Description:
Skirt, part of a woman's riding habit, c.1885 and 1889, consisting of two jackets, an asymmetrically cut side-saddle skirt, trousers, and riding crop. The ensemble, worn by Anna M. (Dakin) Bond (1860-1897), Springfield, Massachusetts, is made from a dark blue, fine wool broadcloth (woven in a twill weave), with various linings, interfacings, and stiffeners. The original c.1885 riding habit was made by L.P. Hollander & Co. of Boston. At some point after its initial creation, the riding skirt's waist was taken in about 1.5"; this may have been to accomodate a decrease in size of the wearer, and roughly corresponds to the slightly smaller second jacket (HD 2022.15.2) made for the riding habit by the London ladies' tailor Dore in 1889. Anna married George R. Bond of Springfield, Massachusetts, on June 17 ,1890.
Label Text:
Building a Collection, September 27, 2025-February 23, 2025: This stylish riding habit, consisting of a fitted jacket, breeches, side-saddle skirt, and crop, were worn by Anna M. Dakin (1860-1897) of Springfield, MA. The voluminous skirts were made to accommodate riding side saddle. The ensemble came to Historic Deerfield with two different jackets, one shown here with decorative braid fastening (also called frogging) dating to the mid-1880s, and another probably acquired later in London while Anna was on a European tour with friends prior to her 1890 marriage to George R. Bond (1855-1943). Women’s riding habits were traditionally made with fine wool broadcloth, which aligned them closely with masculine suiting, and tailors (rather than dressmakers) often created them. This jacket, however, bears the label “L. P. Hollander,” indicating that it was created by one of the premier clothing emporiums in Boston, probably in its custom dressmaking shop. L. P. Hollander’s founder, Marie Theresa (Baldwin) Hollander, was a passionate abolitionist and early supporter of woman’s suffrage.
Tags:
equestrians Subjects:
Textile fabrics; Wool Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2022.15.3 |
