At the time of Northern Threads physical exhibition (2022), the clothing collection…"

Historic Clothing Collection - Northern Threads: Two centuries of dress at Maine Historical Society - Page 2 of 3

"Fashion provides historical context, documenting how people communicated, built, or maintained relationships, formed identities, or drew connections…"

Historic Clothing Collection - Children's Wear

"This selection gives a brief outline of the MHS collection of childrens’ wear, which at present includes a large quantity of 19th century baby and…"

Historic Clothing Collection - Mourning Clothing

"… did not become widely available until the late 19th century. By that time, middle-class social propriety had consolidated mourning dress and…"

Historic Clothing Collection - 1850-1870 - Page 1 of 4

"Up to, and about the mid- 19th century there was no broad silk industry in the United States. Limited Chinese imports of that time included black…"

Historic Clothing Collection - Site Overview

"The overview provides a contextualized history of fashion interpreted and illustrated through items held in the MHS Collection."

Historic Clothing Collection - Square shouldered cape and suit ensemble, ca. 1943 - Page 1 of 3

"The square, broad shoulders first gained popularity during the 1930s, while the shorter, knife pleat skirt is indicative of war-time fashions."

Historic Clothing Collection - The Maine Historical Society Historic Dress Collection - Page 2 of 2

"… World War I and the Maine Experience (2017), Fashionable Maine: early twentieth century clothing (2016), and Dressing Up, Standing Out, Fitting In…"

Historic Clothing Collection - Themed Image Galleries

"… kept up with changing styles, and dressed as fashionably as personal taste, lifestyle, and budgets permitted."

Historic Clothing Collection - 1970-1980 - Page 2 of 3

"… Portland." Several examples of mid 20th century fashions in the collection were originally sold at Felix Dress Shop, specializing in "women's…"

Historic Clothing Collection - 1870-1890 - Page 4 of 4

"As fashions moved towards the next century, skirts lost the over layers and elaborations accrued over the past twenty years."

Historic Clothing Collection - Outerwear 1900-1930

"… coat is an example of the new unstructured fashions—different from western, fitted, tailored dress—that emerged after Sergei Diagilev's…"

Historic Clothing Collection - The Maine Historical Society Historic Dress Collection - Page 1 of 2

"… institutions tend to focus on luxurious high fashions, the MHS Historic Dress Collection, in common with most fellow regional organizations, is…"

Historic Clothing Collection - Men's Wear

"… coats, and importantly, a group of high quality mid-twentieth century suits, which constitute a significant feature of the overall MHS collection."

Historic Clothing Collection - 1870-1890 - Page 2 of 4

"… style provides a recognizable example of evolving fashions. Early examples include a blueish purple 1860s highly trimmed walking dress with a short…"