1920s White Beaded Wedding Dress

Off-white silk crepe, straight cut wedding dress. Round neck, sleeveless. Rhinestone studs in the body of the dress, clear and white beaded floral vine along the sides and at the hem. 1925 Headpiece designed for the exhibition by Jennifer Brown for Romance Studio.

HCT.1989.528.1a-e

1925

Libby Medoff married Louis Weiner on March 22, 1925, in Pittsburgh, PA, and her daughter, Harriet Faye Weiner, married Frederic Alvin Green on June 18, 1950, in Canton, OH. Libby was born September 2, 1905 in Pittsburgh, PA to Becky Kramer and David Medoff, who emigrated from Kiev, Russia shortly before the turn of the century. Libby was the oldest of three children and the only girl. Her father worked as a cap-maker before and after moving to the U.S. His must have been a lucrative business as he was able to afford this elaborately beaded wedding gown for his daughter. It was originally longer as can be seen in the portrait of her, but as fashions for shorter hemlines proceeded through the decade of the 1920s, Libby must have shortened the dress to extend its life for other formal or dance occasions. Libby's husband, Louis Weiner was born on October 12, 1898 in Pliskov, Russia to Anna Schneider and Eli Weiner. Louis arrived in the U.S. from Russia on August 19, 1913. Louis' father, Eli, was a barrel dealer. Shortly after their marriage, Libby and Louis moved from Pittsburgh to Canton, OH, where Louis worked as a pharmacist at Physician's Pharmacy for 40 years, and their daughter, Harriet was born on January 23, 1930.

Shift Dress, Tube Silhouette

fiber content=Silk

1920-1929

Off-white