Vigo County Historical Society

Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week - March 23, 1986
By Susan J. Dehler
Vigo County Historical Society

Turn-of-century glitter
Cape fashionable in its day

Not much is known about the jet-black, beaded cape on display in the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley.

The lady's shoulder cape probably was worn more for decorative purposes than for warmth. Hundreds of shiny beads are sewn onto the lightweight material. Perhaps it was purchased at a local dressmaker's shop or at a garment store in Terre Haute, such as L. B. Root Co. or Levin Brothers of Wabash Avenue.

What has been fashionable to women has gone in cycles. Crinolines, hooped skirts and full sleeves dominated much of the mid-19th century to create a bell-shaped style on women. However, emphasis shifted in the late-19th century to a fullness in the back with the bustle.

In "Recurring Cycles of Fashion," Kathleen Norris describes the turmoils a woman faced in 1900: "She wore a wide-brimmed hat that caught the breezes, a high choking collar of satin or linen, and a flaring, gored skirt that swept the street on all sides. Her full-sleeved shirtwaist had cuffs that were eternally getting dirty, her stock was always crushed and rumpled at the end of the day, and her skirt was a bitter trial. Its heavy brush binding had to be replaced every few weeks, for constant contact with the pavement reduced it to dirty fringe in no time at all. In wet weather the full skirt got soaked and icy. Even in fair weather its wearer had to bunch it to great folds and devote one hand to nothing else but the carrying of it."

The design of this shoulder cape with its high collar that ties in front suggests that it was worn in the 1890s to early 1900s. The fashionable style reveals that it was evening apparel for a woman of the middle or upper class.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday through Friday.