"No Seamstresses, No Ready-Made Clothing" Clothing Consumption on the American Frontier, 1850-1890

Abstract

This study presents a more complete description of North American dress, specifically that of women married to officers of the Indian-fighting U.S. Army in the second half of the nineteenth century, resulting from changes as a response to unusual frontier conditions. Diaries, letters, and memoirs of 18 army wives were primary source materials. The women's writings contained seven themes related to changes in clothing. Two of these are associated with clothing consumption, the acquisition and maintenance of clothing. Living on the frontier forced women to obtain clothes in unaccustomed ways and provided unforeseen opportunities to lose and damage garments. To cope, women obtained clothing from various sources and relied on sewing skills. U.S. Army wives were both domestic producers and consumers of clothing.