Hauben, Waistcoats, and Gowns: The Invention of Moravian Identity through Dress in Salem, North Carolina, 1780–1830

Abstract

Abstract The study of changes in fashion adds an important dimension to the study of history as dress is one of the major forms of social communication. This is especially true of the eighteenth-century Moravian Church in which women (and to a lesser degree, men) adopted a distinctive style of dress in the 1730s that clearly identified them as members of the religious community. The original Moravian costume was adapted from the clothing of laborers and artisans in Central Europe. Especially important was the Haube or cap worn by Moravian women, which was tied with a colored ribbon indicating her choir. By the time Salem in North Carolina was established, Moravian costuming was a clear marker of Moravian identity. After the American Revolution, Moravians in Salem increasingly moved away from this distinctive dress in favor of more fashionable and expensive clothing. This trend toward dressing like Americans was consistent with the secularization of Salem in the first half of the nineteenth century. Moravians adapted the prevailing fashions of the early Republic to their unique religious/community lifestyle.