Clothes that document family history
Too Good to Leave Behind

Second-Day Dress
1827-1830
Gift of Mrs. Fred Plath

This second day dress was first worn by Mrs. Van Schaake on the day after her wedding in the late 1820s. The two piece dress is made from a silk fabric with a design taken from 1790 wallpaper pattern. There are vertical bands of yellow and brown stripes, alternating with floral bands, and an all over tan background. The dress has low neck, off the shoulder bands, sleeves fully gathered at shoulder, tapering wide cuffs, a back opening, corded seams, hook and eye closures, and a two inch wide pink satin belt.

Mrs. Van Schaake, in 1844, adopted the great grandmother of the donor, whose family brought the dress with them when they moved to the Yakima Valley for two reasons-1) it is an exceptionally beautifully made dress, and 2) family legend says that Mrs. Van Schaake danced with a nephew of George Washington while wearing the it.