Greencastle, PA

“Something old, something new, something borrowed,
 something blue, and a sixpence in her shoe.”

Antique wedding dresses are the featured exhibit for the May open houses at Allison-Antrim Museum, 365 South Ridge Avenue, Greencastle, Pennsylvania on Mother’s Day, May 12 and Thursday, May 16. 

Rebecca Manifold, Greencastle-Antrim Elementary Art teacher and well-known local authority on vintage clothing, will have about seven to eight period wedding gowns from her collection on exhibit.  The earliest is dated c. 1834 and the “newest” c. 1923 – 1927. Manifold was also instrumental in establishing the Textile Archives collection at Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, at which a number of dresses from her private collection have been exhibited.

Five other wedding gowns, including two from Allison-Antrim Museum ’s collection and three on loan from Greencastle-Antrim residents, will enhance the exhibit.  So as not to leave out the gentlemen, there will be two tails c. 1900 accompanying the ladies’ dresses. 

One of the gowns from the museum’s collection was worn by Nellie Snively, whose grandfather, Melchi, settled the village of Shady Grove, Pennsylvania .  She married Chalmers Omwake who co-founded the business of Omwake and Oliver, one of the predecessors of today’s Antrim Builders.  Mr. Omwake’s wedding tails will be along side Miss Snively’s wedding dress as they were almost 100 years ago.  

The ‘something old’ is obvious. The ‘something borrowed’ are the gowns on loan. The ‘something blue’ is a c. 1884 - 1886 blue silk faille wedding gown with a pronounced bustle that was worn by a Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor’s wife, unfortunately unknown at this time, from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. And, “…a sixpence in her shoe.” was for luck. The ‘something new’ are recent bridal gowns on loan from young ladies in the G-A community.  Vintage bridal accessories from Manifold’s collection, including a veil, floral coronets, wax flowers, and shoes, are also on exhibit.

From the collection of Becky Manifold

From the collection of Becky Manifold

During the Civil War era the "look" to be achieved by ladies was for a body that looked as wide as possible and the waist as slender as possible by contrast.  A dropped narrow armscye (shoulder seam) that restricted movement with full sleeves at the elbows helped widen the silhouette.  The bodices were mostly fitted.  The wide gathered skirts at both the waist and the hemline accentuated and gave the appearance of an impossibly small waistline that was also aided by the corset and stays. The skirt shapes were the bell that falls in gentle curves outward and then down to the hem and the pagoda that is angular and falls outward and downward in a straight line to the fullest point of the skirt.  The pagoda was used more often for the day dress or the camp dress because it was easier to work in.  The eye is always drawn away from the waist by pleats or gathers above the waist toward the shoulders or by the pleats or gathers of the skirt toward the hemline further accentuating the small waist.

ca. 1873 - 1875 - This gown is typical in the choice of two materials during this time period but atypical for the stylishness and lavishness of trim. Some neck trims have been removed - probably heirloom lace.

This wedding gown was purchased from a sale in New England and nothing more is known about it. This gown was shown in 1991 at the Shippensburg University Fashion Archives.

From the collection of Becky Manifold

From the collection of Becky Manifold

From the collection of Becky Manifold

ca. 1898 - The beautiful heavy satin and the heirloom lace are the dress's most obvious features. This is another dress from a well-to-do Maryland family. The dress was shown at the SUFA in 1991. .  The train, alone, weighs ten pounds.

From the collection of Becky Manifold

Wedding accessories from the collection of Becky Manifold include floral coronets, extra wax flowers, gloves, shoes, etc.

From the collection of Becky Manifold

After WWI, the straight vertical line returned with emphasis on a lowered waistline reaching the hips by 1920.   Slim skirts reached to ankle length.  The boyish look of short cut hair and 'bobbed' with no bust, no waist and no hips was in.  Underwear was finally unrestricted; dresses had no fastenings and hung straight from shoulder to ankle, often with front and back exactly alike. Never before in recorded English history, had women cut their hair short or worn their dresses to knee level.  Women had the vote and were entering the workforce in great numbers.  Women's Lib was not even a gleam in anyone's eye yet, but fashion foretold the future.  The twenties were prosperous, a time of prohibition, boot legging, and Charles Lindbergh's non-stop, trans-Atlantic flight, the Charleston , the raccoon coat and the flapper.  The story says John Held, Jr. created the name flapper because the young ladies often wore galoshes with the buckles undone and they flapped as they walked.  True story or not, the word flapper conjures up an image and describes a whole time period.  

1911 white lawn, three-piece dress consisting of an over blouse, slip, and skirt. This dress is believed to have been the wedding dress of Mary "Molly" H. Fringer Crouse, Taneytown, Maryland, mother of Catherine Crouse Thomas who was the mother of Barry Thomas, Greencastle.  "Molly" Fringer was married Harry J. Crouse on February 23, 1911.  The design and details are typical of the time period.

The dress is being worn by Bonnie Shockey.

Details of the dress include the fine silk organza that was pleated on the upper bodice and was used as trim at the cuffs and hemline.  The style of the time was a high back waistline and a dropped front waistline with a pouched front bodice.  From the side, the silhouette was S-shaped, which was accentuated even more with the proper corset. Accompanying the dress are Mrs. Omwake’s wedding shoes made of soft, calf leather embroidered with beaded eyelets.

A gift from Ina Reichard Shreiner.
From the collection of Allison-Antrim Museum

ca. 1901 Formal black wool tails worn by Chalmers Omwake on the occasion of his marriage to Miss Nellie Snively. Mr. Omwake was co-founder of Omwake and Oliver one of the predecessors of today's Antrim Builders. 

A gift from Robert and Jean Oliver Reymer.
Fom the collection Allison-Antrim Museum

The shirt is vintage, ca. 1900, from the collection of Allison-Antrim Museum . The collar is also vintage and is on loan from Dr. and Mrs. James H. Craig, Jr., Greencastle.

Men's evening wear hasn't changed much in 100 years.  The cut-away evening coat with tails became popular in the latter part of the 19^th century and is still worn today.  Modern tuxedo shirts are very similar to their Victorian counterparts and the cravat or ascot, vest and ribbon-trimmed pants are classic formal-wear details.  Of course, the top hat and walking stick required of our Victorian ancestors have not survived as well.  

1911 white lawn dress with slip worn by Fidelia Metz who married Moddie Garfield Chamberlin on June 7, 1911 in Winchester, Virginia.  

Worn by the maternal grandmother of and on loan from Nancy Meyers Pensinger

From the collection of Allison-Antrim Museum

Although not married to each other, No. 13. and 14 are shown side-by-side because they are within two years of each other.  The gentleman’s style of formal attire would not have changed within two years’ time.

During the time period of 1870 - 1900, the focus was still on the woman's waist and the plain bodice with its perfect fit was accentuated by the large amount of trimmings and drapery which wrap the figure from the hips downward and later in 1895-96 by the huge leg-of-mutton sleeves.  Quoting T. H. Holding, a ladies' tailor, "It is quite clear that comfort is not an essential with women, but the fit is everything….You cannot pay a woman a greater compliment than to make her so tight in the waist that she is miserable."

The bustle or crinolette disappeared between 1876-82, but returned with great visibility in 1882 reaching its maximum size in 1885 and finally died out by 1889.

On loan from Janet and Harry Myers, Greencastle

The gown is of silk crepe with a sweep train and satin wedding shoes.  There is a satin slip that accompanies the outfit, but it is in more fragile condition than the bodice’s yoke and lining.  The satin was woven with metal threads which have broken over the years and the slip as well as the satin lining of the bodice are literally shattered making it too fragile to display in an upright position. Also accompanying the dress are two extra medallions of pleated silk organza, two garters, and a bow with one tail considerably longer than the other.  The bow was possibly used with the bouquet. The skirt waistline is high in the back with a low front bodice waistline that comes to a point.  The skirt is displayed with the back facing up to show the train.  A gift from Grace Bert Cannon.

“…and a sixpence in her shoe” was for good luck.

From the collection of Allison-Antrim Museum

  The gown is a strapless, ballroom-style gown made of satin with a chiffon overlay.  The dress is embroidered with rum-pink colored flowers on the chiffon as well as decorated with separately embroidered flowers that were then stitched onto the dress giving a three dimensional effect. The chiffon hemline has an embroidered scallop edging.  The slip is a seven layered, super slip which gives the skirt its ballroom gown shape.

Accompanying the gown are her veil, shawl and shoes, a fondant icing table decoration made to match the flowers on the gown, the hand-stamped and hand-colored invitation, and the marriage ceremony bulletin.

Rebecca Manifold Biography

I began collecting clothing sometime during 1974 when I became aware that clothing could, indeed, survive the people who wore the garments and that it (clothing) could be found with some effort.  Prior to actually collecting, I had often depicted historic clothing in artwork I produced, so the interest was definitely there. It was extremely exciting to me to find that, armed with my own hard-earned money in a quest for the elusive, I could actually rescue, care for and display what other people often did not value or want.  The other exciting side of collecting clothing lies in the fact that what looks to be a pile of wrinkles or rags can, when carefully arranged on a proper form, be a breathtakingly beautiful example of wearable art!  The quest for more and better examples to place in my ever-growing and changing collection has led me to meet many people, to travel, and to exchange my interest and share my knowledge with others. 

A recent adventure in collecting: Through a turn of events or connections, I was contacted by a lady from Lancaster , Pennsylvania this past fall.  She was cleaning out her 101 year old mother’s attic.  She offered me the clothing accumulated there, as well as her family’s history.  We became friends in the process and I am the caretaker of this family’s history in the form of their garments, souvenirs, photos, and other memorabilia.  It all goes to prove, you never know what adventures lie ahead when you collect clothing.

I have been a member, since the 1970’s, of the Costume Society of America.  Beginning in the very early 1980’s to the present, my involvement with the Shippensburg University Fashion Archives on the campus at Harley Hall (lower level) has included being a volunteer, supporter, exhibiter, and a member of the SUFA Board of Directors.  The Archives has a try-on collection as well as a special collection made up of donations from faculty and Shippensburg area residents. 

The Archives serve as a valuable resource to the University and the wider community.  Groups of students are often found visiting and sketching there.  Presently, the Archives is working at achieving an endowment of $1,000,000 so it can continue to serve the University and the community in the future.

                                                                                    Becky Manifold