Clothes that document family history
Too Good to Leave Behind

Cream Wool Dress with Black Block-Print Design
c1850
Gift of Carol Winship

This three-piece dress was fashionable in the mid 1800s-several decades before the Yakima Valley begins to attract many settlers from "back East". Women's clothing of this period often features lots of buttons, satin and ribbon trimming, and a bell-shaped skirt, which was supported by hoops and multiple undergarments.

The bodice on this dress has sloping shoulders, a full straight sleeve, and a cut that comes to an exaggerated point at the front and back of the waist. The trim is a mohair braid and a black satin ribbon with steel beads. The small cape-like feature is a part of the garment's design and is held closed with a large self-fabric rosette with hook and eye.

Accessories for this era would have included shoes with 1/2" heels, elastic-sided boots, kid leather gloves, bracelets, velvet ribbons, hoop earrings, feather fans, parasols, and hair combs.