Belva Lockwood and the Mother Hubbard Dress: Social, Moral, and Political Overtones in the Popular Press

Abstract

Old mother HubbardShe went to her cupboardIn one of her dresses discreet;But when she went outA bobby did shout,You mustn't wear that on the street! (Anti-Mother Hubbard, 4)Belva Lockwood, the first woman officially to complete a United States presidential campaign, is today a little-known figure. In her own day, however, she figured prominently not only on the 1884 and 1888 campaign trails but in innumerable caricatures and satirical articles. The reaction to her independence of spirit and her determination to serve as a spokesperson for the National Equal Rights party was met with a popular furor that evoked arguments about proper behavior for women. Her life is a model for the progression of women's rights: as a female political pioneer, she paved the way for women to become active in today's political arena. That she moved from birth in a log cabin to being the first female lawyer given Congressional permission to become a Supreme Court attorney is notable. Even more so, her dauntless spirit in deciding to run for President despite hopeless odds demonstrates a selfless dedication to equity, a dedication that has affected the direction of the current political scene. As the satirical record shows, the public reaction to her presidential campaigns evolved from deliberate ostracism to the spread of parades and social events that both attacked and supported her efforts. A prominent strategy in these responses linked her name with a specific emblem, the dress. As this cultural artifact moved away from its nursery rhyme roots, it became an identifying icon for both Lockwood and women's rights in the popular press, although it was not actually part of her wardrobe. To trace the reaction of the popular press to Lockwood and the Mother Hubbard is to acquire insight into the way in which a political emblem reflects the social and political issues of the day.For both Lockwood and the Mother Hubbard dress, 1884 was a pivotal year: at that point the dress itself had become associated with the women's rights movement, acquiring the same connotations as Lockwood's challenging the status quo for women. As a reference to a relaxed style that helped revolutionize fashion by eliminating restrictive corseting, the dress had social overtones; as a reference to freedom of choice for women, not just in fashion but in professional endeavors, it had moral and political overtones. In effect, these complex reactions were related to the way in which the dress was used and perceived in South Seas missionary territory in the early 1800s. Tracing the double history of the Lockwood campaign and the Mother Hubbard dress, which is only superficially a fashion statement, reveals many a common thread. Both were outsiders in a sense, Lockwood because she was the first woman to engage in a complete campaign, and the dress because it carried implications of an alien culture; both faced dismissal and discrimination from the establishment; and both were denigrated and satirized by the popular press. An examination of that linkage shows that Lockwood and the Mother Hubbard achieved iconic status as emblems of political protest over women's rights, Lockwood in paving the way for the still-evolving modem female political involvement, and the Mother Hubbard in helping redefine the measure of freedom of the average woman.While the style itself had many variations, in its simplest form it was long and loose fitting. Stamper and Condra provide a good description of the garment, a description that highlights its early symbolic value and suggests why it was deemed unacceptable as street wear. Designed to be worn unbelted, it had a high collar and long sleeves. In the States, it was gradually adopted by rural women and society women alike, although the uses differed. Farm women who faced a long day of challenging indoor and outdoor tasks found it a practical option: not only was it comfortable to wear because of its construction, which required fewer restrictive undergarments, but it was easy to launder and could be tucked up or belted to prevent it from dragging in the soil. …