Building off of the work and scholarship of The Smith College Historic Clothing Collection, founded by costume design professor Kiki Smith who spearheaded the collection of over 4,000 garments and accessories, The New-York Historical Society’s show supplements these items with pieces from their own archive. Plus, the exhibition layers in ample primary source context (photos, advertisements) that makes this a user-friendly exhibition at a digestible 30 pieces.
“Real Clothes, Real Lives” begins with a hand-made, printed cotton work dress with a micro black and white floral pattern, ca. 1865-1870. Displayed on a mannequin, the dress is surrounded by additional tidbits communicated on the plexiglass that surrounds the garment. With these exhibition clues, we’re told how the loose sleeves of the gown were not due to a lack of tailoring abilities but were made to allow its wearer to push up their sleeves. A nearby photo of a contemporaneous textile mill worker displays the look in situ. More insights come from the garment’s color, suggesting its wearer was in a state of mourning, and interior garment photography reveals the dress was lined with multiple fabrics, suggesting the maker’s literal scrappiness and how the dress had been resized at some point to accommodate a fluctuating body size. If a picture tells a thousand stories, so too can a dress.
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