New at Old York
Edwardian-trained gown not to be missed at Emerson-Wilcox House
By Cindi Young-Gomes
Old York Historical Society
Please be sure to see this beautiful off-white silk, lace, chiffon and taffeta gown, circa 1900 to 1903, at the Emerson-Wilcox House. It was a gift to the Old York Historical Society by Mr. Robert A. Cutts.
Courtesy photo
According to family tradition, this elegant gown belonged to Esther Woodruff Smith Hungerford 1863-1951) of York, the daughter of Walter Mitchell Smith and Elizabeth Leonard Wilcox.
In 1889 she married Dr. Harry Hungerford and moved to Boston. When Esther's great-aunt Louise Caroline (Wilcox) Putnam died in 1894, Esther inherited her ancestral home on the corner of York Street and Lindsay Road which she used as her summer residence. She would have worn the dress in the early 1900s to fancy social events in York related to the numerous organizations to which she belonged, including the Old Goal Museum Committee, the Piscataqua Garden Club and the Women's League of York.
Most of the fashion in the preceding 19th century was greatly influenced by Queen Victoria (1819-1901) who preferred stiff, somber fabrics with simple, fitted cuts. With the passing of Queen Victoria in January 1901, an era ended. Her son, King Edward VII (1841-1910), gave his name to the next decade, marked by unparalleled English opulence. A new avant-garde style emerged, inspired by the French Art Nouveau, and
was embraced by the new royals, typified by graceful, soft flowing lines and brighter hues.
The fashionable hourglass silhouette exemplified by this gown belonged to the mature woman with ample curves and full bosom achieved by a corset. The corset was so tightly laced at the waist that it forced the hips back and the bosom forward, creating an S-shape. Because the bust was largely unsupported, dresses had extra padding, which created the "pouter pigeon" affect of a puffed breast hung over a tiny waist. The use of softly flowing fabrics like silk chiffon and lace extended in the back with a sweeping train gave the impression that the clothes barely touched the wearer, seemingly weightless, while the hidden under-support of metal, bone and straps unmercifully forced the figure to conform to the new idealized model of feminine softness. Even the gown's standing collar, which seems to delicately float below the chin, is held in place by metal strips, which pressed firmly up the sides of the neck restricting movement of the head. The slightly raised waistline suggests that she had the dress altered about 1905 to extend its wear by keeping up with the latest fashion.
Esther Hungerford's summer home was sold to the Old Gaol Museum (predecessor to the Old York Historical Society) in 1954 by her daughter, Dorothy Hungerford, after Esther's death. Family effects dating from the Hungerford occupation, including the dress, can be seen in the Hungerford Dining Room at the Emerson-Wilcox House, one of the eight museum buildings at the Old York Historical Society. Other period rooms reflect the lives of Esther's great-grandparents, her great-aunt Louise, as well as the Emerson family who occupied the house in the mid-18th century to early 19th century. The house is open to the public with guided tours given at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
For more information, please contact us at 363-4974.
