What
the Clothes Say About the Smithie
Imagine
you were born about 150 years ago and were among the first
to attend Smith College. In 1875, how different would your
life be?
Residents of Hubbard house,
circa 1879. Courtesy of Smith College Archives. (Click
on image for enlarged view.) |
Kate Morris, Class of
1879, models apparel of the day. Courtesy of Smith College
Archives. |
Stella Schwartz ’11 models a bustle as worn by Smith's
first students. |
The contrast would begin the
moment you climb out of bed and dress for the day in layers
of heavy garments—cotton drawers and stockings,
then a chemise, over which you would pull a cinching bustle
and a corset, then a petticoat or two, before finally situating
a dress buttoned around your neck and wrists and brushing
the soles of your shoes.
All would be exchanged at some
point during the day with loose-fitting bloomers, the proper
attire for gymnastics class. Then back to the chemise, corset,
bustle and petticoats, which would remain when you change
dresses for dinner, until bedtime.
“Smithies now can roll out of
bed and get to a 9 a.m. class in sweatpants,” compares
Rebecca Kaplan ’11, who is teaming with Stella Schwartz ’11
to research the clothing and layers of undergarments worn
during the days of Smith’s founding and what
they reveal about Smith women’s lives then.
“So much attention to dress was required then,” said Kaplan. “Through the study
of period dress, we know that the morning ritual of Smithies
has evolved dramatically.”
Schwartz and Kaplan are compiling
an exhibition illustrating the plethora of undergarments
worn by proper young women of what is known as the “Bustle Period” (circa
1865-1890). The exhibition will be on view around commencement
week in the Mendenhall Center display cases outside Hallie
Flanagan Studio Theatre.
The students will give a presentation, “Dressing
the Pioneer Smithie,” detailing their research
and talking about compiling the exhibition during this Saturday, April 17. The features more than 300 students giving presentations and
performances in various campus locations. Schwartz and Kapaln
will present in the 10:45 to noon time slot in Seelye 107.
“I wanted to see what these women’s lives were like,” said Schwartz about the
inspiration behind the students’ project, which was researched
in collaboration with Kiki Smith, professor of theatre. “Clothing
is a good way to get a perspective of their lives, because
it’s so personal. You can see the sweat stains on these
clothes.”
Though they grappled with clothing
that was extremely constrictive and oppressive in its lack
of variation, the women of Smith’s
first classes were not blind conformists, Schwartz emphasizes.
“These women were doing something women had never done before,” she said about
early Smithies’ bucking trends to be among the first women
to attend college. “But
wearing all this clothing, it has to have had an impact on
how they saw the world.”
Presenting their findings at
Celebrating Collaborations gives the students an opportunity
to sharpen the content of their research, says Schwartz.
“It’s a great advantage because it gives us a test run,” she said. “We can
see how people react.”
Their presentation at Celebrating
Collaborations also gives the students a chance to display
their Smith pride to audience members, many of whom will
be prospective students visiting for Open Campus and Discovery
Weekend.
“I really wanted to show what was possible at Smith,” said Schwartz, “and to
show how cool Smith’s history is.” |
