Author ^t^Oj, o ^^.^S"^ £ ^49 BhsTk.. Title Imprint 16—47372-3 !^ EARI.Y M1I.LINERS A.ND DrESSMAKIERS (^ \^\ In B1.00MINGTON IlIv. ^ ^ By Miss Amanda M. Thayer. ^ 1912. ft^ ■•,( ■ *0 .\\:> K -^^'r^^ f^^^-^ VAcz A. U. Thayer. 1860. KarIvY Mii,i,ine)rs And Dressmakers In Bloomington, Ii^linois. By Miss Amanda M. Thayer. 1912. la January 1858, I began living in Bloomington, 111. I have learned that before that time Mrs. Joshua Harlan had done millinery on Main street between Front and Grove, near the Oberkoetter store. She was a sister of Mrs. Sophia Osboni who was located at the northwest coraer of Main and Oiive streets . Their maiden names was Johnson and they had come here in 1836, from Maci- -son Cotmty New York. The latter was an active milliner to 1856. She was the widow of Harmon Osbom who died here in 1854. I learned that these two women were the very earliest milliners in this city . The trade was not as extensive then as now . Married women wore bonnets , girls wore hats or sun- bonnets. Even Miss Juliet Gridley wore a sun-bonnet. Then as I am told, a Mrs. McGowan located at the southeast comer of Jeffer - - son and Madison Streets. lyater, or early in the '8o's, she moved to Front Street next east of the Birch Hotel. When the Royce Block was built a Miss KUabeck had millinery up stairs,, first door to the right. She sold out and went back to England. Miss Sue Btu-lett worked with her four years. Miss Burlett married Peter Jacoby , and is now his widow . Miss Kate Selbezer had a milliner shop on the north side of Front Street between Main and Center. She married the late Dan. Pearson, Esquire, - is now his widow, A Mr. and Mrs. Briggs had a house and milHuery shop on the south side of Jefferson Street between Center and Madison . They did not remain very long. A Mrs. Hamilton, another early milliner, was located 0.1 Jefierso.i Street. A Miss Wright and her mother made bonnets on the second floor over what is now Read ar.d White's Book Store, and later a Mrs. Jenkins w^as located at the same place awhile, then moved to a room in the Ashley House on Jefferson St. Mrs. Solon Fisk was her sister, and lived and worked with her. A Miss I^ocke and sister had a room and made millinery up stairs in what was then the Metropolitan Block on the north side of the square. Current report was that Mrs. Perry McKisson and Mrs. I^eroy Payne were the most pronounced customers of these two shops, that these two women vied with each other as to which would have the greatest number of hats in one season, and report said they each got eighteen new hats in one season. I do not vouch for this report, but I once heard Mrs. McKisson say she be- -lieved .she and Mrs. Payne were the best dressed women in town - as to hats. I also heard that when they died neither took any hats with them , nor could they pay their bills. In the Southland this is called being reduced. A Mr. Nason started a dry goods store in the Royce Block. His wife carried a stock of millinery in one side of the store, but that did not last long, they too became reduced. i fs. n A Miss Priest sold millinery up stairs in Phoenix Hall, on the South side o the squiire over what was known as Reed and Barger's china store. A Mrs. Nailor was located at the same place, later. •Mrs. Fifield had quite an extensive store where Seibel is now located, betw Washington and Front streets. She employed a good many assistatits. Mrs . Dunham sold millinery at a place on Front .street , about where Nickel theater is now located. Mrs. August Thayer made millinery and kept a store in the rear of tlie Post Office where the Griesheim Building now stands conier of Maui and Jefferson streets. Miss Mary Robertson kept a store and made millinery hi a small way at a place on North Center street, but soon moved to the 400 block on Nortl| Main. She was a lovely Uttle woman, attended to no ones affairs but her ownj, Mrs. Jacob Sleigle made and sold millinery up stairs over Moore's marble shop o-i East Washington street. Later she also moved to the 400 block on North Main street. Still later Miss Tilly Frey, now Mrs. Gibson, conducted the samel About 1830 a Miss Polly Baker who later married Dr. Wheeler, made bonneti' of the 'calash' style . There was no imported ones in those days . A bonnet lasted a long time then. j The women wore bonnets, the g^rls wore hats or sun-bonnets . Then came tha cottage straw, the Tuscan straw, the lyCghom, the Poke style, such as Motherr Flanagan wore, the Shaker, the shirred lawn , and the Gypsy style, all these in succession, until as the story goes it repeats itself in about fifty years. Miss Polly Baker made the 'calash' of silk. It opened and shut, and was very effective in the early days. A person was not expected to have more than one. in a hfe-time. |. This brings us down to a fast age and the high cost of living in the [900's . In the early days of Bloomington there was not as many dressmaking shops as now, but sewing women earned their living then , 'went out to sew' as it was callel, by the day or week, and received mostly two dollars a week, then considered a good price. Now it is three dollars a day, board them and carry them back and forth in an auto. Our Mothers were good house- wives. They usually got a woman to help them 1 by the week, atid got all their sewing done for another season . A wornin wis not then expe-ted to have more thin o:ie silk dress , t«eo was unusual. Then the 'hoops' made their appearance. In those days of the '40's and 'so's it required as much to make a dress as would make three now, but I will not boast of the comfort . Six and eight wi'lths of yard wide goods, hoops, sleeves flowing half a yard wide, another tighter lace sleeve underneath to cover the arms, now frequently no sleeves at all. A difference of then and now. Of those who took in dressmaking- - as it was called , I have learned of a few more who went by the day or week , who also received three meals a day and lodging. My first, a Mrs. Guernsey, went out by day or week. Also a Mrs. William Walton at home at the southeast corner of Washington and McLean Streets; The Miss Millers, Mary and Lizzie, at the southeast cor- -ner of Main and Grove. Mary died, Lizzie went away - so I am told. Miss Maggie S. Baker was at home at the southeast corner of Center and Front Streets. She said she had half a dozen silk dresses finished at one time, but to be taken only one to one person. Scarcely any one had two at a time . All such work was done by hand, there was no sewing-machines then. Sometimes these dresses were ruffled from foot to waist. When Miss SalHe Harris, a bride of eighteen, married Dr. Stipp , - her sister Miss Elizabeth Harris, her dressmaker - she wore a beautiful silk, blue black imd white broken plaid, a red Paisley shawl, and little poke bonnet. Exquisite it was. In 1857 and '58 a Mrs. Bosworth was at home up stairs on the east side of Main Street, between Front and Grove - a lovely lady . There was also a Miss Eliza Curtis at her sisters on North Main Street , and a Miss Millbeck in the Royce Block just off Front Street. The Miss Hullingers had a shop on the west side of Main Street , and a Mrs. Wheeler was located on North Main in the Minerva Block . Mr. Wheeler was a music teacher. The Miss Dearborns did dressmaking at their home on East Street between Washington and Jefferson . One married Mr. William Matthews , one married Mr. Luman Burr. Both are now dead. Miss Jane Batta also went out by the day or week to do dressmaking and other family sewing. She did this work for Mrs. Lyman Ferre, for years. A Mrs. Lawrence also made dresses here. I did not learn where she resided. I am told of a Mr. Seth Baker who lived on South Main, corner of Kentucky Alley, (the alley is still there) He in the twenties, wanted a 'roundabout' now called a jumper or blouse, made . He went to a seamstress, a Mrs. Murphy . When the work was done he found the button-holes were round. He remonstr- -ated. She said 'How can you have round buttons work in long button-holes?' Miss A. M. Thayer. [ Read before the McLean County Bloomington, Illinois, Historical Society.] June ist 191 2. (Printed By M11.0 CusT^R, Bloomington, Illinois, March, 1913.) ..^- LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 016 090 231