Maine Memory Network

Known as a robe á la francaise, this gown illustrates a style of dress worn at mid-18th century English royal court and reflects a French influence on period fashions. The silk brocade skirt opens over a matching underskirt. Typically, the open bodice front was filled by a triangular panel called a stomacher, which in this case, did not survive. At the back, pleats fall straight from shoulder to hem.

It’s unlikely such a dress was worn in Maine, especially by this time, when the style was typically only worn at court. This dress is associated with Mary Hammond Murdock (d. 1770) of Philadelphia, whose descendants later lived in Maine. Family lore stated Murdock wore the dress at George II’s court, who reigned from 1727-1760. The brocade fabric dates from about 1750 to 1765, but the dress style is closer to 1775, around the start of the American Revolution and during the reign of George III. Mary Murdock’s death in 1770 further complicates the story. Family stories also note Murdock’s unnamed sister was a bridesmaid at George III’s wedding. Perhaps the dress stems from that relationship.

Likely cut from an adult garment, this young child’s dress is associated with Olive Gray (1779–1860). The modest dress includes a square neck, pin-tucked bodice, and short frilled sleeves. The pattern on this coarse cotton fabric was block printed with natural plant dyes, red from madder and blue indigo.

A label affixed to the dress reads “1779. Worn by Miss Olive Gray, born in North Yarmouth, Maine.” Olive Gray was the youngest of thirteen children born to Captain John and Sarah (Mitchell) Gary of North Yarmouth, modern-day Yarmouth. Belonging to the youngest child perhaps spared this cotton dress from being passed down or remade.

Olive Gray worked as schoolteacher in later life. A noted local personality, Dr. N.F. True prominently featured Gray in a July 1881 article in "Old Times in North Yarmouth, Maine," which reads “Probably a more exacting teacher never lived in the town.”

Samuel Freeman (1743-1831) wore this waistcoat or vest at his marriage to Betty Jones at Portland in 1786. Contrasting with its linen back, the waistcoat’s ribbed silk front is embroidered with chenille and metallic thread designed to be seen when worn with a cut away coat. In less expensive waistcoats, stenciled areas hidden by the coat remain unembroidered, as seen at the shoulder and sides of Freeman’s garment.

Neither embroidery workshops nor silk manufacture existed in America at this time. Waistcoats were imported from Europe ready-made new, second hand, or in flat embroidered pairs ready to cut and assemble. Embroidered waistcoats were the last vestige of color in male dress before somber 19th century dark clothing became the norm.

Samuel Freeman (1743-1831) was Portland’s first postmaster, helped found the first public library at age 17, and served on the Committee of Correspondence during the American Revolution.

Lucia Wadsworth (1784–1864) reportedly wore this dress to an assembly or social event in 1799. It is an early example of dramatically lightweight fashion that overtook the late 18th century’s heavy, bulky silk gowns. Inspired in part by classical Greco-Roman draped clothing, simple white cotton gowns featured the new high empire waistline.

Lucia’s dress is made of imported embroidered Indian muslin; a cotton weave known as mull. As slim gown fashions became widespread, a chemise was soon joined by a newly evolved long corset, added for modesty. The height of assembly season was in December, and despite the weather, light muslin was still a popular choice.

The revealing fabric was not without its detractors. A would-be advice column in the Saco newspaper "Freedman’s Friend," dated October 16, 1805, reads “The man who chooses his wife from the assembly or drawing room—prefers muslin to merit—form to substance—and will usually be disappointed in his expectations.”

Lucia Wadsworth was raised in the Wadsworth-Longfellow House and continued to live there as an adult with her sister Zilpha’s family, including a young Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Associated with the Wadsworth-Longfellow family, this slim silk crepe dress features simple short sleeves, an empire waist, and smooth front skirt with gathers across the back. Its style dates between 1810 and 1815. Fashionable waists were at their highest in the second decade of the 19th century. The empire waistline is named for its popularity during the Napoleonic French Empire period, when Empress Josephine, Napoleon’s wife, influenced fashion.

Imported, this silk crape may be the product of China trade, a lucrative and complex maritime relationship between the United States and Canton (Guangdong) China that lasted more than a century. Maine played a significant role in the trade, specifically the Old China Trade, between circa 1784 and 1842. During the Old China Trade, Maine sea captains returned home with coveted goods and souvenirs like silks and cottons, ferrying surpluses to larger ports for sale.

The collar and lapels of this cut-away frock coat are covered in dark green wool. The jacket is associated with Col. Reuben Hayes Green (1783-1877). Perhaps he intentionally selected green fabric for his lapels.

Unlike noticeable changes in early to mid-19th century womenswear, the evolution in menswear is subtle. The elongated sleeves, extending slightly below the wrist, and narrow seams at the back shoulder help date the piece to around 1830. To the untrained eye, the jacket could easily be from about 1810 through 1850. During the physical installation of "Northern Threads" (2022), the jacket was paired with a period linen shirt and waistcoat; and reproduction trousers and cravat.

Col. Green was obviously fond of 1830s attire. Sometime around 1870, he sat for an albumen print photograph wearing an 1830s high collared shirt and cravat or neckerchief. Older generations may be more comfortable with clothing from their younger days, rather than more contemporary fashions. It is a habit to be aware of when dating photographs.

The fashionable Juliet sleeves on this mid-1820s dress are straight and long with double puffs at the shoulders. Dated to about 1825, the dress represents an emerging interest in sleeve details during the period. The name Juliet references Renaissance fashions, specifically the age of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet set in the mid-16th century.

Made from a dark green diamond patterned silk crepe, the fabric and trim were imported from France or England. The dress is lined with a combination of brown and natural-colored cotton. The attached inner bodice, made of cotton, is boned, and reinforced with a strip of linen. The garment is associated with the Leavitt family of Eastport, likely worn by Harriet Lamphrey Leavitt (1802–1840).

A rare surviving cotton example in the MHS collection, this 1830s dress features a boat neck style—a wide neck running shoulder to shoulder. The sleeves, meant to accentuate a small waist add fullness to the shoulder, stand in contrast to the era’s gigot style.

The tightly gathered skirt waist feature, called cartridge pleating, is a testament to the dressmaker’s skill. It is difficult to incorporate such a wide width of fabric into a small circumference. Worn with petticoats, this full skirt takes on a rounded silhouette, foreshadowing the next decade’s crinolines. The fabric is decorated with whitework, an embroidery technique where the thread and background fabric are the same color.

By the 1830s, Maine’s cotton mill industry was on the rise. Harnessing waterpower along Maine rivers in places like Saco, the industry flourished as cotton farming expanded, and the institution of slavery spread further across the American south and west.

A miniature version of the adjacent cotton example, this colorful child’s dress includes many of the same features like a wide boatneck, flared sleeves, and cartridge pleating. While 19th century children’s clothing was more gender neutral, this colorful floral dress was likely intended for a girl. By the time children reached the age of about six, gender conformities directed fashion.

This dress was probably paired with pantalettes or long bloomers, and a bodice—a precursor to a true corset. Corsets for children are not as draconian as they might sound, but unique to girls, they represented patriarchal ideas about modesty. Children’s corsets were also intended for warmth, to help improve posture, and were less ridged than the adult version. As young girls reached their teens, their corsets started to mimic those worn by adults, with stiff boning, tighter laces, or other structural elements.

Deep red in color, this dress includes fashionable 1840s features such as the fan shaped ruched waist and ruffled upper sleeve embellishments. It appears to be an adult woman’s gown cleverly adjusted for a stylish teenager. The wide hem indicates an adult-length skirt was significantly shorted, and chest folds or pleating on the unaltered bodice lend to a more mature bustline. These unchanged embellishments are a carryover from the previous decade’s styles.

Dresses in the 1840s were more streamlined and restrictive than their 1830s counterparts, or the subsequent 1850s fashions. The Panic of 1837 set off a national economic depression that also affected Maine. The period ushered in demure or conservative fashions—either out of economic necessity or through social expectations.

The dress is associated with Pamelia Emery (1833-1847), who died at age 16 from tuberculous. She is buried alongside her brother John and mother Elizabeth Emery Higgins at Portland’s Western Cemetery.

Lucy Brooks Cabot’s patterned silk gown represents a mid-1800s move towards two-piece dresses, with a front opening bodice and circular crinoline skirt. Two notable dress features are the very wide wrist pagoda sleeves, and a two-tier skirt. At this time, softly curving crinoline skirts were created by petticoat layers, some stiffened with horsehair—hence the word crinoline, from the French word for horsehair, crin.

In 1853, Lucy Brooks (1825-1912) of Vermont married Norman F. Cabot in Alabama. This ensemble was reportedly part of her wedding trousseau. A wedding or bridal trousseau was a collection of clothing or household items provided to a bride to help start married life. When family resources allowed, this might also include an updated wardrobe. Lucy Brooks Cabot returned to Vermont with her family in the 1870s. Eventually, her descendants moved to Maine, and donated the dress to Westbrook College.

By the early 1860s, the cage crinoline era was well established. Underneath circular skirts supported by light cane or wire cages, the wearers’ legs walked freely, no longer confined by layers of heavy, cumbersome petticoats.

Plaids and tartans were exceedingly popular in the 1860s. Perhaps a testament to one’s status, bold plaids required much more fabric to match the design. An interesting choice during the Civil War when resources were scarce. The bodice of this one-piece dress is trimmed with a brown silk braid, meant to create a sloped shoulder affect, a carryover aesthetic from decades past. The trim also appears at the end of the oversized pagoda sleeves. At one point, this skirt was remade, changing the pleats. The piece was well worn, but by whom is unfortunately unknown.

A testament to the previous design’s popularity in Maine, a Belfast woman is wearing a plaid dress with sloped shoulder accents and trimmed pagoda sleeves, also known as "trumpet sleeves."

This young boy’s collarless wool suit is reminiscent of an English hunting jacket, sometimes called a Norfolk style jacket. The coat and trousers are embellished with embroidery on both the front and back, with decorative buttons and an attached belt. It is in remarkably good condition with only slight moth damage, expected for a wool garment its age.

Fred Ermon Eastman (circa 1865-1948) was born in Strong, but his family soon moved to Portland, where his father Briceno M. Eastman operated Eastman Bros. Dry Goods. The business specialized in “shawls and cloaks made a specialty.” Such sartorial enterprising almost certainly contributed to young Fred’s quality wardrobe. While gender-neutral clothing for young children was still popular at the time, boys eventually moved away from dresses. Breeching, the moment a young boy started to wear trousers or breeches, took place between the ages of four to six, but it depended on the circumstance.

This young boy’s velvet ensemble is reminiscent of a Scottish kilt. Queen Victoria’s widely publicized habit of dressing her sons in Scottish kilts popularized the style for young boys from financially comfortable families. With a relatively short skirt, it is assumed the child was well under ten years old, as boys’ skirts lengthened with age.

The piece is associated with Henry Howe Richards (1876– 1968), the son of Maine author Laura E. Richards. His famous grandmother, Julia Ward Howe, penned the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and his great-grandfather, Robert Hallowell Gardiner, founded the Maine city that bears his name. As an adult, Henry H. Richards taught English at Groton School in Massachusetts, where he worked until his death in 1968.

This silk taffeta and velvet two-piece ensemble marks the shift from circular crinolines to a full bustle at the back. A small bustle pad and metal half hoop—a rare survivor—remains attached inside the skirt’s waist back. Silk taffeta fabric drapes horizontally across a flat front skirt, which is edged with flat velvet panels over pleats. The matching velvet natural waist basque bodice features a typical back extension, which rests just over the bustle.

Bustle silhouettes ebbed and flowed throughout the 1870s and 1880s, with different phases and iterations. This particular silhouette may range from 1870 to 1885, reflecting both early and later bustle period details. The ensemble is associated with either Mabel (Little) Boynton of Jefferson, Maine, or Rose (Perkins) Hale of Boston, Massachusetts, Lillian Hale’s mother and mother-in-law, respectively.