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Home , 18th century, Bed hangings, Chintz, Cloak, Kerchief, Petticoat

National Park Service Park News U.S. Department of the Interior

Pickled Fish and Salted Provisions A Peek Inside Mrs. Derby’s Clothes Press: Women’s in the 18th

In the parlor of the Derby House is a por- trait of Elizabeth Crowninshield Derby, wearing her finest apparel. But what exactly is she wearing? And what else would she wear? This edition of Pickled Fish focuses on women’s clothing in the between 1760 and 1780, when the Derby Family were living in the “little brick house” on Derby Street.

Like today, women in the 18th century dressed up or down depending on their social status or the work they were doing.

Like today, women dressed up or down depending on the situation, and also like today, the shape of most garments was common to upper and lower classes, but differentiated by expense of fabric, quality of workmanship, and how well the garment fit. Number of garments was also determined by a woman’s class and income level; and as we shall see, recent scholarship has caused us to revise the number of garments owned by women of the upper classes in Essex County.

Unfortunately, the portrait and two items of clothing are all that remain of Elizabeth’s . Few family receipts have survived, and even the de- tailed inventory of Elias Hasket Derby’s estate in 1799 does not include any cloth- ing, male or female. However, because Pastel portrait of Elizabeth Crowninshield Derby, c. 1780, by Benjamin Blythe. She seems to be many other articles (continued on page 8) wearing a loose over her in imitation of fashionable portraits. National Park Service.

The official newsletter of Salem Maritime National Historic Site • Winter 2010 • Volume 11, Number 1 From the Editors A Firm Foundation: In 2012, the Derby House will be turning 250. The “little brick house” as it is referred to in the Derby papers, has witnessed major chang- es to Derby Street and Derby Wharf, from the The Shift port like Salem would have hers made of golden age of the China Trade through eco- The layer of clothing directly against the the finest Irish imported into the nomic depressions and recoveries, the ebb and skin was the shift, a knee-length loose town. There are several receipts in the flow of new communities, and the foundation of the first National Historic Site in the garment with a scoop neck (usually with Derby papers that are probably related to National Park system. Today it has been re- a drawstring to adjust the neckline), and purchases for household use by Elizabeth turned to its mid-eighteenth century appear- elbow length sleeves. The sleeves and rather than export by Hasket, including ance as an historic house museum visited by neckline sometimes had a decorative one from Salem shopkeeper John Good thousands of people every . ruffle that would peek out at the neck which included the purchase in May 1773, and elbows of the gown. Because shifts of 22 yards of linen at 18 shillings a yard, This is the first in a series ofPickled Fish fo- cused on the Derby House, the Derbys, and absorbed perspiration, they would have along with other purchases of and the time in which they lived in the house. Our been changed every day and laundered cloth that were probably for outer aim with this series is to present information often. A woman like Elizabeth Derby garments for the family. In contrast, the that will put the house and its residents in would have most likely had at least a doz- cost for two of the Derby sons at a board- context, and highlight some new scholarship en shifts, since she would have changed ing school to prepare them for Harvard on the house and the family. into a clean shift for sleeping.  was only 12 shillings a week. We begin with Elizabeth Crowninshield Derby. (continued on page 3) Although we have little direct evidence of Shifts were almost always made of linen, what exactly was in Mrs. Derby’s wardrobe, and a wealthy woman from an urban  Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Derby as we shall see we can get a good idea of the  Baumgarten, Linda. Eighteenth Century Clothing at Papers Mss 37, Box 16, Folder 8. Receipt, John Gooll types of clothing she would have worn on Williamsburg (Williamsburg, VA: Colonial Williams- for fabric dated May 7, 1773; Receipt, Joseph Hale a daily basis and for special occasions from burg Foundation, 1986), 15. “for boarding your two sons” other sources. She is still a voiceless figure, and will remain so until we find letters or other documents in her handwriting. Perhaps now, however, we can begin to see her a little more clearly, wearing a bright cotton gown that catches the early morning sun as she greets the children in the bedroom upstairs, or perhaps in a gown that softly shimmers in the candlelight as she raises a glass at the card table during an evening party.

As always, we invite submissions from staff, volunteers, and friends of Salem Maritime NHS. This publication is by and for you, de- signed to assist in the understanding and interpretation of any area of the site’s history, be it an artifact, building, person, or event.

Dave Kayser Museum Curator

Emily Murphy Park Historian & Public Affairs Officer

In this c. 1775 British cartoon poking fun at elderly ladies who try to in the height of , you can see the lady’s shift, stays, pockets, and underpetticoat. She is already wearing her and . Cartoons are a wonderful source for the historian of material culture, because the artists often add small domestic touches like the chamber pot sitting at lower right near the curtain. Library of Congress

 Pickled Fish and Salted Provisions Undergarments (continued) (continued from page 2)

Stays Stockings Over the shift, the 18th century woman Both women and men wore stockings, wore stays. Unlike the later which came up above the knee. Women , 18th century stays were not meant would tie their stockings either above or to constrict the tightly, but to en- below the knee with , which could sure the proper upright posture and give be ribbons or woven wool tapes. Most of the body a conical shape from shoulder the stockings worn by the Derby family to waist. They were made out of two lay- would have been made of fine wool, lin- ers of heavy linen, with a fashion fabric, en, cotton, or silk thread, knitted profes- usually a linen or wool, on . Bon- sionally in England on frames. ing (which could be whalebone, wood, These machines produced flat pieces that reeds, or even metal) was placed between were then seamed from the bottom of the the layers of heavy linen, and the stays foot up the back of the leg to make the were usually laced up the back. finished stocking. Stockings (also called ) were imported in huge quantities Among the middle and upper classes, and often bought by the dozen. girls began wearing stays as soon as they could walk. In March of 1763, Mary Vial Anstis Derby was about ten years old when It seems that during the period of non- this portrait was drawn by Benjamin Blythe. Holyoke recorded “Poll began her shoes Her upright posture and stiff torso are caused importation the Derbys did what they by her stays. Like her mother, she is wearing could to make their imported stockings  Baumgarten, Linda, What Clothes Reveal: The Lan- a draped robe over her fitted gown, imitati- last; in December 1768, Joseph guage of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America ing portraits by artists like John Singleton (Williamsburg, VA: Colonial Williamsburg Founda- Copley. National Park Service dyed a number of stockings for the tion, 2002), 121-122, 211. Derbys for 1 shilling 10 pence. & stays.” Her daughter Mary (or Polly) National Park Service was only 18 months old at the time. The Pockets U.S. Department of the Interior portrait in the Derby House of Anstis An 18th century woman wore her pock- Derby at about the age of ten clearly ets tied around her waist. Pockets were shows the stiff torso and upright posture shaped like bags, narrow at the top and caused by her stays. Salem Maritime National Historic Site was wider at the bottom, with a slit on one designated in 1937, the first National side. In an era where private space was Historic Site in the National Park Service sys- For everyday wear, Mrs. Derby would almost non-existent, and houses like the tem. The nine acre site includes the homes of probably have a set of stays that fit firmly merchants and mariners, the Salem Custom Derbys’ had a constant flow of visitors House in which the famous author but not tightly, and might have been front and employees, a pocket was a secure Nathaniel Hawthorne worked, and a replica lacing to allow her to loosen her stays place for a woman to keep important of the three-masted cargo vessel Friendship. during pregnancy and breast feed more items close at hand. Today, the rangers and volunteers of Salem easily. However, if Mrs. Derby were Maritime NHS continue to inform and inspire visitors with the maritime history of New going to an assembly or an evening party Even though they were hidden under England and the . she might wear a more tightly laced set multiple layers of and gown ma- of high fashion stays, with straps that Salem Maritime National Historic Site terial, pockets were often embroidered 160 Derby Street pulled her shoulders back to enhance her with colorful designs. Some scholars Salem, MA 01970 bust and waistline and force her to carry believe that they were often worked as her arms in a graceful curve away from Phone practice pieces for girls to learn embroi- 978-740-1650 her torso. would be fit to a set of dery and as gifts for friends. stays, so that she would wear her more Web Site formal stays under more formal gowns.   Baumgarten, Eighteenth Century Clothing, 48; www.nps.gov/sama  Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Derby  Dow, George Francis, ed. The Holyoke Diaries, Papers Mss 37, Box 16, Folder 8. Receipt, Estate of The National Park Service cares for the 1709-1856 (Salem: Peabody Essex Museum, 1911), Joseph Hood (Deceased), July 1769. special places saved by the American people 55.  For images, see Baumgarten, Language, 58  For a discussion of the wearing of stays dur-  Yolanda Van De Krol, “Ladies’ Pockets,” The so that all may experience our heritage. ing pregnancy (and the fact that women had ac- Magazine Antiques, vol. 149 (March 1996), p. 439- tive social lives throughout their pregnancies), see 445. And notes on talk by Yolanda Van De Krol, Baumgarten, What Clothes Reveal, 147-149. http://www.18cnewenglandlife.org/pockets.htm

Pickled Fish and Salted Provisions  A Proper Presentation: and Gowns

Petticoats with a repurposed piece of 18th century coming from the area around Marseilles, Petticoats were also referred to as “” crewel work. 11 The top layer of petticoat , but many colonial women also in 18th century documents. A petticoat was meant to be seen beneath the open quilted their own petticoats. On June 19, was two squares of fabric, seamed on front of the gown, and could be in a 1764, Mary Vial Holyoke recorded “Put each side up to about 8 inches from the matching or contrasting fabric, in silk, black in the frame.” She must have top to leave a slit to access the pocket wool, or cotton depending on the gown had help (although sadly she underneath and then pleated to a waist- fabric. does not say who of her friends or rela- band that tied on each side. A woman tions helped her) for two days later she like Elizabeth Derby would have prob- Another important type of petticoat was states “Took Coat out of the frame. Made ably worn two or three petticoats both the quilted petticoat, which consisted & wore it.” Sixteen years later, she was for warmth and to make her more of a layer of wool batting sandwiched still as good with the needle, for between full. If she were wearing a formal gown, between layers of wool or silk (wool was November 14 and 18 she—and most likely she might also wear a petticoat with oval almost always used as the backing layer). a couple of other women—quilted two hoops of wood sewn into it in order to These petticoats would have seen a lot black (a term for good English wool) provide stiffness for the very wide skirts of use, since they performed the double petticoats and made a winter gown. 13 that remained popular for .10 function of keeping the wearer warm and, because of the stiffness of the - In our collection, we have a quilted silk Some petticoats, particularly ones that ing, keeping the wearer’s skirts away petticoat that, according to family tradi- were worn as the first layer, were embroi- from her ankles as well.12 Professionally tion, belonged to Mrs. Derby. It is an dered near the hem. A petticoat in our quilted petticoats were popular, many excellent example of a high-end silk pet- collection might be one such petticoat, ticoat, professionally quilted and perhaps 11 A very similar petticoat is pictured in Baumgarten, although further research needs to be Eighteenth Century, 17. imported. (continued on page 5) done to determine if it is a later piece 12 Baumgarten, What Clothes Reveal, 89; Eighteenth 13 Dow, George Francis, ed. The Holyoke Diaries, Century, 23 10 Baumgarten, Eighteenth Century, 19 61, 104-105

Quilted silk petticoat, c. 1760-1780. This petticoat supposedly belonged to Elizabeth Derby.

Because the gown covered most of the upper part of the petticoat, the most complex quilting was near the hem. Quilted petticoats became fashion- able again in the , and like Detail of the crewel work on what is possibly many petticoats from this an underpetticoat. Crewel work was a popu- era, this petticoat had its lar type of embroidery for middle- and upper- original waistband made class 18th century women. It can be found on of ties replaced with bed hangings as well as garments. a wide NPS collections ribbon. NPS collections

Detail of the quilting on the petticoat.

 Pickled Fish and Salted Provisions CALIMANCO, CHINTZ, AND LUSTRING Fabric in 18th century America The advertisement at left, from the Amorys of Salem and Boston, shows the wide variety of fabrics available to Americans in the . The Amorys list almost 100 different weights, weaves, and widths of cotton, silk, linen, or wool fabric. England had an advanced system of manufacture that by the mid was producing some of the finest fabric the world has ever seen, particularly wool fabric.

In fact, by the early , the textile manufacturers were powerful enough to get an act through Parlia- ment to protect the industry from the influx of Chinese and Indian that were flooding into the country through the efforts of the East Company. These acts banned the sale of Chinese silk in England, and the sale or wearing of Indian cottons. Indeed, the famous furniture manufacturer Thomas Chippendale had his shop raided by customs officials because he had Indian cotton chintz bed hangings that he was mounting on a bed for a client. However, it was not illegal to bring these fabrics into the country in order to re-export them to British colonies, as can be seen from the Amory’s advertising both English and “India” (Chinese silk was called India because of the East India Co.) fabrics.

Therefore, women in America could wear the fashion- able Indian-made chintz (a fine cotton fabric painted with vines and florals, then glazed to give it a sheen), while their sisters in Britain had to make do with British-made copies, or one of the fine silk fabrics like lustring, which was also glazed, or a colorful lightweight glazed wool like calamanco.

Left: Advertisement, Boston Gazette, May 21, 1764. Right, detail of damaged chintz, c. 1780 from the Salem Maritime collection.

 Baumgarten, What Clothes Reveal, 79, 83; for definitions of fabrics, see Montgomery, Florence in America, (New York: Norton, 2007)

Petticoats and Gowns (continued) (continued from page 4)

Gowns niers, to hold out the sides, and the ends The gown was the top layer of a woman’s of the sleeves would have been finished outfit. The eighteenth century gown with at least two layers of self-fabric had elbow length sleeves, a low scooped elbow ruffles, lined with -trimmed neck, and long skirts that were open at cotton or ruffles. Self-fabric trim, the front so that the petticoat was visible. either pleated or gathered, would have Gowns were used for both formal and been applied to the front of the dress, of- “undress” or .14 ten with handmade silk “fly fringe” trim sewn to the edge of the pleated trim. The The iconic dress of the mid-to-late 18th matching petticoat would probably also century is the formal gown called the have self-fabric trim applied to the front, robe à la Française, known more famil- where it would be seen. Altogether, a iarly to its 18th century wearers as a sack single dress could be made of as much as dress. This is the type of gown featured twenty yards of the finest silk, and since in films like Dangerous Liaisons, Marie the dress was mainly large panels of fab- Antoinette, and The Duchess. In this style ric pleated and stitched to shape, these of gown, the back of the dress is pleated were often passed down and at the shoulder line and falls in loose remade in new styles. 15 pleats to the floor, sometimes forming a This reproduction sack dress shows the mul- For everyday wear, Elizabeth Derby short . This style of dress would have tiple pleats that fall from the shoulders into been worn over hoops, also called pan- a small train at the back. At the hips, the would have worn an open gown, also 14 Rushton, Pauline. 18th Century in Na- dress is held out by hoops. This is the formal called a (continued on page 6) tional Museums Liverpool (Liverpool: National Muse- dress of the 1760s and . Courtesy of Hallie ums Liverpool, 2004), 9. Larkin 15 Baumgarten, What Clothes Reveal, 112, 187-199.

Pickled Fish and Salted Provisions  Petticoats and Gowns (continued) (continued from page 5) robe a l’Anglaise, gown en forreau, or just age, women like Mrs. Derby would have lower class women, or as by a “gown” in women’s writings and inven- owned eight or nine gowns, three of silk, upper class women in England and the tories. These gowns had the back pleats two or three of wool, and two or three southern colonies, and today are often stitched down, and usually did not have of cotton. A gown in the Peabody Essex worn by female reenactors. However, the long ruffles at the end of the sleeves Museum that was owned by Mrs. Derby these garments do not seem to have been that would be found on formal gowns. is made of brocaded silk.16 very popular in Essex County, at least Everyday gowns could be made of wool, among those upper-middle and upper cotton chintz, or silk. For someone of Another garment associated with 18th class women whose estates were invento- Mrs. Derby’s class, linen gowns were century women’s wear were short unfit- ried in the probate records. Additionally, apparently not that common, according ted or fitted garments called “” there are very few mentions of them in to research by clothing historian Carrie “short gowns” or “.” These gar- runaway ads, which indi- Midura. Instead, the majority of their ments were worn as working garments by cates they may not have been very com- 17 wardrobes were silk and wool gowns. 16 Rushton, 9-15, Conversation with Carrie Midura mon even among working class women. Midura’s study of probate inventories about her unpublished research, December 2009, E- mail from Ms Midura with research results from the 17 Baumgarten, What Clothes Reveal, 116-121; in Essex County has found that on aver- Essex County Probate Records, January 11, 2010. Conversation with Carrie Midura, December 2009.

Bottom left: reproduction cotton chintz gown by Hallie Larkin. The careful cutting of prints and to create a symmetrical pattern is very common in 18th century dresses. This dress is shown with two different petticoats (silk quilted on the left, and the gown fabric on the right) to show how a woman could mix and match her looks. Top left: a detail of the reproduction silk sack seen on page 5, showing the type of trim that would be found on a formal dress. Courtesy of Hallie Larkin Top center: Blue silk brocade gown, c. 1770-1785. This dress is dated by the style of the gown, but the fabric dates from c. 1737. Expensive gowns were often passed down through generations and remade in new styles. Top right: a silk damask gown, c, 1775-1780 shown with the skirts gathered into a at the back. Division of Home and Community Life, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

 Pickled Fish and Salted Provisions the Look: Accessories Further Reading

Books , , and There are a great many references for those To finish her look, a woman would have interested in 18th century clothing. These are worn a cap, kerchief, and apron. For a few of the best books available today: everyday wear, these would have been Arnold, Janet. Patterns of Fashion: English- linen, and provided protection for the women’s Dresses & Their Construction, vol. 1, c. 1660–1860. London: Wace, 1964. dress and hair from dirt. For fancier oc- Baumgarten, Linda. Costume Close Up: Cloth- casions, Mrs. Derby might wear a “” ing Construction and Pattern, 1750-1790. of cap, kerchief, sleeve ruffles, and pos- Williamsburg, VA: Colonial Williamsburg sibly apron made from very fine (almost Foundation, 2000. transparent) linen, cotton, or lace. The Baumgarten, Linda. Eighteenth Century linen or cotton could be plain, but often Clothing at Williamsburg. Williamsburg, VA: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1986. it was either edged with lace or embroi- dered with white-on-white “Dresden” Baumgarten, Linda, What Clothes Reveal: The 18 Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal work. One receipt in the Derby Papers America. Williamsburg, VA: Colonial Williams- from Salem shopkeeper John Gooll in- burg Foundation, 2002. cluded the purchase in January 1773 of 3 Burnston, Sharon Ann. Fitting & Proper: 18th yards of linen at 52 shillings a yard, a very Green silk calash from the collections of Century Clothing from the Collection of the Salem Maritime. NPS collections. Chester County Historical . Texarkana, expensive linen indeed that was probably 19 TX: Scurlock Pub Co, 2000) intended for just such a suit of linen. Outerwear Hart, Avril, and Susan North. Fashion in Detail: If Mrs. Derby was going out during the From the 17th and 18th . New York: day, she would probably wear a light Rizzoli, 1998. or to protect her gown from Koda, Harold, and Andrew Bolton. Dangerous dust, or in winter a heavier cloak for Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the Eigh- 21 teenth Century. New Haven: Yale University warmth. On her head she could wear a Press, 2006. flat straw , possibly covered with silk Montgomery, Florence M. Textiles in America, (these were worn both summer and win- 1650-1870. New York: Norton & Co., 1984. ter), or a silk . Ribeiro, Aileen. The Art of Dress: Fashion in Linen shoes with embroidery on the toes England and France, 1750–1820. New Haven: from the collections of Salem Maritime. The woman in the c. 1760 British print Yale University Press, 1995. Buckles would have been attached to the “Winter” in the hallway of the Derby (continued on page 8) flaps.NPS collections. House sports a lovely silk bonnet, worn Shoes over a white linen cap. She is also wear- Shoes were made of a variety of fabrics, ing a cloak trimmed with ermine fur. Fur from leather to calamanco wool. Shoes trim was popular for winter ; in could also be made of silk to match a December and January 1772 Salem shop- gown. They had pointed toes, fastened keeper James Hastie advertised “ermine with a buckle, and they were straight trim for cloaks.”22 lasted, meaning that they did not have a right or left. In the mid-18th century, Another popular choice for a head cov- all women’s shoes had heels, although ering was a calash bonnet. Calashes the heel became thinner over the course first became popular in the late 1760s as of the century.20 A pair of embroidered became taller, since the ribs linen shoes in Salem Maritime’s collec- of the bonnet held the fabric away from tion probably dates from the . the hair. Salem Maritime has a beautiful green silk calash of the type Mrs. Derby 18 For a treatise on white work, see Toomer, 23 Heather. Embroidered with White: The 18th Century might have worn. Fashion for Dresden Lace and Other Whiteworked Accessories, (Heather Toomer Antique Lace, 2008) 21 Burnston, Fitting and Proper, 32-34, shows a grey 19 Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Derby silk cloak worn in Chester County, PA, 1780-1800. Papers Mss 37, Box 16, Folder 8. Receipt, John Gooll 22 Essex Gazette, December 15, 1772 and January Winter, engraved by C. Corbutt after a pain- for fabric dated May 7, 1773 12, 1773. ing by Robert Pyle, c. 1760 . NPS collections. 20 Baumgarten, Eighteenth Century, 47. 23 Burnston, Fitting and Proper, 41-43.

Pickled Fish and Salted Provisions  National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Salem Maritime National Historic Site 160 Derby Street Salem, MA 01970

www.nps.gov/sama

EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA™

Mrs. Derby’s Clothes Press (continued) Pickled Fish and Salted Provisions is Salem (continued from page 1) Maritime National Historic Site’s occasional newsletter, written by and for the site’s employees, volunteers, and friends. Founded of clothing have survived from members in 1999 by former Park Historian John Frayler, of the Derbys’ socio-economic class, Further Reading (continued) the newsletter presents research on topics (continued from page 7) related to Salem Maritime, designed to assist there have been several studies of wom- in the understanding and interpretation of en’s clothing done in recent years that Rushton, Pauline. 18th Century Costume any area of the site’s history, be it an artifact, examine the construction and meaning in National Museums Liverpool. Liverpool: building, person, or event. National Museums Liverpool, 2004. of garments in 18th century society. Editor Web Sites Dave Kayser, Museum Curator In addition, there are some other primary These museums have on-line collections. Most of these sites have an advanced search, which sources about women in Salem at this Managing Editor allows you to set a date range. A keyword Emily Murphy, Park Historian time, most notably the diary of Mary Vial search for “gown,”etc. is usually effective. Holyoke, the wife of the most prominent Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. www.mfa.org Chief of Interpretation doctor in Salem. Mary’s diary includes Sheila Cooke-Kayser Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.met.org many mentions of work on her clothing, Kent State Costume Museum, www.dept. Contributor usually related to her many pregnancies. kent.edu/museum Emily Murphy, Park Historian Victoria & Albert Museum, London www. Comments? Write to: From all of these sources, we can get a vam.ac.uk Emily A. Murphy good idea of what Mrs. Derby’s clothes Kyoto Costume Institute, Japan www.kci.or.jp Salem Maritime National Historic Site press might have contained. For further American History Museum, Smithsonian 160 Derby Street reading, the bibliography included in this Institution, Washington, DC, americanhistory. Salem, MA 01970 issue will provide more in-depth (and si.edu/collections/ lavishly illustrated) books and web sites.

 Pickled Fish and Salted Provisions