1905 Pineapple Cloth Wedding Dress

Pina cloth (pineapple fiber) wedding dress.
Blouse (bodice) : waist length pigeon pout bodice, longer in front- shorter in back; high band lace collar; 3/4 full balloon sleeves with narrow forearm band, which is trimmed with 9 rows of small ruffles; V shape center front and center back panel in vertical pin-tucks, trimmed with wide V rows of lace; shoulders trimmed with ruching, from here the side front and back panels are folded into tucks ending at the waistband; center back hook/eye closure; lined in silk satin fabric; waistband has eyes to hook the skirt to bodice.
Outer skirt : floor length with slight train; full skirt : flat front and gathered fullness at back; front decorated with two vertical bands stitched on at waistband and at calf length, these bands are pleated tucks ending in a knot with a flounce and an attached small ruffle; bottom of skirt trimmed with 6 rows of small ruffles; center back closure at waistband
Inner skirt : off-white silk satin material; 8 gore underskirt with flat front panel and fullness at the back; floor length with a slight train; bottom of skirt trimmed with 2 small flounces; closure at center back, opening of closure has pineapple material attached to it.
Belt: around 2 wide; off-white material covered with pineapple fabric; it consists of horizontal pleated tucks; the belt has a V shape, thus narrowing toward the back; center back 3 hook/eye closure
Collar : around 2 wide; off-white material covered with pineapple fabric; it consists of small vertical pleated tucks; slight V shape; center back 2 hook/eye closure.

HCT.1998.27.1a-g

1905

Edith May Knapp wore this dress upon her marriage to Luther Marsh Berry November 29, 1905. Edith was born in Smyrna, Michigan on December 6, 1882 to Janett Hayes and Eliud Knapp, who was a traveling paint salesman until he began his own paint manufacturing company. Edith was the only girl of five children in the family. One of her older brothers, Clyde, brought the pineapple cloth used in her wedding dress back with him from the Philippines. Clyde (pictured below) had been stationed in the Philippines as part of the Army during the Spanish American War. Luther (Louis) Marsh Berry was born in Orleans, Michigan on February 10, 1873 to Emaline Babcock and Leander Berry, one of seven children. He was 11 years older than his bride. Lou and Edith did not have a lot of money when they married. They moved in with his uncle after their marriage, eventually inheriting that house. Lou worked at his father-in-law's roofing paint company, E.J. Knapp & Co. as a manufacturer, while Edith herself worked as a bookkeeper in a dry goods store before their children came along. Edith and Luther would have two children: Austin Luther Berry and Jeannette Berry Brubaker. Edith remained a homemaker until she was in her late 50's or early 60's when she went to work for the Belding Banner News in Belding, MI where she wrote a local column for more than 20 years. She and Luther were married for 54 years prior to Luther's passing in 1966. Edith would pass away in 1969.

Standing Band Collar, Leg-o-Mutton Sleeves, Hourglass Silhouette

Pineapple Cloth

1900-1909

Off-white