1880-1900

A family portrait taken in Paterson, New Jersey, around 1884.

Mid-1880s bustle. Image courtesy of Joan L. Severa, Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900, 1995.

Women with draped skirts posing with rifles, suggesting they are about to go hunting. Image courtesy of Joan L. Severa, Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900, 1995.

Woman with a draped skirt in the 1880s. Image courtesy of Joan L. Severa.

Changes in Fashion in the United States

Prior to 1880s, women's skirts had fairly large bustles and exaggerated backs, and both bodices and bustles had various frills, ruffles, and layers. But during the 1880s, outfits became simpler and much narrower. The 1880s were a turning point in women's fashion, as women were working in department stores, as secretaries. receptionists, and telephone operators, and in clothing and textile production. Because of these kinds of work, women needed clothing that was not complicated and would allow them to do their work efficiently, giving them slightly more flexibility. Women were also partaking in more outdoor activities by the 1880s, and their clothing had to allow them more freedom of movement. This can be seen in the photo of the three women posing with rifles, suggesting they enjoy hunting.

The United States entered a new era during the 1880s, and the changes in women's clothing reflected that. The Progressive Era lasted from 1880 to 1930, when the United States underwent a period of increased industrialization, immigration, and urbanization. Industrialization led to the mass production of clothing, which resulted in similar clothing styles and cheaper clothing prices. Industrialization also led to more employment opportunities, which led to a growth in cities and urban centers as people moved to cities to work in factories and mills. Many of these people came from the countryside or immigrated from other countries, mostly from Eastern Europe, Italy, Greece, Mexico, and Asia. Most of these people came to the cities of New York, Boston, Chicago, and Seattle. Because of these changes, women were becoming more involved in the workforce, many working in factories and mills. These workers often faced horrific working conditions, long hours, and very little pay. Cities were unpleasant as well, being overcrowded, and unsanitary. Urban conditions also fostered class, ethnic, and race conflicts and inequality.

Lower-class women were especially affected by these new inequalities, as they also faced harsh working conditions, long hours, and low pay, as well as had to face the difficulties of having children and raising them while also working. Women also earned sixty percent less than men. The major occupations for these women were in agriculture, domestic service, manufacturing, and clerical and office work. Native-born, middle-class women were at a much better advantage, as they were given higher wages and better working conditions. But they were still unhappy with the lack of equality between men and women in the workforce. These conditions spurred a large women's labor movement, where both lower-class and middle-class women worked together to bring about social change.

Life was very different for wealthy women, however. The late 1800s were also part of the Victorian Era, where there was a certain image that women had to uphold. Though the Victorian fashion trends began in England, they were copied in the United States. Women were expected to be clean, fragile, gentle, and moral, and their clothing reflected these ideals. The period from 1877 to 1883 was known as the "Natural Form Era," and wealthy women began wearing clothing that clung to their silhouettes, showing off their natural form. Women still maintained corsets, hair pieces, and cosmetics of the earlier Victorian Era, but their clothing was smooth and tight, maintaining a sense of elegance. The 1890s were known as the "Naughty Nineties," where women's clothing showed a slender silhouette while also having exaggerated bosoms, hips, and buttocks. To maintain this slender image, women were encouraged to live healthy and active lifestyles. They became more involved in sports such as croquet and biking, and also went for walks more frequently.

Clothing during this period reflected the changes in women's lives, as women were more active and thus needed clothing that allowed them to be more flexible. Women's clothing in the 1880s consisted of a narrow silhouette and skirts with only slightly enhanced padding, as opposed to the fuller skirts of previous decades. These new dresses were designed to have a deep bustle in the back, fuller hips at the sides, and a body that was pulled tightly against the rib cage. Bosoms were raised very high. Bustles had disappeared for a time but returned in 1883 and 1884, and were narrow but sharply projected in the back. Skirts were also heavy and long, falling in folds from the bustle in a style that resembled an apron. The bustle disappeared for the final time around 1889.

One of the common trends in the 1880s was for women to wear cotton dresses, as possibly seen in the family portrait. Also seen in this picture is the apron overskirt, which was popular in the 1880s. Apron overskirts had the front pulled into pleats at the side and the back, allowing the front to fold in a way that mimicked an apron. For their hair, women pulled their hair close to the head with short and curled bangs, as seen in each of these photos. The older woman sitting down in the family portrait is wearing a knit cap, which was also common headgear for women at the time.

Change Reaches Mahwah

Mahwah began as an agricultural town, and the period from 1871 to 1914 continued to see Mahwah as mainly agricultural. But Mahwah was not exempt from some changes. The development of the railroad and other roads allowed farming to become commercialized, and some farmers began focusing on crops that could be sold in New York City. The 1880s to the 1910s also saw a decrease in larger farms' acreage, due to the division of farms amongst children. To maintain and repair farms, there was a high demand for lumber, which was made from the woods surrounding Mahwah. This led to a lumber market within Mahwah, as timber was shipped from the town starting in the 1870s. Sawmills also emerged in the area in the 1870s and 1880s.

Women on the farms in Mahwah were part of the economic scene, as most made clothing. Women were also active in the home, cooking for the family and for farm workers, and preserving food. The women also helped out on the farm by plowing, milking cows, picking crops, and making baskets.

Clothing in Mahwah reflected the trends that were present in the rest of the country. Though Mahwah did not see as much industrialization, remaining more of an agricultural town, Mahwah's economy did expand due to the shipping of crops to more industrialized areas. Women in the town were also very active, helping on the farm and working by sewing clothes. Women required flexibility for these actions, and most likely followed the national fashion trends when sewing their own clothes.

Mahwah did experience some industrialization, however, which will be discussed on the next page.