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Printed floral skirt worn by Lucy Lee Shirley as a child

Creator Name

Unidentified;
Lucy Lee Shirley, American, 1855 - 1929;
Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007

Cultural Context

African Americans

Date

1850s, 1870s

About the Work

National Museum of African American History and Culture Object Description
A child's circular skirt in a floral print with a pleated flounce on the hem. The main fabric is a plain weave natural fiber fabric with a cream ground and a repeating pattern of small four-petal flowers in red, purple, blue, and tan. The skirt is predominantly hand-sewn. It has a waistband made from an undyed bast fiber fabric with the floral print gathered and whip stitched to the waistband. The skirt is more closely gathered on the back. There is a slit at the center back that divides the waistband completely. There is no attached closure method, but rust staining at the back opening of the waistband suggests the skirt was pinned to close. The bottom of the skirt ...

Work details

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Curationist Logo= Curationist added metadata

Title

Printed floral skirt worn by Lucy Lee Shirley as a child

Creator

Unidentified, Created by;
Lucy Lee Shirley, American, 1855 - 1929, Worn by;
Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007, Subject of

Worktype

skirts; Skirts (garments)

Cultural Context

African Americans

Material

bast fiber, wool textile, and synthetic fiber

Dimensions

H x W (Flat): 18 × 33 1/2 in. (45.7 × 85.1 cm);
Waist: 24 1/2 in. (62.2 cm)

Technique

--

Language

--

Date

1850s, 1870s;
Date: ca. 1860

Provenance

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane

Style Period

--

Rights

Curationist Logo
CC0
CC0

Inscription

--

Location

Leesburg; Loudoun County; Virginia; United States; North and Central America

Subjects

African American; Children; Clothing and dress; Slavery

Topic

--

Related Content

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All Works in Curationist’s archives can be reproduced and used freely. How to attribute this Work:

Unidentified, Printed floral skirt worn by Lucy Lee Shirley as a child, 1850s, 1870s, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. CC0.

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