Brown Silk Bodice with Double-Pointed Waist

circa 1863
VC2001167

The stiff, tight, boned bodice is quite severe.  The dark colors, the minimal horizontal decorations, and the plain coat sleeves all combine to give it a somewhat masculine feel, and even a slight militaristic feel. The minimalism and militaristic quality are not unexpected, as the bodice is from the Civil War era.  The bodice is also rather large for the time, suggesting that it may have been worn by an older woman.  The severity of the style thus might be explained as much by the age of the wearer as by the time period.

Dating the two bodices in this exhibit was a difficult task.  As the bodices are definitely intended for wear during the day, they are somewhat simpler and more subdued.  Fashions in day dresses changed far less radically than fashions in evening dresses.  The associated skirts for these bodices might have helped date them, but it is not surprising the skirts have been lost.  They may well have been taken apart, altered, or otherwise reused.  Skirts were often designed to go with multiple bodices, and so the skirts associated with these bodices may have seen a great deal of use and simply not survived the last 150 years.  The skirt for the earlier bodice, in particular, as it came from the Civil War period, was probably taken apart and reused, as by all accounts ladies in the Civil War were forced to practice some economy in their dress-- though admittedly less so in the North, where in all likelihood this bodice  originates.

Researched by Margaret Thompson ‘10
Research assistance from Dr. Karin Bohleke, director of the Shippensburg University Fashion Archives and Museum