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The House of Worth: Fashion Sketches, 1916·1918
Litchfield Historical Society
By Karen M. DePauw, Jessica D. Jenkins, Michael Krass Dover Publications, Inc.
Copyright © 2015 The Litchfield Historical Society
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-80728-7
CHAPTER 1
FASHIONING A MODEL RETREAT
JESSICA D. JENKINS
IN THE 2 010 DOCUMENTARY BILL CUNNINGHAM New York, famed fashion photographer Bill Cunningham stated, "Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life. To do away with fashion would be like doing away with civilization." While this quote may have been uttered in the twenty-first century, it can easily be applied to the mentality of many Americans in the early years of the one prior. The house of Worth fashion sketches highlighted in the pages of this book display the beauty, care, and artistry put into designing garments for upper-class women with expensive taste. To them these frocks were the epitome of civilization and something worth striving to own. While the watercolor renderings may communicate soft and supple fabrics, in life these materials served as the wearer's figurative chain mail in the face of global war and worldwide societal changes. It may be easy to lose one's self in the exquisite compositions, or to see only as deep as the pigment that once transferred from the artist's brush to the paper, but a closer look can unlock a complex place in time highlighted by beauty, nostalgia, conflict, and great transformations. When these fashion sketches were given to the Litchfield Historical Society in 1920, the donor, Mary Perkins Quincy, described them as valuable. The designs had been created only a few years prior in 1916 and 1918 against the backdrop of World War I. Sent through postal mail to distant clients, these sketches allowed wealthy customers to peruse garments and purchase items without undertaking travel to Paris. Unlike the actual garments that customers spent thousands of dollars on, these sketches held relatively little fiscal worth. "Samples of No Value," was even stamped on the original envelope used to send a portion of the drawings from Worth to American client, Julia Chester Wells, in 1916. This seemingly nonchalant attitude about the envelope's contents brings to mind the question, what did Mary Perkins Quincy mean when she stated they were valuable?
Quincy, a lover and consumer of fashion herself, had been given the designs by Wells, a good and dear friend. Like Quincy, Wells was known for her impeccable taste. The two women shared many of the same pursuits and both had memberships in genealogical organizations, a passion for their colonial ancestry, a love of travel, and enthusiasm for art and antiques. Additionally, both women had ties to Litchfield, Connecticut, and demonstrated their interests in the town's history and in preserving items they believed held great importance. Knowing firsthand the expense of such garments, did Quincy then mean that these fashion sketches may one day be monetarily valuable? Or did she see their value in representing a great friendship between herself and Wells? Perhaps she saw that the sketches embodied many of Litchfield's wealthy part-time residents who brought their sense of style with them to the community, or believed them a remnant of a rapidly changing world. No matter her intended definition, these fashion designs are in fact valuable. Their value lies not only in their physical beauty and interpretive possibilities when studying the house of Worth, but also in their representation of Litchfield's most well-to-do seasonal residents and the model of civilized society that they presented to the community and nation. While well-known playgrounds of the rich, such as Newport, Rhode Island, are perceived today as the highest standard of American living at the turn of the twentieth century, these seemingly larger-than-life resort towns were not the only dignified and coveted model for genteel living at the time. Other retreats for America's well-to-do existed, and some appealed more strongly to the families that had called the nation their home for generations. In northwest Connecticut, the community of Litchfield served as a national model of Colonial Revival architecture and landscape for the nation, and its wealthy seasonal residents played a strong role in bringing up-to-date tastes, fashions, and lifestyles to residents of the town in an era marked by cultural shifts and rapid change. The residents symbolized by the house of Worth sketches may not have lived in the community full-time, but their impact in shaping Litchfield in the early twentieth century was powerful and all-embracing.
The Age of Business and Knowledge
For many people Litchfield embodies the idyllic New England town. This quaint village has a rich history, and from the time of its founding the community has seen both times of struggle and thriving success. After purchasing a tract of land from a local tribe of Native Americans in 1715, the first English colonists to the region encountered the trials and tribulations of settling an area of raw wilderness. With practically no passable roadways and vast sections of marsh and swamp, the development of the community had a slow start. In 1751 however, the town was designated the county seat, and with this new political role witnessed considerable progress. By the time of the American Revolution, Litchfield had poised itself to become a major commercial center. As the war got underway, Litchfield's remote inland location made it an attractive place for a supply depot as well as an ideal location to house important loyalist prisoners. Following the close of the war, the town blossomed and saw a time of growth and prosperity through the mid-1830s that has become known as Litchfield's Golden Age. By 1810, the community ranked as the fourth largest town in the state and was located on a major crossroads between Boston, Albany, and New York City. It had become an active urban center populated with well-to-do merchants, businessmen, professionals, and craftsmen in addition to prospering farmers. During these years, Litchfield also saw the establishment and rise of two pioneering education institutions, the Litchfield Law School and the Litchfield Female Academy.
As the first proprietary legal school in the nation and a groundbreaking institution of higher female education, the Litchfield Law School and Litchfield Female Academy attracted thousands of students from across the young nation, at times drawing international pupils as well. Never lacking in communal events, such as balls and teas, Litchfield's network of students, businessmen, and professionals ensured an active social life in the community. Examples of the latest architecture sprung up around town, merchants imported select domestic and foreign goods, noted American artists spent time in the area painting portraits of distinguished families, and a complex web of familial and social relationships emerged that would tie people to the town for generations to come. These factors combined to build and establish Litchfield's reputation not only as an intellectual hub, but also as a vibrant, modern, and fashionable community.
After the close of both schools in the early 1830s, the dynamic of the town began to change. While a small, but stable base of merchants and businessmen remained constant in Litchfield throughout the nineteenth century, the overall number of working professionals in town declined. At the same time, immigrants and tradesmen living and working year-round increased and the town saw its major industries shift to carpentry, dairy, agriculture, ice and lumber harvesting, and small-scale manufacturing. Its prominence was eclipsed by larger, more active urban communities in the state, and as methods of travel changed, Litchfield no longer served as an important crossroads. Amidst what might have easily become a lapse into isolated existence, Litchfield instead began to attract attention with its peaceful ambiance and beautiful surroundings. Construction of fashionable homes continued, interest in transforming the town green from a utilitarian space to a more park-like venue took root, and by the time of the Civil War, a small colony of seasonal residents with familial and social connections to the community was in place. In the years to come, this group would grow and expand as more families with links to the town's past returned to the community on a part-time basis and their social networks spread the word of Litchfield's virtues and charm.
Romancing the Past
Following the close of the Civil War, a sense of uneasiness swept across the United States as citizens faced dramatic social and cultural changes as well as economic and political discontent. Overwhelmed by the effects of industrialization and an unceasing influx of immigrants, Americans became disillusioned with the changes overtaking their lives. New cultures poured into the nation; urban centers boomed; and with the development of industry came a stratified class structure highlighted by the emergence of a complex system of upper, middle, and lower classes. Anxiety about these changes were especially evident in the middle- and upper-classes of American society and the rigid customs and values they held in high regard reflected their concerns. Following set rules of etiquette and manners enabled families and individuals to feel as if they were in control of their world, even as it changed around them. Furthermore, they believed that participation in these customs signified a privileged position in the social and economic order of the nation, and many felt it their duty to model moral behavior and proper taste for the classes below them.
Fearful of an uncertain future, many looked back to an idealized colonial past for security and reassurance. Believing that the moral and aesthetic taste of their Revolutionary ancestors was ideal, they sought to distance themselves from both immigrants and the nouveau riche by turning to the past in architecture, decorative arts, fashion, and landscape to create a historically inspired style. The resulting social movement (peaking between 1880 and 1940) became known as the Colonial Revival and was preeminently demonstrated in Litchfield where the changing social landscape of America could be seen. There, a diverse population of immigrants, laborers, and a wide variety of middle- and upper-class residents interacted in an environment ruled by social customs of the time. Trying to cope with the changing world, Litchfield's old guard and seasonal residents who traced their pedigree to the community's historic figures or to long-standing American families, recalled the stories of their childhood that centered on the town's Golden Age. These romanticized images of the village's past offered a refuge from the present and allowed these villagers to proclaim their status as well-bred Americans to themselves and each other. Following the town's celebration of the nation's Centennial on July 4, 1876, the community began a decades-long love affair with the past and worked to cast an idealized appearance over the town as its landscape, structures, and residents evolved with a fast-changing society.
As Litchfield was re-imagined as a model of "colonial" beauty in the early 1900s, eyes around the nation turned towards the town as photographs of the village accompanied national advertisements for goods ranging from paint to candy. Newspaper articles brought further exposure to the community as they touted the natural beauty of the region. Architectural books, journals, and magazines regularly featured articles highlighting the town. Litchfield's Village Improvement Society (V.I.S.) helped to establish this notable reputation. Founded in 1875, the V.I.S. acted as an organization devoted to enhancing the outward appearance of Litchfield. Composed primarily of wealthy summer residents from New York City, the group identified and funded improvements to the community. During their first few years, the V.I.S. oversaw the installation of concrete pathways in the business center, instituted street watering to minimize dirt and dust, and initiated regular trash removal. These programs not only improved the outward appearance of the village center, but also modernized the community as residents placed high priority on beautification projects.
The V.I.S. also worked to raise awareness of Litchfield's architectural heritage. In 1882 the V.I.S. started a project to mark the dates of village landmarks with placards; possibly the first program of its kind in the United States. Commenting on this new-found fascination with the past, the local newspaper noted that a "passerby would gain a sense of history, security, patriotism and stability when he encountered a doorway bearing an 18 century date." Building on this regard for historic aesthetic, many eighteenth-century structures were altered to appear grander, while Victorian-style buildings saw modifications that incorporated visual elements of early American architecture and new homes were constructed as tasteful interpretations of Litchfield's past. Although not authentic, the homogeneous look of white paint and black shutters fit perfectly with the ideal of a true colonial village and became almost universal in both historic and newly constructed homes. By the first decade of the 1900s, the popularity of the Colonial Revival architectural style had reached a fever pitch. In Litchfield, the blend of eighteenth-century and contemporary Colonial Revival-style buildings transformed the village and its streets took on a picturesque quality. American author Sinclair Lewis commented in the early 1920s that the "only street in America more beautiful than North Street in Litchfield was South Street in Litchfield."
The desire to turn back the clock on Litchfield's physical appearance did not end with private homes. In the 1910s, the V.I.S. began a program to remodel the town's public buildings and village green. The projects, completed as time and money allowed, included plans to makeover the brick Victorian storefronts in the town center with additional features such as classical columns and mullioned windows. The V.I.S. also altered the County courthouse to include a new colonial-inspired cupola, and worked to restore the 1828 Congregational Church building that they moved back to the center of town to replace a newer, but outdated Gothic-style structure. The project included a plan to overhaul the town's green into an updated and tasteful park in the prevailing Colonial Revival style. The V.I.S. organized displays of the plans and renderings at private showings in Litchfield and New York City, and began a fundraising campaign to secure finances. Their venture turned Litchfield into America's first comprehensively restored "colonial" town. "Its traditions, its situation, its architectural features, its mellowed society are all contributory to its charm," Wallace Nutting wrote in 1923. Litchfield positioned itself as a desirable country hideaway and an appealing sanctuary for those looking for polite society in the setting of a bygone era.
A Peaceful Retreat
Marked worldwide by tragedy, war, political shifts, and social reform, it seemed that every aspect of life was in flux in the first two decades of the twentieth century. At a time when modern society believed itself indestructible, the tragic loss of life with the sinking of the Titanic crushed dreams of perfection. Abstract and modern art was introduced to American audiences at New York City's controversial Armory Show in 1913, where attendees faced new and radical ways of thinking about art and life. Hinting at the drastic cultural changes that would sweep the world in the 1920s, jazz music appeared on the scene and the long-established fight for women's voting rights intensified. By the 1910s Henry Ford had transformed automobiles from the playthings of the rich to an affordable commodity, and the world was on the brink of a war that would steal years of time, lives, and resources from nations across the globe.
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Excerpted from The House of Worth: Fashion Sketches, 1916·1918 by Karen M. DePauw, Jessica D. Jenkins, Michael Krass. Copyright © 2015 The Litchfield Historical Society. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
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