Maine Memory Network

Phebe Cole Townsend (circa 1847–1865) of Alexander owned this hooped crinoline dress before her death in 1865 at age 18. Made from imported silk, the dress includes a pointed waist bodice, edged with black French or French-inspired Cluny lace, and jet glass beadwork. The pagoda sleeve style, which widens at the wrist, are also called trumpet sleeves.

This bright color may be an example of what fashion magazines described as the new electric blue. Patented in England in 1861, the aniline (chemical) blue was derived from coal tar. Mid-19th century dye chemists discovered a range of new bold colors, but the majority were too fugitive—which means they faded quickly—to be commercially useful. Traditional plant, animal, and mineral-based dyes continued in use until the synthetic dye industry grew, and textile mills learned how to use them. These new dyes lent to poor working conditions in the factories, were poisonous if inhaled, and irritating to the skin.

This plaid wool two-piece dress with low set shoulders is one of the collection’s few examples of later 1860s styles. A black scalloped trim accentuates the sloped shoulders on the straight sleeve bodice. Waist pleating at the back accommodates a bustle, newly fashionable by 1868.

Prior to the War, most wool was imported, with domestic production limited to small pockets of operation. However, the War effort considerably increased domestic production. In Maine alone, wool production increased by 72%. After the War, interest in wool leveled off due to cotton’s rising dominance.

This dress, which shows signs of updating, is associated with Sarah S. (Moore) Wilson (1842–1926) of Waterford. She married local physician Dr. Charles L. Wilson. Several garments associated with Sarah and her daughter Anne F. Wilson, a well-known author, appear in the collection.

Helen Bancroft Hay’s crinoline dress of gold, green and blue striped silk features an attached small cape, called a pelerine. The pelerine is trimmed with a wide silk fringe, a popular feature at the time. The ten front buttons are miniature cameos, a detail reflecting 1860s fashion for cameo jewelry.

Stylistically, the dress straddles the 1850s and 1860s fashion eras, with its wide hooped skirt and pagoda sleeve style. The bodice includes a modesty panel in matching fabric, inserted at the front center bust. The skirt was lengthened at some point. Donated in 1931, the gift included a matching lava brooch reportedly worn specifically with the dress by Hay.

Raised in Portland by a family in the furniture business, Helen Bancroft Hay (1834–1900) spent many years in Massachusetts before returning to Portland later in life. Several exquisite items belonging to Hay and her daughter Isabel are part of the collection.

Lava cameo-style brooch worn by Helen Bancroft Hay. She reportedly paired the brooch the gold, green and blue striped dress in the previous slide. The phrase "lava jewelry" was a broad term for jewelry made from volcanic rock, ash, or debris composite.

Before the 20th century, children’s clothing was more gender neutral. With only subtle differences in style, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between young girls’ and boys’ historic clothing, especially since both wore dresses. However, the geometric nature of the applied blue design suggests this was a young boy’s garment.

The concept of breeching, where young boys transitioned from dresses to trousers, varied with age, sometimes as late as six years old. In 1974, Lucille Cary Higgins donated this garment, made from a ribbed brown and blue striped-effect cotton, to Maine Historical Society. She inherited it from her father, Ralph Cary (1881–1972.) It is possible Ralph Cary wore the garment as a young boy. Although the piece is dated a little earlier, about 1870, children’s clothing was often handed down as it is today.

Zouave, the name for French North African light infantry troops, became synonymous with their uniform style, including short open-front embellished jackets, blousy shirts and trousers, and fez-style hats. Zouave successes in the Crimean War (1853–1856) inspired both military tactics and fashion styles abroad.

During the Civil War, American soldiers served in Zouave-style troops in both the Union and Confederate armies. Zouave influence on women’s fashion included red bolero jackets edged with embroidery as seen this young women’s garment. Women paired the bolero with skirts embellished with a band of embroidery; a feature depicted in many Winslow Homer illustrations.

With a mix of military and civilian inspiration, James Davis of Plymouth posed for a photographer wearing a Zouave-inspired uniform while stationed in South Carolina. Davis served in the 9th Maine, Co. I. However, the 9th Maine was not a Union Zouave regiment. Maine did not have Zouave-style troops. An admiration for Zouaves perhaps inspired Davis to dress up for the photographer.

A trained physician, Dr. Jotham Donnell (1814–1889) served as the 15th Maine Regiment’s surgeon. When Dr. Donnell enlisted at the age of 47, he brought with him his ten-year old horse Fanny. The seasoned doctor and Fanny remained together throughout the war, traveling to field hospitals along the coastal south. At one point, they were shipwrecked off Texas, but both safely swam to shore. After the War, Donnell and Fanny returned home to Houlton, where they continued traveling throughout the area caring for those in need.

Dr. Donnell’s double-breasted frock and epaulets include buttons embossed with a bald eagle design. This frock’s cuffs and collar are lined in velvet, a sign it was privately purchased. This was a widespread practice, especially amongst officers. Items could be purchased from private retailers if they met Army regulations.

An 1862 receipt documents Dr. Donnell purchased parts of his own uniform from retailers Patten & Austin in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is unclear if the coat listed on the receipt is the same coat frock coat now at the Maine Historical Society. Although the coat at MHS shows signs of private purchase, such the wool's quality and velvet lined collar.

1st Lieutenant Henry H. Wadsworth (1843–1934) served as adjutant in the 9th Maine Regiment and First Maine Heavy Artillery. His light blue overcoat is an example of regulation coats issued to Union Army enlisted men. As a commissioned officer, Lt. Wadsworth would typically have worn a dark blue overcoat. The double-breasted feature is the only reference to his commissioned officer status.

The coat includes an attached Inverness cape, meant to provide weather protection. The wool fabric is very heavy, making the coat difficult to carry. Soldiers often abandoned them in warmer weather. The fabric soon became scarce, and high demand relaxed the rank distinctions, with coats issued in all sorts of similar colors—except Confederate gray!

After the War, Wadsworth lived in Eastport where he operated a hardware store. He was a great-grandson of General Peleg Wadsworth, who built the Wadsworth-Longfellow House in Portland. Along with Lieutenant Wadsworth’s overcoat, his boots, saber, diary, and correspondence were donated to Maine Historical Society in 2018.

In 1862, Granville Fontaine Sparrow (1837–1907) of Deering (modern-day Portland) enlisted in the 17th Maine Regiment. Initially a non-commissioned officer, he rose in rank to 2nd Lieutenant, and finally Captain. The 17th Maine, referred to as the Red Diamond Regiment for its insignia, participated in several high-profile battles, including Fredericksburg and Gettysburg. Captain Sparrow was also at Appomattox for General Lee’s surrender.

Sparrow’s blue wool single-breasted frock coat includes brass buttons embossed with the Maine seal. The shoulder epaulets signify a captain’s rank. Sparrow received a mid-war battlefield commission, which is likely why his frock is single-breasted. Commissioned officers typically wore double-breasted frocks.

Captain Granville Sparrow’s Army-issued wool undershirt and long underwear, also called pantaloons, might be considered seasonably specific today, but Civil War soldiers wore wool year-round. The Union Army also issued cotton undergarments, but both were in short supply during the war. When cooler weather set in, soldiers no doubt regretted abandoning any wool underwear during uncomfortable warm weather marches.

Preserving powerful memories was an important part of Granville Sparrow’s (1837–1907) post-war life. He feverishly clipped articles from newspapers like the Washington, D.C. "National Tribune," a publication geared toward veterans and their cause, pasting them into a scrapbook.

In addition to his uniform and undergarments, Sparrow retained many items from his service, much of which is viewable on the Maine Memory Network. Sparrow also collected memorabilia from Libby Prison located in Richmond, Virginia. Fortunately for Sparrow, he was never captured, but thirty-one of his fellow 17th Maine soldiers died in Confederate prisons, including Libby Prison. It was important to Sparrow they were not forgotten.