1900s Gray/Pink Wool Wedding Dress

Gray wool twill two-piece dress with pink silk taffeta collar, yoke and cuff detail, trimmed with lace.
Bodice. Hook and eye closing at left side. Short bodice with blouson insert at center front and pink pin-tucked silk yoke. Long sleeves with pink silk inserted puffs at wrists and pointed cuffs with off-white lace applique. Four inverted pleats at center back. Brown cotton lining with princess line seams instead of inverted pleats like outer layer. Bound edges. Boning with pink casing. Underbodice with hook and eye center front closure.
Skirt. Long gored skirt with 8" double flounce with 3 rows of top-stitching at hemline. Placket at center back, 2 large pleats on both center back panels. Brown lining with hand-overcast seams. Brown velvet bound hem.
Collar. Pink silk detachable 3" stand-up collar with pin-tucks and off-white applique.
Belt. 1 1/2" shaped belt with top-stitching and pointed edges.

HCT.1986.187.1a-d

1902

Nelle Spaulding wore this dress upon her marriage to Frank Clarence Wolfe on February 17th, 1902. Nelle was born in Athens County, Ohio on September 7, 1881, the only girl of three children. Her father, John, worked as a farmer. Nelle's dress is fashionable for 1902 and a typical good dress for a farmer's daughter or working class woman that would be worn for special occasions such as going to church on Sundays. These dresses were often worn as wedding dresses because not all levels of society had the economic wherewithal to afford a special white wedding dress that would be only worn once. Nelle's husband, Frank Wolfe, was born October 27, 1876 and also worked as a farmer until they moved to Columbus just prior to 1930. Nelle and Frank had three children: Alice, Charlotte and Francis. Sadly, Frank passed away in an accident in 1934. Nelle continued to live in Columbus until her passing in 1956.

collar=Standing-Band Collar, dress type=Hourglass, silhouette=Hourglass

fiber content=Wool

1900-1909

Gray light, Pink light