Different Styles Of Civil War Gowns

By Lucile Jacobs


Civil War Gowns became popular during the mid-1800s for several reasons. One of which is the reduced waistline when wearing a whale-bone corset. It has been said that many women wore these corsets very tight, especially when attempting to highlight a thin figure. In some cases, drastically reducing waistlines.

One might question why someone would want to study specifics of clothing worn during a specific time in history. This is because different clothing worn at the time often posed different meanings or warnings. As a result, there is now an increased interest in learning more about the war, the clothing and any and all weapons used during the war.

In addition, there are a number of other dresses and artifacts which can be found at the University of Connecticut. A reality which only came about after a diplomat viewed some of the dresses on display at a local textile and costume shop. After which, school officials were solicited to obtain some of the gowns and other objects for a public collection.

The collection first made its way to the university, then on to an exhibit at the Capitol. An exhibit in which a statue of the governor during the Civil War, presided over the historic scene. A governor who some say still haunts the Capitol halls on regular basis. Although, while there have been a number of first hand reports of such ghostly sightings, there are also still a number of skeptics.

Regardless, the gowns were on display well into the New Year and included styles which school teachers might wear and those which might have been worn at balls or galas. So, there was a wide selection which those attending the exhibit could view. Of course, replicas of these period gowns are still available through many costume, online and mail order companies around the world.

Although, unless the dress has been preserved to the point of mint condition, it is often going to be hard to obtain much cash from a vintage resale shop. Whereas, if one can prove the authenticity of the piece, then it may be much more valuable to a museum than a retail store. So, it is often best to check with the museum before the resale shop.

It is believed by statements of university staff that most often those studying these artifacts and clothing are from the Northeast or scholars looking to build a thesis based on the period. Regardless, these dresses are going to prove useful to researchers for quite some time. So, whether from Northeast, a historian performing Independent Study or other individual interested in the mid-1800s to early 1900s, these dresses and gowns can often provide a great deal of first hand detail in relation to the period.

After which, it is generally easier to describe the clothing in more detail. This is especially true when it comes to clothing worn during the Civil War. For example, there are just as many different styles when it comes to clothing for men during the period as there are for women. So, these garments can often help individuals verify that the right type of clothing is being worn during re-enactments and other events related to the Civil War.




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