Mary Lincoln's Fashions

[Donna McCreary]

(06-16-2014 09:18 PM)LincolnToddFan Wrote:  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

I was in Springfield last week, and Dr. Cornelius and I had a discussion about the coral necklace and ear rings. Did they really belong to Mary? Or were they gifts from Mary to one of her nieces? When in Europe, Mary purchased coral pieces for a couple of her sisters' daughters. Since the coral pieces came to the museum through one of those nieces, we will never know for sure if Mary actually ever wore them. Personally, I think they are too plain for Mrs. Lincoln, but perfect for a young lady in Springfield.

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(06-18-2014 02:23 PM)Anita Wrote:  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

If that dress is truly a Mary Lincoln gown (which I do not think that it is based on its history) it has been altered greatly. This style is 1870's - and ML wore nothing but mourning after her husband's death.

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(06-18-2014 07:15 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  The diamond heart necklace is nice, very youthful. Found these on a Smithsonian website:
Mary Lincoln’s gold lorgnette partially open:

Mary Lincoln’s enameled gold bracelet-watch, made by V. John Magnin & Guédin, Geneva:

Mary Lincoln wore this silk taffeta two-piece dress in 1861, with an evening bodice as the top piece. The pattern of black stripes and purple flowers is woven into the silk. Later in the 19th century, the original evening bodice was replaced with this daytime bodice made of fabric taken from the skirt:

The dress in this photo was given to Mary's cousin, Elizabeth Todd Grimsley in September 1861. "Lizzie" brought it to Springfield and gave it to her daughter. The dress was altered by Lizzie's daughter in the early 1870's. Since then, the waist line was changed as it passed to another generation. Members of the Grimsley family continued to wear this dress to historical parties and DAR meetings until the 1950's.

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(07-26-2014 08:06 PM)BettyO Wrote:  Found this fascinating article in an Old Rail Splitter -

http://railsplitter.com/?page_id=699



Of course, here is Mary wearing the dress for Comparison -



One thing that I've noticed is that the lace bertha (wide collar) has been replaced here with fringe - if this is the original dress.... It is not known if this dress is still in the family's hands to this day -

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Also found this beautiful necklace which Lincoln gave to Mary during their tenure in the White House:



It and a lot more are located at this site:

http://www.pinterest.com/judah55/lincoln...spirators/

Also Mary's "Mourning Suite" -- really rather gaudy for mourning - but it is beautiful - and according to the site, purchased at $350.00 and worth about $24,000 today.



http://gemsaboutjewels.blogspot.com/2011...ms_10.html

The "Mourning Suite" is not a mourning suite at all. This collection was sold during the Old Clothes Scandal. It is one of the few things that did sale. Currently, it is owned by a museum in Boston.