Wool day dress worn as a wedding dress. The bodice is tailored light blue wool and flannel with a mock bolero jacket. The collar is rectangular with appliqued bands of ivory and cotton lace and ivory silk. The front edge is velvet with appliqued floral embroidery. It has long shaped sleeves with mock turn back cuffs at the elbow. The sleeves have five horizontal appliqued bands and the bottom cuffs are ivory, silk and velvet with floral embroidery. The inner bodice is pleated ivory and chiffon. The front closure is hook & eye. The lining is polished ivory and has boning and Petersham. The attached cummerbund is pleated, pale blue, with a stripe, silk rosette and hook and eye closure. The skirt is light blue wool flannel with a demi-train, six horizontal appliqued bands and a narrow waistband; it is flared with seven trumpet shaped gores and a hook and eye and three snaps opening in the back; in the back is a inverted box pleat placket (pocket). The lining on the skirt is polished ivory with cotton knife pleat, gathered dust ruffle flounce. It has a standing collar with a gathered pale blue, ivory and silk band; a velvet band with appliqued floral embroidery. The back opening has three hook and eye closures.
Accession ID: 73.57; History Colorado.; Curatorial note supplied by History Colorado: "Worn by the donor's mother at her marriage to the son of former Denver Mayor John Harper (1871-1872, d. 1875) in 1901. The dress is a colored wool day dress rather than the traditional white wedding variety. The dress was possibly made in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Harper family settled in Colorado from Pennsylvania in the mid 19th century. They ran a hardware business."; Object ID: 73.57.4; Scanned image from loaned transparency including Object ID.; Title supplied.; R7200200482
