Featured Artifacts: Spats

 Holiday time has often met events such as concerts, parties, and weddings. Until the late 1920s, a well-dressed man attending these events would need these items from the Benton County Historical Society's collection. 

These spats cover the top of one's shoes up over the ankle and fasten underneath the sole. “Spats” – short for spatter-dashes or spatter-guards-- originated in the military to keep shoes free from sand or mud. Gaiters, which serve the same purpose, are taller and cover the lower section of the wearer's trousers.

Army-issue gaiters from World War II

During the late 19^th and early 20^th century, spats became an item of men's fashion and a symbol of elegance.  They came in different colors- primarily black, white, and gray-- which fashion dictated should match the color of one's gloves. 

After 1926, when England's King George first appeared in public without spats, their use gradually declined.  Increasingly, they were reserved for special occasions.  The spats shown above were worn by donor Dwight Curtis Mumford on his wedding day, September 28, 1929.

Although generally associates with male fashion, spats were also worn by women, especially when needed to protect from mud. These “Tweedies Bootops” date from around 1915.

 

By Martha Fraundorf, Volunteer for Benton County Historical Society, Philomath, Oregon  

Oregon Beaches Circa 1920

Benton County residents have long escaped valley heat by heading to the Oregon coast.

Circa 1920, driving to the coast was an adventure as only 0.4 miles of the Corvallis-Newport Highway were paved. Benton County resident Alvina Amort described one trip in this diary entry from August 10, 1917:

“Left Corvallis about 9.  19 miles from home, just before we reached Wren, we had our first blow out.  We ate our dinner way beyond Blodgett.  Had 2 more blowouts.  Couldn't fix the last 'till a guy came who had an extra patch.  At 4 o'clock we stopped a long time to cool the engine and rest.  Stopped at Toledo for gas.  Got to Newport about 5:30.”

Once in Newport, travelers could take a ferry across Yaquina Bay (there was no bridge until 1936) and drive on the beach.

Ferry T. M. Richardson, Yaquina Bay,
Newport, Lincoln County, Oregon

Watching the waves
at an Oregon Beach, #Circa1920

Once there, however, people then engaged in many of the same activities as they do today, though the dress is different. 

Walking on an Oregon Beach

Looking in tide pools

 

 

 

Looking for agates at Newport, Oregon

 

By Martha Fraundorf, Volunteer for Benton County Historical Society, Philomath, Oregon

Swimsuits #Circa1920

This week is hot and the swimming pool is crowded. During the Victorian era, swimming was an activity that middle and upper class people generally frowned upon except for military and other young men.  Some swim races were even included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.  Men were given more to expose legs and arms so they could don a suit that allowed some movement through the water. Up until the 1930s, men wore suits like that pictures in this photograph from the 1920s.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, social (and sometimes legal) restrictions prohibited women from appearing in public with exposed legs or shoulders.  Women's bathing costumes looked like short dresses and dark stockings.

It is hard to imagine how anyone could swim dressed like this, especially as the garments were usually made of wool and would have become sodden and weighty in water.

Attitudes began to change.  Swimming races for women were added to the Olympics in 1912.  For freedom of movement, these athletes adopted suits similar to the ones men wore.  By the mid-1920s, this style of suit was worn by most young women.

Seven women on an Oregon beach circa 1920

The Benton County Historical Museum has several of these 1920s swimsuits in its collection.

Gantner & Mattern Company one-piece
red wool knit bathing suit, circa 1925

This red wool knit swimsuit was worn by either Grace or Flossie Warman when swimming in the Marys River near their farm circa 1925.
By Martha Fraundorf, Volunteer for Benton County Historical Society, Philomath, Oregon 

Chinese Robe: Around The World From 80 Countries

My last blog post contained a photograph of the mandarin robe which is on display as part of the Benton County Museum's World Tour of Textiles exhibition. It is one of many beautiful embroidered pieces in the museum's collection.  Another Qing dynasty piece is this robe made for a lady-in-waiting at the royal court.

Both robes are made of silk satin, indicating they are meant to be worn in the colder weather. I was attracted to the intricate designs, the skilled execution, and the richness of color and sheen of the embroidery. To learn more about this Chinese art, I've been reading a library book, Silken Threads: A History of Embroidery in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam by Young Yang Chung.

I was surprised to learn that the Chinese were making silk cloth as early as 3630 BCE, based on dating of textiles found during archaeological digs. The Chinese were the only ones doing so for over 3 millennia! Embroidery is almost as ancient:  textiles from as early as the fourth century BCE are decorated with chain stitch embroidery in designs of clouds, vines, and other curvilinear patterns.

Embroiderers of the Song dynasty (960-1279 CE) added straight and satin stitches and used these new stitches to copy famous paintings or combined ink-wash paintings with fine thread embroidery to make wall hangings and other decorative pieces. During this period, a palace embroidery workshop

brought together 300 of the best needle workers to develop the art and train others. Over time, other workshops opened to further develop this art.

The Qing dynasty (1644-1911) accelerated the extensive use of embroidery to adorn court robes.  The designs incorporated various animals, plants, and objects, all of which carried symbolic meaning.  The peony, the “king of flowers” represents wealth and honor. Butterflies represent young love and the bond between lovers; it can also symbolize the wish for someone to have a long life.

The peonies are done in satin stitch using untwisted silk threads to create a flat shiny surface. Dimension is added with color variations. Between the petals are French knots, also called a seed stitch or the forbidden stitch.  The stitch was not actually forbidden by law but so-called because it was believed that frequent use of this tiny stitch caused blindness.

 I would have assumed that the embroidery was added after the robes were sewn together but according to Young Yang Chung, the pattern was laid out on lengths of fabric which were the stretched onto rectangular frames and embroidered.  Then the pieces were cut out and sewn together.  If you look closely at the picture showing details of this red robe, you can see that the two sections of the butterfly do not quite match up at the center seam.  For important dragon robes, the joined pieces were re-stretched and a dragon embroidered over the center seam.  

This robe was one of several items given to the donors, E. A. and Ruth Hoy, by Princess Der Ling, lady-in-waiting to the Empress Dowager.  My next post will tell more about the Hoys and Princess Der Ling.  

By Martha Fraundorf, Volunteer for Benton County Historical Society, Philomath, Oregon