The net and floral decorations on the bodice are not original to the garment. Both the net and the flowers are made of rayon and were more than likely used to replace similar decorations on the garment during a restoration process completed prior to Ohio State's acquisition of the artifact. The dress itself shows no signs of alteration.

Bell shaped 7-gore skirt cartridge pleated all around to waistband--smaller pleats in front, deeper in back. Waistband faced with off-white cotton. Skirt has long train, pocket in right side front seam and left side front slit opening with hook and loop closure on waistband. Skirt lined with cotton bobbinet at waist to 11.5" off-white polished cotton hem facing. Hem edge of skirt 3/8" cording covered with gold satin.]]>
Additional fiber images and information available at the CAMEO Materials Database at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.]]>

Bodice with jewel neckline has dropped shoulder piped/corded armscyes, shoulder seams toward back and center front extending 3.5" below waist in a "V" shape. Two front waist darts either side of CF are reinforced with whalebone, boning also at side back seams and left center point. Back princess seaming from amscyes comes to within 3/4" of each other at waist and extend into "V" 6" below waist. Center back is on a fold. Bodice closes CF with 16 brass hooks and loops from neck to waist. Eleven opal buttons create decorative faux front closure (bottom button at waist line missing). Bodice is underlined with brown glazed cotton and waist is finished with a triple row of piping/cording. A dart runs from the center of back point to mid back in the underlining. Three rows of white satin bias trim decorate front and back bodice as well as sleeve fronts. Bodice back point weighted with several bbs.

Self-fabric belt stitched with lock-stitch and edged with white satin bias that also forms 'buckle' to hold pointed end of belt in place; fastens with black hooks and loops which may not be original.

Two-piece full coat-style sleeves are underlined with loosely woven natural color cotton and finished with self fabric facing and triple row of piping/cording.

Full 7 gore skirt with slight train, skirt shows evidence of being altered. Flat front with opening in left front seam has small teardrop-shaped pocket at left inner upper edge of opening; right front seam also has a regular size pocket of tan polished cotton faced in silk. Fullness pleated into waistband at side front gores and cartridge pleated onto waistband at side back and back gores. Machine-stitched 1 1/4" waistband is one layer of silk backed with a layer of cotton or linen plain weave, selvedges of both run along top of waistband. Bottom edge is hand stitched to skirt, fastener is brass hooks and loops. Skirt is underlined with a loosely woven stiffened cotton; 7" tan polished cotton hem facing finished with brown wool braid stitched to bottom edge of skirt.]]>
Additional fiber images and information available at at the CAMEO Materials Database at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.]]>

Skirt remade from earlier design; straight panels front back with shaped gores on sides; back width pieced; 3 flat pleats either side of CF with rest of skirt cartridge pleated onto bodice; side front left slit opening with hook and eye closure; side right pocket same fabric as bodice lining; fish eye darts in right and left skirt back about 3" below waist; 11.5" tan cotton hem facing; black/dark green wool or hair braid binds hem edge; 3" pleated ruffle applied to bottom of skirt by machine.]]>
the CAMEO Materials Database at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.]]>

Hand-stitched evening bodice (a) has a wide rounded neckline edged in lace with a narrow drawstring running through it. Light green silk velvet narrow ribbon and gathered silk net over silk bobbinet fill the space between bodice proper and lace edging. Top of bodice proper also has a drawstring. Gathered silk net also covers short drop shoulder sleeves with piped armscyes. Light green velvet bands with white beads decorate top of bodice with gathered silk net. Five satin covered buttons and hand-worked buttonholes form front closure with hook inside bodice waistband (corresponding loop missing). Inside of bodice is underlined in off-white silk and has 9 short sections of baleen boning covered with silk ribbon at center back, side seams, side backs, side fronts and princess front seams. Off-white linen reinforces left inside front (behind buttons) with another section of boning covered with twill tape. Bodice bottom is corded and seams are hand-overcast. A twill tape waist tape with hook and loop closure is attached. Eleven hooks were later added to bodice inside bottom to attach bodice to top of skirt.

Full bell shaped skirt with flat front and back fullness controlled by large deep pleats is gathered onto narrow waistband. Skirt is trimmed with two bands of darker green velvet with white beads and white satin ribbons crisscrossing between them. Tapes stitched to inside skirt back seams also control fullness to back.]]>
Additional fiber images and information available at the CAMEO Materials Database at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.]]>

Full length trousers with long button fly, buttons along the waistband for suspenders and two front pockets that close with buttons at the corners. V in the back waistband with a belt below it for fitting the pants. Completely underlined in muslin with broadcloth (?) stiffening the hems of the legs. Waistband is lined in a red fabric, probably a blend of linen and silk. There seems to be a gusset in the crotch of the pants.

Black vest is made of the same black wool as the tailcoat. Low neckline with a narrow shawl collar and 4 single welt pockets, two on each side. Closes at the center front with three covered buttons. Back of vest is a twill fabric with a belt at the waist for fit. Lined in muslin. The number 36 is written inside each side of the front vest near the bottom facings as well as the number 122 written in the front right inside the vest. (Not sure the back of the vest is original to the garment, outside fabric may have been replaced, the lining is too long for it at the center back and the fabric for the back comes up over the shoulders and is stitched down over the collar. Also the underside of the collar is lined in a fabric similar to the back but it is a different weave and a different color.)

White brocade vest is double breasted and looks older than the rest of the suit. Neckline is not as low as the black vest and has a wider shawl collar. Closes at center front with small covered buttons in the same fabric as the vest. There are three single welt pockets, one breast and one on each side at the waist. Top stitching on the collar, pockets and edges are done in a gold color. Back is plain muslin with a belt at the waist for fit. Lined in same muslin and hand-stitched to front facings. Small triangular piecing at the shoulders.]]>

Two-piece sleeves set in and have working 1-button vent closure at wrist with decorative top-stitching and rounded piped edge and hem. (button smaller version of circle in circle design but with plain satin covering metal) Sleeves lined in off-white cotton twill with a different twill closer to wrist.

Black wool twill trousers with six gold metal buttons for suspenders, four front, two center back, on waistband that tapers from center front to center back. Buttons imprinted with E. Spencer Pittsburgh. Three-button fly front and keyhole buttonholes, with additional button at waist seam with corresponding slit in waistband/pant seam and inner extension with buttonhole that matches up with button in inner left front. Shaped and buttoned continental pockets--buttons of black glass on metal shanks; pockets of off-white cotton twill. Watch pocket in right waistband between suspender buttons also of white cotton twill. Trousers back has black metal pronged buckle attached to tabs directly under V-shaped center back waist.Trousers underlined around waist with off-white linen or polished cotton that also faces right button extension and fly. Crotch of trousers reinforced with off-white cotton. Hems stitched to 4" wide off-white sturdy linen or hair canvas and finished with narrow cotton band. Trousers creased probably due to cleaning by donor after centennial wearings in 20th century.
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Bodice with round jewel neckline trimmed with two inch wide ruffle stitched/gathered to neckline seam so 3/4" of ruffle stands above seam and 1 1/4" of ruffle below or toward body of garment. Self fabric bias finishes inside of neckline seam/treatment. V-shaped inset at back shoulder, narrower at armhole and wider at neckline. Center front opening to below abdomen. Seven one-half inch diameter white glass hobnail buttons and hand-worked buttonholes closure. Ten additional matching non-functional buttons continue down center front of garment to hem imitating garment opening; the "closure" is a pleat of the fabric that is wider at the top and narrower at the hem.

Piped waistline seam extends from side front around back to other side front sewn to skirt. Center front is one piece of fabric from neckline to hem extending about 10" in width at waistline from side front waistline seam. Self fabric tie, 14" long, at right waist of garment sewn at point where waistline seam stops and full length of fabric front begins. Possible similar tie originally on left side as small holes there could be from stitches. Horizontal seam above waist extends across bodice front from side seam to side seam.

Bodice underlined with tan plain weave cotton fabric. At side fronts, underlining piece is free of fashion fabric forming an underbodice with separate closure consisting of ten heavy metal hooks and eyes. Underbodice fronts have two waist darts, back has neck and waist dart.

Long set-in 2-piece sleeves with dropped shoulder and piped armscye seam, lined with two different plain weave cotton fabrics. Ruching (1.5" wide) at sleeve hem in self fabric.

Skirt is very full and floor length, approximately four inch shorter in front than in back. Large pocket in right side seam of white with red print cotton (appears to have replaced self-fabric pocket). Skirt unlined. Hem faced with 5.5" plain weave cotton fabric. Hem edge originally finished to olive green braid trim; however, most of the braid has deteriorated and is missing. Tan cotton hanging tapes attached to center back waist seams.

Garment appears to be all hand-stitched.]]>
Additional fiber images and information available at the CAMEO Materials Database at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.]]>

Full skirt, 5 selvage to selvage panels 27.75" wide, cartridge pleated all around and stitched to bodice; side left front slit opening fastens with metal hook and eye; side right front pocket of white cotton; hem stitched to 4" wide olive green cotton facing.]]>