The one on the left looks decidedly unhappy about being all fussed up in a starched dress with bows in her hair. Something tells me her white dress did not remain that way for long!
The season must be early summer... as I can make out what is probably scarlet runner beans beginning to wind their way up vertical strands of twine that have been strung up along the end of the porch.
Anyway, from now on, they will be my adopted ancestors.
I'm hoping to use the image in an upcoming collage.
6 comments:
It might even be earlier, around 1900. But it´s always harder to tell with children´s clothes. They didn´t change as much and clearly as clothing for grown-ups. Also there was quite a big difference in rural and urban areas, and between rich and poor people. They are really sweet though, and I congratulate you with brand new ancestors! :-)
What a fun find!
I have some heirloom sewing books I'll look in to see what I can find for dating. It would be fun to know...
Ok, so I haven't made time to look up these dresses in my books yet. Sigh. Life...happens.
But I do have a fun surprise for you today! I wanted to let you know just how refreshed I feel when I come to your blog, being reminded that there is a whole big world out there outside of disabilities. That is such an important perspective. Because of that, I have nominated you for a Liebster Blog Award. You can grab the button over at my page and read the instructions for passing it along to other great blogs.
www.adaptingcreatively.blogspot.com
Oh my gosh.. well, THANK you R-M! For the lovely comments and for the award. My first!:)
Okay, the long awaited dating of the period dresses (drum roll please). Sorry it has taken me oh-so-long to get to this.
Martha Pullen, heirloom sewing expert and authority on antique whitework, has sample catalog pages from The Modern Priscilla and Ladies World in her book "Heirloom Sewing for Jack and Jill." Drop waists become prominent in 1908, along with the shoulder flange such as Little Missy on the right has. The wide belt on the drop waist on the left, as well as the 3/4 length sleeves on both, are similar to a dress in her book from 1914. By 1917-18, the profile changes to a blousier cut. The oversized hair bows are features of the 1908-14 catalog pages. Mary Janes were "in" from 1908-1920 and the heavy dark tights shown more at the earlier end of that range.
Soooo, I think you were very close in your estimate, with probably 1914-15 being very likely. Unless, of course, these are clothes passed down, in which case all bets are off.
A fun find, and a delight to compare with other style features from way back when.
Oh, THANK YOU, Rose-Marie! That's amazing that you can date it so closely.:)
Post a Comment