Collections

Blue and White Cotton Voile Dress

Blue and White Cotton Voile Dress - Dress
Accession #: 3022.1
Title: Blue and White Cotton Voile Dress
Object Type: Dress
Participants:
Physical Description: Blue and white cotton voile dress, layered, pointed scalloped hem.
Description: Frank Taylor of Spokane enlisted in the Washington National Guard in 1908, serving in the Mexican Border War before being mustered into service after the United States entered World War I. Taylor was sent to France as a 2nd Lieutenant. On October 11, 1918, wounded, he led his platoon into battle at Meuse-Argonne. Wounded a second time and disabled, he urged his men on to successfully capture a strategic position. Sadly, Lieutenant Taylor's injuries proved fatal. Over a decade after the war ended, the United States government organized trips for mothers and widows of soldiers who had died in Europe to visit the final resting place of their lost loved ones. Frank Taylor's mother Alvaretta travelled to Europe in 1930 to visit her son's grave at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery on one of these trips. She later reflected on her experience: "I cannot praise our government enough for making this trip possible. Everything was done for our comfort and pleasure - nothing seemed too good for us." This dress was made by Ethel Flory for her mother Alvaretta to wear on the trip to France in 1930.
Category: Textiles
Subjects/Topics/Concepts:
World War I (Military & Warfare->War); Women (Women); Outerwear (Personal Artifact->Clothing)
Dimensions:
shoulders 14 1/2"
length 49"
Materials/Techniques:
scalloped hem (Technique)
cotton (textile) (Material)
Credit Line: Gift of Ethel Taylor Flory, 1984

To order a reproduction, inquire about permissions, or for information about prices see:
https://www.northwestmuseum.org/collections