Featured History

a newsletter oF tHe wHite river valley museum July 2009

Suffer For BeautyA RetRospective on Women’s HistoRy As evidenced By tHe evolution of undeRgARments

by Tara McCauley, Curator of Education

Fifteen years ago, the Museum mounted a temporary exhibit called Suffer for Beauty, wherein women’s history was represented through an examination of the evolution of undergarments. The exhibit traced political and social changes as represented through the changing modes of women’s underwear. This year, the Museum will again host this exhibit, on display August 12 through November 8. The display will feature the ideal look of an era and show what undergarments and beauty aides are required to accomplish that look. Historic photographs of fashion trendsetters will be compared to photographs of local women doing their best to abide by these often-changing fashion trends. What follows is a brief preview of the kinds of garments and historic events that will be featured.

Suffer for Beauty DVD Available

Working with the Washington Women’s History Consortium we have developed a power point program paralleling this exhibit. It has been created for use by other historical organizations, and key slides can be altered so each user (if they wish) can insert images of local historic women. It is a fun and entertaining way to learn about women’s history. To obtain a copy ($5 including shipping) contact Janet Wells, jwells@auburnwa.gov or 253 804-5010.

From the Back RoomPage 1, 4

Women’s History

as Seen through

Undergarments

Featured History What’s Happening? Junior Historians Good News!Page 2

Suffer for Beauty Exhibit,

Model Railroad Show

Page 3

Summer Camp’s Back!

Free Kids Programs

Page 9

Alaska Yukon Exposition

Collectable Stuff

Page 11

New Chicks,

Valuable Volunteers

Ladies on horseback in corsets and long dresses, c. 1890. PO-00621

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wHat’s Happening?Exhibit Programs & ClassEs

Suffer for BeautyA RetRospective on Women’s HistoRy As evidenced

By tHe evolution of undeRgARments

on DisPlay august 12 – novEmbEr 8Sponsored by 4Culture, the Seattle Foundation, and

the Washington Women’s History Consortium

Visitors to this exhibit will learn about women’s history through a review of underwear styles! After all, society puts expectations on us to look in certain ways, and those ways change over time. Women have been responding to these changing norms of beauty in the best way pos-sible, altering their shape and look often using undergarments to do so. The exhibit displays women’s undergarments and beauty aides by era: bustles and corsets of 1880 to1900, less binding clothes of the progres-sive era 1900 to 1920, the restricting fashions as 1905, to 1910 to 1914 backlash, the freeing 1920s, the economical 1930s, wartime masculine years of the 1940s, and finally the ‘new look’ from 1947-50s.

film scReening

August 29, 1–3 p.m.

Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony

Ken Burns’s Emmy® Award-winning documentary recounts the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of two pioneer women striving to give birth to the women’s movement.

lectuRe And slide sHoW

September 18, 6–8 p.m.

Variations on the Fig Leaf

Join guest curator Michelle Marshman for a lecture and slide show on the changing ideas of beauty through women’s undergarment fashions.

Exhibit ProgramsFree with regular Museum admission unless otherwise stated.

fAsHion sHoW

September 26, 2–3 p.m.

The Golden Oldies Guild Presents: A Fabulous Vintage Fashion Show!

Highlighting a century of fashion highs and lows, this will be an entertaining and educational look at the history of women’s fashion. Live music and hilarious commentary make this an event not to be missed! Admission: $5 adults, $4 children/seniors, includes museum admission.

fAmily dAy

October 10, noon –4 p.m.

Dressing Up!

Don’t miss our hands-on celebration of our current Suffer for Beauty exhibit, with fun for the whole family.

Annual Model Railroad ShowSeptember 12–13, 11 a.m.– 4 p.m.

Get on the right track to fun and come celebrate the trains that shaped our area. We’ll have so many G scale Lionel to N scale models, we can’t

hold them all. Visit us at the Museum and across the street at the

Senior Activity Center.$3 for adults,

$2 for children and seniors.

Junior Historians

things to Do

Summer at the White River Valley Museum

Hooked on HistoryWednesdays

10:30 – 11:30 a.m.Free for everyone and no registration is needed!

The White River Valley Museum is excited to present another

season of Hooked on History, a free summer program occurring Wednesdays from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m., before the Kids’ Summer Stage concerts in the park. Come join us as we explore a new theme each week, discovering the Museum’s collections with special guests, stories, games, music and crafts! Hooked on History is free for everyone, and no registration is needed!

July 8 — Phenomenal PhotographsA pictorial adventure through the Museum’s collections!

July 15 — Map it!A geographic free-for-all that will have you searching for fascinating facts…

July 22 — Art Through the AgesDiscover artistic expressions from past to present.

July 29 — Read all about it!Join us for a literary exploration through history!

August 5 —Traveling WestA fun-filled investigation of early settlers to the White River Valley.

Books Bring History Alive Fridays

11:30 a.m. –12 p.m.July 10, 17, 24, 31, august 7

Free for everyone and no registration is needed!

Books Bring History Alive is a fun summer program occurring

Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. catering to children aged 2 to 5. Each week a new book is selected and read aloud in the galleries, followed by a simple, complimentary craft project.

Junior Curator’s Summer Camp august 17 – 219 a.m. – 12 p.m.Kids ages 8 –12

$60

If you love collecting stuff and investigating history, then the

Junior Curator’s Summer Camp is the place to be this summer! Each day participants will explore the Museum’s collections with hands-on artifact investigation, art projects using recycled photographs, research into mysterious objects, conservation experiments, games and more. Camp will conclude with a kid-created exhibit and reception. Don’t miss the fun! Call 253-288-7439 to register.

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Anna Held, dance hall siren, c1890.

Continued from page1Featured History

History Reflected in Underwear?We all know that undergarments are worn under clothes, often next to the skin but have you ever considered that the amount of freedom undergarments allow, their part in displaying erotic intentions, and the degree to which morality imbues them all speak to the social roles of their wearers? Practically speaking, they keep outer garments from being soiled by perspiration, shape the body and provide support. Undergarments can be used to preserve the wearer’s modesty, as well as for erotic effect. Undergarments commonly worn by women throughout history include bustles, corsets, girdles, bloomers, hose, garters, petticoats, and brassieres. As popularity in one style of undergarment changed, so often did the social and political role of women, or was it visa-versa?

Corsets and 18” WaistsHistorically, metal, bone and wood were sewn into support garments called corsets, with the intention of ‘staying’ or defining the shape of a woman. Stays of the 18th century were laced from behind and drew the shoulders back to form a high, round bosom and upright posture. Undue tightening of the corset stays sometimes led to a woman needing to retire to the fainting room or couch as they lessened her ability to breathe. As small waists became fashionable in the 1820s, the corset was boned and laced to form the hourglass figure. By the 1860s, a tiny waist came to be seen as a symbol of beauty with women seeking the ideal 18 inches.

Rational thinking re-emerged by the 1880s with the dress reform movement that campaigned against the pain and damage to internal organs and bones caused by tight lacing. Following this thought, in the early 1900s, Inez Gaches-Sarraute, a corsetiere with a degree in medicine,

Suffer For Beauty

A RetRospective on Women’s HistoRy As evidenced By

tHe evolution of undeRgARments

by Tara McCauleyCurator of Education

Electric CorsetElectric corsets gained huge popularity in the early 1880s as the uses for and benefits of electricity seemed boundless. As published in the New York Times on Jan 12, 1882:

The uses of electricity are growing every day, especially the uses made of it by ingenious advertisers. The electric hair-brush, which is warranted to make hair grow on the head of a brass monkey if it is used sufficiently often, has been before the public for some time, and until lately was justly regarded as the easiest and most effectual way of applying electricity to the skin. It is now, however, rivaled in the estimation of the public by the electric corset, a new and wonderful invention. The wood-cut showing the manner of using the electric cor-set represents that article as a sort of close fitting jacket worn by a young lady…If steadily worn the electric corset will cause the wearer to grow plump and to enjoy the very best of health.

www.wrvmuseum.org • 253-288-7433

introduced the “health corset”, a garment with a straight-fronted bust made to help support the wearer’s muscles. The style was probably the result of several like-minded corsetieres and medical professionals. It was intended to create fewer health problems and to be less constrict-ing than previous types of corsets. Even so, it was difficult to bend over in a corset of that time, leading to a stiff, formal style of movement. The less physical freedom a woman had, the less she was prone to leave home, pursue athletics or work for pay.

Rational Dress Movement and Women’s SuffrageIn the late 19th century, the United States was home to a number of high-minded, evangelical women active in the anti-slavery and temper-ance (anti-alcohol) movements who started what came to be known as the Dress Reform or Rational Dress Movement. As they gained experience in public speaking and political activism, some of these women began to demand emancipation for themselves and their ward-robes. They wanted the vote, and sensible clothing as well! The move-ment had its greatest success in the reform of women’s undergarments, with bloomers, union suits and the softer, more camisole-like emancipa-tion bodice gaining great popularity. Dress reformers were also influ-ential in persuading women to adopt simplified garments for athletic activities such as bicycling or swimming. Concurrently, women were becoming increasingly involved in the political realm. So, after years of efforts in 1883 Washington women won the right to vote.

When women joined their votes with progressive thinking men, local elections often focused on issues of social justice, closing many taverns and brothels that had operated without much regulation. As with all change, a backlash against this progress was felt. On February 3, 1887 the Washington Territory Supreme Court enacted a new law that excluded women from serving on juries. One argument held that women who served on juries would be exposed to “sordid facts of life,” as in the conventional opinion of the time, women were too deli-cate and pure to know such facts. Finally, on November 14, 1888, the Washington Territorial Supreme Court nullified the women’s vote, arguing that Congress had never intended to enfranchise women in the first place.

It was not until November 8, 1910 that Washington State’s male electorate ratified the 6th Amendment to the State Constitution, permanently granting women the right to vote. Even then, Washington was the fifth state in the nation to enfranchise women.

Back to UnderwearBy the early 20th century, the mass-produced undergarment industry was booming, and competition forced producers to come up with all sorts of innovative designs. Meanwhile, in response to the growing free-dom in women’s lives, designers of women’s undergarments relaxed

above Mary Florence Reilly on her wedding day to Mr. Michael O’Brien, 1892. PO-0153

below Vera Sells Morley, no date. PO-01305

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Ordinary People, Extraordinary HistoryOrdinary People, Extraordinary History

the corset. The invention of new, flexible but support-ive materials allowed whalebone and steel bones to be removed.

In a short-lived (1910-14) but oppressive backlash to the Rational Dress Movement, “Hobble Skirts” gained some popularity. Their narrow hem significantly impeded the wearer’s stride, thus earning its name. An above-the-knee hobble or a knee-long corset helped to achieve this effect. Certainly an effective measure to keep women from venturing to far from home!

During the second-decade, free moving, trouser-like “bloomers” gained popularity with the so-called Gibson Girls who enjoyed pursuits such as cycling and tennis. The Gibson Girl was the personification of the feminine ideal as drawn by the pen and ink illustrator Charles Dana Gibson. The Gibson Girl was tall and slender, appeared active and outdoorsy, with an ample bosom and hips, a youthful face and hair piled loosely on her head. This new female athleticism helped push the corset out of style. The other major factor in the corset’s demise was the fact that metal was globally in short supply during the First World War. Steel-laced corsets were dropped in favor of the brassiere.

1880s 1890s 1900 –1910 1911–1914

The Changing Silhouette of Fashion

Over time women have altered their form often by use of under-garments to accommodate the body shape that was considered beautiful. Does this happen today?

left, No I.D., c. 1900. PO-01505

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Ordinary People, Extraordinary HistoryOrdinary People, Extraordinary History 7

Freeing 1920sThe 1920’s culminated in the “boyish” silhouette of the Flapper era, with little bust definition. The boyish figure downplayed women’s natural curves through the use of a bandeau brassiere. It was relatively easy for small-busted women to conform to the flat-chested look of the Flapper era, whereas bustier women had to work a bit harder to achieve the look. This new kind of young woman wore short skirts, bobbed her hair, lis-tened to the new jazz music, and flaunted her disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior. The Flappers were seen as brash for wearing exces-sive makeup, drinking, smoking, driving automobiles, and otherwise flouting conventional social and sexual norms. Women’s bloomers became much shorter and stockings covered the legs instead. The shorter bloomers became looser and less supportive as the boyish flapper look came into fashion. By the end of the decade, they came to be known as “step-ins”, very much like modern panties but with wider legs.

1911-1920 1920s 1930s 1942 –1946 1947–1950s

right Dolphie Tamburello, 1924. PO-00340

www.wrvmuseum.org • 253-288-7433

Ordinary People, Extraordinary HistoryOrdinary People, Extraordinary History8

Home-sewn 1930sFor women in the 1930’s, skirts became longer and the waistline was returned up to its natural position in an attempt to bring back the tra-ditional but more relaxed “womanly” look. The desired silhouette of the 1930s included a round to pointed bust as shaped by a brassiere and a natural shape of hip. Homemade clothing - even underwear - became the norm, so the exaggerated affects one might expect from ‘foundation gar-ments’ was minimized. Simple panties, slips and camisoles characterize the undergarments of this era.

WW II Military LookWorld War II had a major impact on clothing. Advertising for undergar-ments appealed to a woman’s sense of patriotism. Dress codes appeared - for example, Lockheed informed their workers that bras must be worn because of “good taste, anatomical support, and morale”. Women’s occu-pations shifted dramatically, with far more women employed outside the home and in industry. In imitation of fighting men, and perhaps in reaction to the number of women working out of the home, the practicality of men’s wear, pantsuits, bloomers and exaggerated shoulders gained greatly in popularity. A new ideal silhouette was the Sweater Girl, a busty and

MATERNITY CORSETMaternity corsets were marketed and sold well into the 1950’s. A 1914 HW Gossard Co Maternity Corset Advertisement states:

Better Health, Greater Comfort, Improved Appearance – Three reasons your maternity patients should wear this corset! While designed solely from the standpoint of health, this cor-set also improves appearance to the extent that the wearer does not shrink from appearing in public. This is an inestimable advantage psychologically and means that the usual social life may be continued, preventing depression and despondency.

Sears Catalogue, September 1941

left Isabelle Zafforini at Easter, 1944. PO-02143right Grade School Teacher from Washington Elementary, c. 1930’s. PO-02069

Ordinary People, Extraordinary HistoryOrdinary People, Extraordinary History

wholesome girl next door whose tight fitting outer garments accentuated her artificially enhanced curves, and whose padded shoulders silently por-trayed her mannish ability to work outside the home and her patriotism.

Lands of Plenty and PeaceA reviving postwar economy fueled demands for consumer goods with greater variety. Manufacturers met this with new fabrics, colors, patterns, and styles. Padding and stretchability were among other innovations. A postwar baby boom created a demand for maternity and nursing bras, and television provided new promotional opportunities. Hollywood glam-our became an increasingly powerful influence in fashion. Women left the working world to make room for returning veterans. In 1947, Christian Dior’s “New Look” signature shape was announced. It was characterized by a below-mid-calf length full-skirt, a tiny waist, and a large and pointy bust line. This represented an almost total return to turn-of-the-century aesthetics. In repudiation of the post-war fabric restriction, Dior infamous-ly used 20 yards of extravagant fabrics in his creations. Over time the New Look became revolutionary and strongly popular, influencing fashion and other designers for years to come.

To see this chronology come to life through the display of our extensive collection of underclothes, garments and photographs don’t miss Suffer for Beauty, August 12 – November 8, 2009.

MAKE-UPAs much as fashion is continually changing, so too are make-up trends for women, with the lat-est and greatest always available. A 1941 Angel Face Powder Ad by Ponds stated:

New Angel Face by Ponds Heavenly New make-up goes on with-out water…and stays! “I really never expected to find a make-up as completely satisfactory as Ponds New Angel Face! It’s a wonderful complexion flatterer – heav-enly soft color that clings for hours and hours!” — Miss Theodora Roosevelt

left Carrie Kinkade, 1942. PO-02984right Meridian School Faculty, 1949. PO-02281

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Hilary PittengerCollections Assistant

A-Y-P Souvenirs: How Trinkets Tell Stories

From tHe Back roomBy Alison Tisue

Curator of Collections

The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909 was a major event in the history of Washington State, helping to turn the image of the state from a backwoods gold rush region into a booming industrial center teaming with natural resources and access to the then-still-exotic locals of Alaska, Hawaii, and Asia. Like any major exposition event, the AYP Expo left a physical mark on Washington in the form of new buildings and landmarks, new roads, and new transit systems. Two of the original buildings from the AYP Expo including the Fine Arts Building can still be seen on the University of Washington campus today.

Harder to track is the material mark the Expo left in Washington – the thousands of photographs, pennants, postcards, and other knick-knacks purchased as souvenirs of the Expo, only to be stashed away in the back of drawers, shoeboxes, and jewelry boxes after the glow of the Expo had faded. Luckily for us, the White River Valley Museum’s collections have been blessed with a scattering of these forgotten treasures, giving us a small window into the popular experience of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition.

One of the more unusual souvenir items from the AYP Expo in the Museum’s collection is a stacking block puzzle. The blocks are made from thick cardboard and covered with paper prints on all six sides showing different buildings from the Expo. The buildings are shown in bright colors, sure to attract children, and show crowds of people happily strolling along wide boulevards in front of the buildings, enjoy-ing the gardens or simply taking in the sights. Though such a simple, if interesting, toy might seem to tell us little about history, a closer look can reveal some interesting facts.

When using objects to learn about history, it is important to ask a few questions: Why was this object made? Who used or bought the object? How do the maker and user’s perspectives vary from my own? Though it is tempting to interpret an object’s story using our own biases and opinions, we must remember to try and look at the object through its maker and user’s eyes first.

below Hudson Bay Fur Company Exhibit at the A-Y-P Exposition, 1909. #PO-1600

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goodnews!

Cock-A-Doodle-DoCurator of Poultry Kristen Bruhahn selected 13 new chicks to replace the hens lost last year to an invading ermine. Board member Clarissa Ruston’s family is raising the chicks that will then move to Olson Farm. The varieties include White Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpingtons, Buff Brahmas, Australorps, and Barred Rocks.

Portrait GalleryThanks to Janet Wells, Volunteer and Facility Coordinator, you can now see the shining faces of all 75 museum volunteers in the Muckleshoot Room portrait gallery. How many people does it take to run this museum? Seventeen board members, four collections caretakers, 55+ docents/tour guides, and a few staff members, and we are always looking for more! Interested? Call Janet at 253 804-5010.

The images chosen to be used on this toy were of some of the most elaborate and celebrated buildings of the Expo like the Transportation Building shown in the photo. These buildings were made in a very classi-cal form, called the Beaux Arts Style, which drew upon classical European and baroque elements to create a sense of authority, opulence, and per-manence in buildings. As a new state of only twenty years, Washington and the rest of the west coast wanted to prove that they could hold their own against more established centers of commerce and develop-ment like New York and Boston – and providing elegant, old-world styled buildings would help to drive the point home. Even objects like this toy could help to spread this new image campaign for Washington by being given as gifts to family members unable to attend the Expo, allowing the pictures of the buildings (and their implicit messages) to be seen by peo-ple who had never even set foot in the state.

www.wrvmuseum.org • 253-288-7433

left Stacking Block Puzzle, A-Y-P Exposition1909. #XX.434

right Playing Card with image of Fine Arts Building, A-Y-P Exposition,1909. #XX.433

Do You Know?Who are these people? We have an album of 49 photographs seemingly from the same family. The images range from this kind of slightly quirky, ‘let’s all stand on a floating log’ photo to casual group images in the family buggy, showing off the draft horse stal-lion, the hops barn, threshing, and interior scenes in a Victorian era home. If you have ideas, contact Janet Wells at 253 804-5010 or jwells@auburnwa.gov.

White RiveR JouRnal is a quarterly

publication of the White River Valley Museum,

which is supported in large part by

the City of Auburn. White River Journal is edited by Patricia Cosgrove, designed by Susan Hernday White River Valley Museum • 918 H Street SE • Auburn, WA, 98002 • Tel. 253.288.7433 • Fax 253.931.3098 • wrvmuseum.org

Open 12 noon to 4 PM, Wednesday through Sunday, and by appointment for group tours and research. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for children and seniors, and Wednesdays are free for everyone.

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDAUBURN, WA

PERMIT NO. 193

White River Valley Museum918 H Street SEAuburn, WA 98002

253.288.7433

Address service requested 2009 Board

memBers

Ronnie BeyersdorfPresident

Mike GerberVice President

Doug Hedgertreasurer

Lisa Scarffsecretary

Richard ArturaPat Bailey

DeAnna Burnett-KeenerTom CampbellJan Cavanaugh

Gator ChamberlainJulie Herren

Gerry HoneysettWarren KinggeorgeMichelle Marshman

Judi RolandClarissa RustonJennifer Traufler

emeritus

Mae Yamada

museum staFF

Patricia Cosgrovedirector

Kristen BruhahnBookkeePer and

administratiVe assistant

Tara McCauleycurator of education

Erin McEntireeducation assistant

Hilary Pittengercollections assistant

Janet WellsVolunteer and

facility coordinator

Provides Ongoing Support

Although the Farm looks quiet with no contractors in site, many projects are in

design or are awaiting permits. The parking lot and restroom are partially designed and winding their way through the King County permits process. Pending a positive review by the State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation a back-log of projects will move forward: bringing utilities to key buildings, building fences, planting gardens around the house and native species along the stream, and creating gravel walkways between the buildings. This fall the interior of the farmhouse will be fully restored, wallpaper and all (WOW!), and BOLA Architect + Planning (our long-term partners) will complete the design of the interior details of the barn.

Farm Notes…

If you wish to receive monthly e-updates, send Janet Wells your email address: jwells@auburnwa.gov.

M A R Y O L S O NF A R M