From primitive loincloths to Prada shoes and overcoats, designs have evolved as fast as technology.
The Old Brutus Historical Society has masterminded a display to reveal a glimpse at some of the trends that have shaped the nation's past.
“Design by the Decades” is a compilation of 18 mannequins dressed in fashions of each decade from 1840 to 1980. In the spirit of the society's dedication to preserve local history, the exhibit portrays at least one local woman in the Women's Army Corps from the World War II era.
The exhibit displays each decade in chronological order, starting with a woman dressed in a bonnet and petticoat in reflection of the 1840s. In the 1850s, women fashioned bustles, until 1860 when the hoop became all the rage.
After the hoop began to disappear, the bustle made a comeback in the 1870s.
For the years 1910 to 1920, a male mannequin sports a World War I uniform companioned by a Red Cross nurse.
“We are hoping to show in a different way how the military changed in different aspects, from the Civil War in 1860, to World War I in the '20s and '30s and World War II in the '40s,” said Jeanne Baker, historian for the Town of Brutus, Village of Weedsport and Old Brutus Historical Society.
The 1920's mannequin portrays an influential part of American history in the fashion of a rebellious flapper with fringed skirts and feathery boas.
“All are appropriate designs for each decade, based on what people were wearing at the time,” Baker said. “There are 10 men's hats that show changes in the uniforms, encompassing decades from Abe Lincoln's stove-pipe hats to the 1920's derby.”
The display also includes various articles of China and dishware. In the center of the exhibit is a China cabinet holding everything from Colonial woodware and pewter to transfer and Fiesta ware from the 1940s and glass depression from the '30s. Each shows a change in design and use of material as technology and use progressed.
“All of the outfits are vintage clothing; there are no reproductions, everything is authentic,” Baker said.
All clothing was donated to the museum and thanks to volunteers and the help of the community, the museum was able to find all of these priceless artifacts of America's past.
“Some were found in a grandmother's cedar chest or came from someone who wore them when they were young. Some people found them at a rummage sale and realized it's from an era that's gone by and needs to be preserved,” Baker said.
Baker said all can benefit by coming to see how history, locally and nationally, has been sewn into the fabric of our past.
Staff writer Beth Noyes can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 252 or at beth.noyes@lee.net
If you go
What: “Design by the Decades”
When: Today through Dec. 15; museum is open 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Tuesdays; from Memorial Day through Labor Day it is also open 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays
Where: Old Brutus Historical
Society Museum, 8943 N. Seneca St., Weedsport
Cost: Free; donations accepted
For details: Call 834-9342
“Design by the Decades” is a compilation of 18 mannequins dressed in fashions of each decade from 1840 to 1980. In the spirit of the society's dedication to preserve local history, the exhibit portrays at least one local woman in the Women's Army Corps from the World War II era.
The exhibit displays each decade in chronological order, starting with a woman dressed in a bonnet and petticoat in reflection of the 1840s. In the 1850s, women fashioned bustles, until 1860 when the hoop became all the rage.
After the hoop began to disappear, the bustle made a comeback in the 1870s.
For the years 1910 to 1920, a male mannequin sports a World War I uniform companioned by a Red Cross nurse.
“We are hoping to show in a different way how the military changed in different aspects, from the Civil War in 1860, to World War I in the '20s and '30s and World War II in the '40s,” said Jeanne Baker, historian for the Town of Brutus, Village of Weedsport and Old Brutus Historical Society.
The 1920's mannequin portrays an influential part of American history in the fashion of a rebellious flapper with fringed skirts and feathery boas.
“All are appropriate designs for each decade, based on what people were wearing at the time,” Baker said. “There are 10 men's hats that show changes in the uniforms, encompassing decades from Abe Lincoln's stove-pipe hats to the 1920's derby.”
The display also includes various articles of China and dishware. In the center of the exhibit is a China cabinet holding everything from Colonial woodware and pewter to transfer and Fiesta ware from the 1940s and glass depression from the '30s. Each shows a change in design and use of material as technology and use progressed.
“All of the outfits are vintage clothing; there are no reproductions, everything is authentic,” Baker said.
All clothing was donated to the museum and thanks to volunteers and the help of the community, the museum was able to find all of these priceless artifacts of America's past.
“Some were found in a grandmother's cedar chest or came from someone who wore them when they were young. Some people found them at a rummage sale and realized it's from an era that's gone by and needs to be preserved,” Baker said.
Baker said all can benefit by coming to see how history, locally and nationally, has been sewn into the fabric of our past.
Staff writer Beth Noyes can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 252 or at beth.noyes@lee.net
If you go
What: “Design by the Decades”
When: Today through Dec. 15; museum is open 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Tuesdays; from Memorial Day through Labor Day it is also open 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays
Where: Old Brutus Historical
Society Museum, 8943 N. Seneca St., Weedsport
Cost: Free; donations accepted
For details: Call 834-9342
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