Maine Memory Network

Finely tailored and quilted, this elegant winter coat is made from figured or patterned silk. It features a large detachable collar and a wide band of complicated quilting along its lower skirt.

A rare early 19th century example in the MHS collection, this type of slim, long coat is called a pelisse. The style suggests that the coat originated in England. In addition to the belt-like ribbon under the bust, aqua colored silk ties are attached along the front closure. In an era when puffed sleeves necessitated the use of winter capes, this sleeved coat may have been unusual. On the other hand, it may simply be a rare survivor, demonstrating puffed sleeves were not ever-present.

Associated with Sarah Bowman Winter of Bath, Maine, the coat was passed down through the Anderson family of Windham. Sarah Bowman (1792-1828) married Samuel Winter of Bath in 1814. Their daughter Marcia married into the Anderson family in 1847.

Mary King Scrimgeour’s ¾ length silk cutwork evening coat includes deep chiffon ruffles, a high neckline formed by lace, and lace trimmed cuffs. Cutwork is the process of cutting or removing fabric to create a design, in this case foliated scrolls, a term for the foliage and floral design pattern. A cream silk underlay is visible underneath.

Originally from Ontario, Canada, Mary King Scrimgeour (1849-1930) moved with her husband to Lewiston in 1885 when he took a position as a master mechanic for Bates Mills. The Scrimgeours were inventors. Mary obtained a U.S. patent for a radiator attachment used to warm items and dry clothes.

A woman of taste and style, Mary King Scrimgeour took advantage of opportunities afforded by Lewiston’s robust turn-of-the-century cultural milieu, to dress in the height of fashion. Many items from Scrimgeour’s impressive wardrobe survive in the MHS collection.

Once deep teal in color, this lightweight coat with a full skirt and mother-of-pearl buttons was likely intended for a young girl, although the coat’s owner is unknown. The jacket is accented and lined with cream colored watered silk. Manufacturers produce this effect by passing silk between textured cylinders at high pressure.

The long, braided belt wraps around the coat. At back, the belt tucks under pleated fabric which runs down from the shoulders. This detail is reminiscent of the robe á la francaise exhibited in the first Silhouettes in Sequence vignette. One hundred years later, this 18th century fashion detail found its way on to a young girl’s coat.

This woven wool check cape with ermine and chenille pompom trim is a reminder that bold plaid prints were popular in the mid-19th century. The ermine fur fringe is comprised of 113 individual tassels. Decorative rather than functional, the fixed hood is lined and decorated in teal silk; the same teal silk used for the front bow enclosure.

Ermine, also called stoat, are prized for their white winter fur. The weasel’s black tipped tail is familiar from paintings of royals wearing formal robes edged with edged bands of white fur dotted with black tail tips. This status symbol is synonymous with the kings and queens of Europe, where ermine populations are more prevalent.

This cape is associated with Elizabeth P. (Simpson) Adams (1817–1884) of Manchester, New Hampshire. It was donated to the MHS collection along with Hannah P. Adam’s exquisitely embroidered dress, which serves as Northern Threads Part I's signature garment. Hannah P. Adams was Elizabeth’s daughter-in-law.

This multi-colored daywear jacket or mantle was designed to rest above a back bustle. The front hangs straight down to give the appearance of a ¾ length coat. Three metal dressmakers’ weights along the back hem help keep the item in place over the bustle. The standing collar, cuffs, and vertical front pleats are trimmed with black velvet. Typical of mantles, the low set arms are a clever hybrid of both a cape and set-in sleeves.

While this item dates from a time when paisley shawls were no longer fashionable, the somewhat crudely woven wool fabric may be a holdover, perhaps a small-scale weaver working with an older striped paisley-like design. Up-close, the small woven motifs resemble Comedy and Tragedy masks.

Likely made in England, this chartreuse or lime green silk cape is lined with pink glazed cotton. Stuffed with cotton wadding for warmth, it features a high standing collar lined with a quilted pink silk. The attached hood is decorative, but a matching quilted bonnet provided fashionable warmth along the windy shores of Eastport. Extending to about mid-thigh, the cape was worn over the era’s slender and lightweight styles.

Early 19th century Maine experienced notoriously erratic weather. In January of 1810, Maine’s coastal temperatures plummeted almost 50 degrees (40° to –10°) between one day and the next, giving stake to the adage, “if you don’t like Maine weather, wait a minute.” The following several years saw devastating winter storms, late spring snow, and 1816’s infamous “year without a summer.” This cloak and bonnet set probably served its owner well that year.

A mantle may be described as a cape or cloak with false sleeves, considered more decorative than functional. Despite its appearance, this mantle is very lightweight. The cotton fringe floats gently on top of the olive-green silk taffeta, embroidered with a grape vine and leaf pattern. Timeless in design, it dates from about 1850 to 1900.

Maine artist Mildred Burrage (1890-1983) initially donated this mantle to Westbrook College. Burrage and her sister Madeleine were noted Maine fashionistas. However, Burrage donated several clothing items to Westbrook College which pre-date her life span. Perhaps Burrage acquired the pieces through her historic preservation work, such as preserving the Old Pownalborough Courthouse in Dresden. Although, it’s nice to think perhaps this mantle belonged to Mildred’s equally fashionable mother, Ernestine Giddings Burrage. Mildred Burrage’s personal and professional archive, as well as examples of her artwork, are housed in the MHS collection.

Historically, hats and headwear signified social status, age, respectability, and or perhaps occupation. Before the late 20th century, hats were an integral part of social attire. The MHS clothing collection includes a small but growing number of headpieces, ranging from the early 19th onward. For the 19th century, the collection is strongest in men’s hats and women’s bonnets.

In the United States, the term bonnet typically referred to a headpiece with ties used to secure it to the wearer’s head. The ties might be decorative or functional. As an essential accessory, bonnet styles varied to keep pace with fashion. Prominent in late 18th and early 19th centuries, bonnets eventually gave way to hats.

The calash style bonnet originated in the mid-18th century, designed to protect larger hairstyles. The style continued well into the 19th century. It is best described by Thomas Wright in volume one of his work "England under the House of Hanover," first published in 1848.

Wright states: "One description of a cap or bonnet continued, however, for a time in favour. It was called a calash, and is said to have been invented in 1765, by the Duchess of Bedford. The calash was formed like the hood of a carriage, and was strengthened with whale bone hoops, so that by means of a string in front, connected with the hoops, it could be either drawn forwards over the face, or it might be thrown backwards over the hair."

This ca. 1835 calash’s frame is made of wood, not whalebone. Similar to caged hoop crinolines of the later 19th century, the style is collapsible.

Popular during the first half of the 19th century, a poke bonnet extends out over the wearer’s face with a duckbill-style brim. Exaggerated versions completely obscured the wearer’s profile. Period cartoons lampooned the fashion style. The wide brim served several purposes, such as shade from the sun, modesty, or a preference for trendy fashions.

While bonnet styles continued throughout the century, the brim started to pull back and up from a wearer’s face as the decades progressed, and the poke bonnet fell out of fashion. This celadon green silk bonnet is associated with the Longfellow family. It is reinforced with a stiff cotton fabric called buckram and a wire frame.

Despite the basket weave appearance, a milliner wove this light brown bonnet from cotton, not straw. The ties are trimmed with cotton lace and silk ribbon. The piece is associated with Martha Abbott Russell (1810-1894) who reportedly wore the bonnet at her marriage to Alonzo Fifield in 1842.

Originally from Newry along the Maine - New Hampshire boarder, the new couple lived at Riley Plantation, a rural township adjacent to Newry, where they operated a family farm. The bonnet’s sophisticated style and quality craftsmanship is a testament to rural Maine’s appreciation for fashion.

The bill of this silk ladies bonnet is trimmed in lilac faux flowers made of a plain weave cotton fabric. Victorian-era (1837-1901) fashions and décor were especially fond of artificial flowers. The artificial flower industry originated in ancient China. Eventually the practice found its way to Europe.

By the Renaissance period, Chinese and European made silk flowers adorned Western fashions, with French made flowers considered the highest in quality. While initially made from silk, manufactures later made artificial flowers from alternate fabrics. This bonnet’s cotton flowers are affixed to the wide accordion-style brim, meant to frame the wearer’s face. Classic in its style, the bonnet dates between 1840 and 1860.