Two dresses, one worn by Mary B. Hunt, ca. 1865
Item 11549 info
Brick Store Museum
The Civil War diverted the attention of American women away from fashion as seamstresses on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line turned to knitting and sewing for their men at war.
After the war, as Americans attempted to recover from the physical and emotional scars of war, industries flourished and cities, especially in the Northeast, enjoyed prosperity and a building boom. Fashion revived.
Through most of the 1860s skirts remained large. Gores were devised as a way to shape the skirt and add extra width at the hem without excessive material at the waist. The greatest fullness of material was gathered at the back. As the mountainous skirts retreated rearwards they were often caught up in swoops and flounces.
American women were predictably tentative about the new styles, but by 1870 the idea of pulling the fullness of the skirt backward had clearly caught on.
As skirts were bunched toward the rear, hairstyles followed a similar change. Hats tipped forward to accommodate the elaborate twists and braids.
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