WEDDING GOWN

1910

Gift of Mrs. M.L. Betty Jackson

1982.20.06

Mary Shobe age twenty-five wore this cotton batiste gown, decorated with machine-made brodere anglaise (open embroidery) and lace trim, at her wedding to future governor Sam Ford age twenty-eight on November 24, 1910. White, kid leather, elbow-length gloves and white kid leather pumps completed the ensemble. The dress reflects the demoratization of fashion - many more women could afford machine-made trim than could purchase (or make) the handmade lace that decorated the dresses of the elite. More than thirty years later, the Ford's daughters married in equality stylish - and even more showy - attire.