Mary Lincoln's Fashions

[Eva Elisabeth]

(02-12-2014 05:29 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  I was, too, trying to recall what Abraham Lincoln said about Mary's appearance and style. I'm so sure he made at least one very positive comment at one occasion (might be illusion though).

It was most likely just this statement by Elizabeth T. Grimsley I had in mind: "As is well know, Mrs. Lincoln was fond of dress, had fine taste, and her husband enjoyed seeing her in full dress, but she did not indulge in the one hundredth part of the extravagance with which she and I were credited, on that occasion."
...and this one by Emilie T. Helm: "Any one could see that Mr. Lincoln admired Mary and was very proud of her. She took infinite pains to fascinate him again and again with pretty coquettish clothes and dainty little airs and graces."
(Thus indirect statements only.)

[Sally]

Here is an interesting photo from the Lincoln Museum. (I didn't take it)
http://rememberingletters.files.wordpres...s-gown.jpg

The one in the back right was gorgeous.
[/quote]

From what I remember of my last visit to the Lincoln Museum, only the center dress is a reproduction of one of Mary's gowns. The others belonged to other Great Ladies of Fashion during the Lincoln administration. One of those represented is Kate Chase, but I don't recall which.

[Donna McCreary]

All of these questions, and many more are answered in FASHIONABLE FIRST LADY: THE VICTORIAN WARDROBE OF MARY LINCOLN.

Here are some quick answers:
Eva, the engraving of the dress Mary wore on February 5, 1862 is featured on page 74 of FFL. I found it in the February 22, 1862 issue of LESLIE'S magazine.
Regarding the author's jump from "flowers" to "flounces," it is an easy mistake if someone takes notes quickly and either writes information incorrectly, or can not read their own handwriting. This reminds of the descriptions of the gown Mary wore to the 1861 Inaugural ball. All of the reporters who were present described her gown as "blue," except for one who claimed it was lavender.

Roger - the white dress with a ruffled bodice and skirt is from 1861. How do we know? Because Mary did change her gown at the Brady studio when she posed for this particular photo. The striped silk gown (the one with little violets between the stripes) was worn the same day. Her hair, jewelry, flowers, and the studio furniture are the same in both photos. Both gowns feature fashion details from 1861, not 1862. The main clue to date the dresses is that the striped gown was present to Elizabeth Grimsley when she returned to Springfield in September 1861. There is no way that Mary wore a dress in January 1862 that had made its way to Illinois four months earlier.

About floral head dresses -- they were worn by almost all women when attending a ball. Why? Because ladies wore gloves and their wedding ring may, or may not, be visible. A young man could glance accross the room and tell if a woman was married or single by the position of her floral head dress -- married women wore a crown at the top of their head; single women wore a smaller head dress on the back of the head.

Sally, yes, you are correct. Only the center gown is a reproduction of Mary's dress. The others are reproductions of gowns worn by ladies in Washington society.

[Eva Elisabeth]

(02-18-2014 01:14 AM)Donna McCreary Wrote:  About floral head dresses -- they were worn by almost all women when attending a ball. Why? Because ladies wore gloves and their wedding ring may, or may not, be visible. A young man could glance accross the room and tell if a woman was married or single by the position of her floral head dress -- married women wore a crown at the top of their head; single women wore a smaller head dress on the back of the head.

That's some great info, and makes sense. Thanks Donna, I love (to learn about) such traditions. There's a similar one about Bavarian traditional dresses (Dirndl): the bow of the apron tied on the left side means unmarried, on the right side married, in the middle virgin, and on the back side widow.

[Donna McCreary]

I also enjoy the traditions of fashion. Thanks for the information about the Bavarian apron bow's. That it excellent information for helping to date old photographs.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Could you easily imagine Mary voluntarily signing a pledge in 1864 to avoid buying European "web-velvets and plushes, satins, white and black thread laces, foreign embroideries, foreign artificial flowers and feather, ermine, camel's hair shawls, French hats, bonnets, caps, and head-dresses"?

Alledgedly she "impulsively" agreed to do sign when she was approached from a group of activists, calling themselves "Ladies's National Covenant", who wanted to boycott these goods mainly due to the ongoing French invasion in Mexico. Abraham Lincoln, as Kevin Peraino writes in "Lincoln in the World", was "outraged at the First Lady's freelancing on critical trade issues", and told her: "You have no idea what a hornets' nest you are stirring up", and that, considering the delicate "state of our foreign relations", signing the boycott "will never do".

The source is given as follows: Jane G. Swisshelm letter, n.d., Chicago Journal, copied in "Mrs. Lincoln and Foreign Goods," NY World, May 3, 1865.

Unfortunatelly I couldn't find this source/letter online. Does anyone know more about all this? If not, would you consider the story possible or rather apocryphal?

Thanks for any comment!

[RJNorton]

Eva, personally I have never seen that she signed this based on the biographies of Mary Lincoln that I have. None of these books mention that she signed this pledge. At this point I am skeptical as it seems to be in opposition to her own spending habits/purchases. I also wonder how Abraham Lincoln's comment could be known.

[BettyO]

Quote:About floral head dresses -- they were worn by almost all women when attending a ball. Why? Because ladies wore gloves and their wedding ring may, or may not, be visible. A young man could glance accross the room and tell if a woman was married or single by the position of her floral head dress -- married women wore a crown at the top of their head; single women wore a smaller head dress on the back of the head.

Thanks, Donna! I love your book -- the head dress info is extremely facinating....

[Eva Elisabeth]

(03-03-2014 08:30 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Eva, personally I have never seen that she signed this based on the biographies of Mary Lincoln that I have. None of these books mention that she signed this pledge. At this point I am skeptical as it seems to be in opposition to her own spending habits/purchases. I also wonder how Abraham Lincoln's comment could be known.

Thanks, Roger. I, too, thought it contradicted Mary's desire for such things and purchases.

[Donna McCreary]

I have read when Mary came to Washington in 1861, she wanted to promote American goods and suggested ladies of society support the American textile industry. However, she quickly learned from government officials that purchasing European goods brought more money into the U.S. Treasury. I cannot recall where I read this – Julia Taft Bayne’s book perhaps?

[Gene C]

Some things never change. I never paid that much attention to First Lady's apparel. Now one of the Obama's can legitimately compare themselves to a Lincoln. No matter what a First Lady does, they get criticized. History repeats itself. It's like deja vu all over again.

http://news.yahoo.com/pays-first-ladys-f...01794.html
(I'd love to hear the fashion police - Joan Rivers - comments about this photo)

[Anita]

There is a lot written about Mary's dresses, gloves, jewelry, shawls and fans, but what about shoes? I've seen only one exhibit photo that shows a pair of her shoes. Is it because the dresses were so long they covered the shoes? Did she leave a shoe collection?

[LincolnToddFan]

Anita you read my mind. I was wondering the same thing! I think I remember someone-was it Louise Taper? having one of MTL's shoes in a private collection.

She had small hands, her feet almost certainly were too.

I was on online looking at a collection of her dresses and her jewelry. I was astonished how tiny she really was...I always assumed that she was chubby and overweight. But she had a lovely physique!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIEE59aZzKw

[Anita]

Thanks LincolnToddFan. I enjoyed the youtube video on Mary's jewelry. Many pieces I haven't seen.

Here's the photo I found on Pinterest with the associated website cited as historicalattractions.com

   

[LincolnToddFan]

Thanks Anita...I wonder is that dress one of Keckley's creations? If so it had to have been created before the death of Willie Lincoln. She mostly wore mourning after that.

As for the youtube clip what fascinated me most was the diamond shaped heart Abraham Lincoln purchased for his wife in April 1862. It cost a fortune for it's time and is one of the most exquisite pieces of jewelry I have ever seen.