1868 Boy's Brown Wool Dress

Brown wool child's hand-stitched A-line dress with black velvet trim. Wide neck dress with pleated fronts and backs coming off squared yoke; pleats in groups of four emanating from center, 2 front and 3 back. Center front opening of (originally 14) flat black buttons on metal shanks (replaced by black dome shape buttons in places) top 3 buttons have corresponding hand-worked buttonholes. Two buttons also decorate bottom of pleats (center back missing). Three rows of 3\8 black velvet ribbon decorate center front either side of opening and extend down front and around skirt hem. Velvet ribbon also edges neck opening and yoke. Seven parallel lines of ribbon also decorate bottom front of skirt. Short sleeves are stitched on to fronts, backs and yoke are also trimmed with three rows of velvet ribbon. Pleats and yoke are reinforced with a plain weave tan cotton. Hem 2 1/8".

HCT.1992.111.1

1868

This dress was worn by Thomas John Heck, who lived from 1866-1942. Thomas lived in Millerstown, Ohio with his parents, George Washington Heck and Lydia Norman Heck. His father, Washington, was a farmer whose family moved to Ohio in 1836. The farm was eighty-nine acres. Thomas was the middle child. He had a brother, Charles, who was born in 1862 and a sister, Laura, who was born in 1868.Thomas' mother, Lydia, died of consumption in 1888. Thomas would later work as a high school teacher. Thomas would have been around two years old when this dress was worn.

fiber content=Wool

1860-1869

Brown