Infants' Clothing
Title
Infants' Clothing
Description
Pages of the women's magazine are dedicated to illustrated depictions of child garments, titled, “Juvenile Fashion.” These illustrations are hardly representative of the children’s clothing in the Wylie House Collection. The elaborate dresses and suits represent the fictional, idyllic childhood existing only in these publications. Meanwhile, the stained and patched, simple garments of the Wylie’s convey the truths of mothering – constant sewing, mending, cleaning messes, and caring for children, all at once.
From Left to Right:
From Left to Right:
Infant Gown
1867 to 1874
This dress is thought to have belonged to one or several of Maggie Wylie Mellette’s children.
Underdress
Late Nineteenth-Century
Infant Gown
Date Unknown
Far from the “Juvenile Fashion” page of Ladies’ Own Magazine, this stained, simple garment conveys the messy reality of mothering. The back of the gown is displayed here.
For more information contact the Wylie House Museum and for more information about the collections at the museum visit Wylie House Museum: Collections Overview.
Source
Wylie House Museum
Citation
“Infants' Clothing,” Wylie House Exhibits, accessed March 28, 2024, https://collections.libraries.indiana.edu/wyliehouse/items/show/119.