Women's Fashions
Textiles/ July 11th, 2021
Today we are taking a look at fashion! Specifically some of the pieces that we have at the museum house from the O’Hara family. The family was fairly well off once they had their footing in Madoc and the clothes they wore demonstrate some of the finery of the time!
Women’s Fashion at a Glance
Fashion has always been a way to show social class and status for women. The 19th Century had a number of dramatic fashion changes that would have been experienced by the women of the O’Hara family. Just like today, as the ideal body shape changed, so did the fashion styles which allowed women to achieve their desired look. The crinoline or hoop skirt was introduced in the 1850s, this time to include a bell-shaped shirt. The fashionable silhouette continued to change for women from the bustle, which perched at the back of the dress, to the smooth lines of an hourglass shape by the close of the century.
Women would have to modify their clothes to keep up with trends. This was accomplished through a number of ways. Some would modify their clothes by hand, some hired a dress maker, and some bought the latest pre made fashions at a store like the Millinery store owned by Benson O’Hara. When families began to get electric sewing machines this task became much more easy!
When fashions were larger shawls were more common and when the ideal look was a slim waist tight jackets would be worn to highlight curves. Women throughout the 19th century wore corsets and many of their dresses had bones in them to hold a specific look and cinch in the body.
Hats were very popular throughout the 1880s and 90s and the O’Hara women wore their fair share of elaborate hats!
In general many of the O’Haras would have had a number of different outfits for different occasions. A simple blouse and skirt with an apron would be worn during work in the house and on the Homestead. More elaborate fashions would be worn for special occasions like social events, celebrations and church.
The Bells are Ringing
Minnie Ketcheson’s Wedding Dress
The first piece we will be looking at was a wedding dress that was worn by Minnie Ketcheson for her marriage to Mr. Benson O’Hara on the 2nd of August 1882! As you can see from the photo to the right, this dress isn’t the typical white that we associate with a wedding. It wasn’t until the 20th century that wearing a white dress was common place for brides! This dress is more of a sandy brown colour and was made of very delicate materials.
The fact that the dress is in such good condition today is amazing and we are very lucky to have this dress to display! It is only displayed occasionally so that it can be stored safely and preserved longer!
Cape Time
One of Mrs. O’Hara’s capes
Mrs. O’Hara had a number of fancy capes that were worn on special occasions. While we do not know exactly the type of capes these were, they may be mourning capes. Mourning capes, were made of black material and would be worn when a loved one passed away. However, mourning clothes were often very plain and not as elaborate as these capes worn by Mrs. O’Hara.
Explore below some of the dresses and fashions worn by the O’Hara women:
We hope you enjoyed this snapshot on women’s fashion! This barely scrapes the surface so we encourage you to keep looking and learning more if this subject interests you!