From Cradle to Grave: Ages and Stages of 1800s Women's Clothing

Join Illinois State Museum Curator of History, Erika Holst, to learn about historic clothing through the lens of a 19th-century woman’s lifespan. As women passed through various life stages and roles, what types of clothing did custom dictate that they wear at each stage? What do these types of garments reveal about how society viewed a woman at different stages of her life? How did these roles and expectations evolve over the course of her life? This lecture is illustrated with examples of historic clothing from the Illinois State Museum’s historic garment collection.