Wedded Bliss: A look into the MdHS wedding dress collection

By: Anna-Maria Hand

It comes as no surprise that the MdHS has a large collection of wedding dresses, as many dresses were gifted to MdHS from descendants and relatives of prominent Maryland families from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Many brides save their wedding dress as a reminder of that special day and lucky for us, that reminder ends up being a beautiful and extraordinary piece of material history. There is an entire room in Pratt House filled with boxes of donated wedding dresses.  This week we chose several of 19th century dresses from that particular room.

Wedding attire has drastically changed over the years.  Perhaps the most significant change occurred in the 19th century, when the color white was first used for wedding gowns. Today, the words 'white' and 'wedding dress' go hand-in-hand. In fact, it is fairly uncommon to see a bride in any other color on her wedding day. This tradition is based on a 19th century English custom in which a bride wears white on her wedding day to represent her purity and innocence.  Before this tradition took international hold, wedding dresses were made of many different designs and colors, using the highest quality fabric and decorations available .

The wedding dresses that we uncovered this week were high-quality, and showcase a variety of colors and designs.

1974.61.1a Dark purple wedding dress bodice with mother of pearl buttons.

1974.61.1a Dark purple wedding dress bodice with mother of pearl buttons.

This purple wedding bodice was made and worn by Mary Mildred Hays Ball of Hartford County in 1873.

1972.81.5 White satin and tulle wedding dress (R)
Bridesmaids dress (L)

1972.81.5 White satin and tulle wedding dress (L)
Bridesmaids dress (R)

This lovely white satin and tulle wedding gown was a wonderful surprise this week. When we first found this bridesmaid's dress, we looked to see if the bride's dress was also in our collection, and luckily for us, it was! The satin gown was worn by Alice Lee Whitridge at her wedding to Douglas Hamilton Thomas on July 25th 1870. The bridesmaid dress was worn by Alice's sister, Rosamund. Not much is known about Alice, but her husband was a very prominent business man in Baltimore and a director of many major Baltimore companies including the Maryland Life Insurance Company, the Mercantile Trust and Deposit Company, the Safe Deposit and Trust Company, the Savings Bank of Baltimore, the Central Elevator Company of the Northern Central Railway Company, the United Railways of Baltimore, and the Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington Railroad. Douglas Hamilton Thomas was elected president of the Merchants-Mechanics First National Bank from 1886 until his death in 1919, and was also Treasurer of the Maryland Historical Society for a time.

1949.94.1 Blue and white floral design on grey silk faille.

1949.94.1 Blue and white floral design on grey silk faille.

This blue and white woven silk faille wedding dress with floral design was worn by Mary Digges Lee for her marriage to Samuel Lawrence Gouverneur in 1850.

It's really wonderful to see these unique wedding dresses. Perhaps some time in the future a colorful wedding dress revolution will occur.

A special thanks to Leo Witt for his research on Alice Whritridge and Douglas Thomas.

Resource:

Akiko Fukai, Fashion: A History from the 18th to the 20th Centuries, Vol. 1., The Kyoto Costume Institute, Taschen publishing, 2014, p. 210.