Have you considered what your female ancestors wore? I understand you may not have a closet filled with her clothing. However, learning more about what she wore can help you understand her life.
Did she have to use flour sacks to create dresses for herself and her kids? What was it like to wear a corset in the 19th century? How did that impact her life and her mobility? What does the uniform in that photo you have of her say about what she was doing?
Fashion is something we can write about to describe her life. Some questions you can study include:
- What was the fashion of the day?
- Where did she acquire her clothes? (sewing, buying, or hand-me-downs)
- What type of fabrics existed? What did they look like?
- How would she have taken care of her clothing?(washing, ironing, storage, for example)
- Where are online images that depict that type of clothing?
- Have you inherited any clothing? If so, how would you describe it?
Resources
Ancestry - Sears Catalog https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1670/
Vintage Patterns https://vintagepatterns.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page
Library of Congress - Women's Fashion History Through Newspapers 1921-1940 https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2021/07/womens-fashion-history-through-newspapers-1921-1940/
State University of New York - Fashion History Timeline
https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/
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