Woman's Dress, 1862–68

This dress was worn by Sallie Mason Faulkner in Christian County, Kentucky. Born Sallie Coleman Mason on July 28, 1847, she married Ephraim James Faulkner on December 9, 1862 when she was just fifteen. Mr. Faulkner, who was a farmer, came from a neighboring county but purchased land in Christian County in the 1860s. Mrs. Faulkner died in 1868, six years after they were married. According to family tradition, this was the dress she wore the day she died. We do not know the cause of her death. She had four children, one of whom died in infancy. Their granddaughters donated this dress to the museum. At the time of the donation, the donors stated that Ephraim had served in the Federal (Union) Army during the Civil War. Their other grandfather (maternal) had served in the Confederacy. This would not have been unusual, as Kentucky was divided over the issue of slavery. However, to date we have been unable to track down Ephraim's service records on either side of the conflict.

Based on its construction, this dress would have been considered a "work" dress. Most work dresses of the mid-nineteenth century have an inset waistband, fuller sleeves, and a bodice cut with a looser fit than more stylish dresses. However, this dress includes decorative trimming. As we learn more about the family’s economic circumstances, we might be able to ascertain whether this was an everyday dress of a woman from a substantial farm family or a "best" dress of a less affluent farm woman.

This one-piece dress is constructed from a printed cotton calico that has a brown ground with an abstract design in beige, red, and cream. The unlined bodice section has a slightly V-neckline edged with piping. A center front opening has six worked buttonholes on the left side and dark gray buttons on the right side, and is trimmed with a narrow white braid to create a placket effect. The inset waistband is piped at the bottom edge and is lined with a napped fabric. The bodice front is gathered into the waistband at either side of the center front, and the bodice back is cut in one piece and gathered into the waistband at the center back. The front of the bodice extends slightly into the back at the shoulders and the side seams. The long sleeves are gathered into the armholes with piping. The sleeves are also gathered to wristbands that are trimmed with the same narrow white braid as the center front. The wristbands fasten with a worked buttonhole at the wrist closure. The skirt section is narrowly gathered and attached to the waistband with the upper raw edge of the skirt concealed between the waistband and the lining. Two metal hooks-and-eyes form the skirt section closure at the center front waistband. The hem is faced with coarse brown cotton. The waist measures 27 inches.

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