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.