The Birth of Bloomers: a search for the beginning of women's trousers in nineteenth century America

1

The Birth of Bloomers:

a search for the beginning of women’s trousers in nineteenth century America

By Johanna Beth McSweeney

1 Susan Torrey Merritt. “Anti-Slavery Picnic at Weymouth Landing, MA” c. 1845-1850 (Art Institute of Chicago:

Curatorial File 1950.1846). The red circles were added by the author as focal points for the discussion herein.

McSweeney_Academic_Paper_The_Birth_of_Bloomers_2 | P a g e

In 1851 for her magazine The Lily, Amelia Bloomer wrote about a new fashion, loose

fitting trousers worn under a shortened dress. Bloomer’s remarks made the new style of dress

into an overnight sensation among American women. While the outfit bears her name, Amelia

Bloomer learned of the outfit from her friend, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who credited her cousin,

Elizabeth Smith Miller with introducing the style.2 In her later years, Elizabeth Smith Miller

wrote,

“In the spring of 1851, while spending many hours at work in the

garden, I became so thoroughly disgusted with the long skirt, that

the dissatisfaction, the growth of years, suddenly ripened into the

decision that this shackle should no longer be endured. The

resolution was at once put into practice. Turkish trousers to the

ankle, with a skirt reaching some four inches below the knee, were

substituted for the heavy, untidy, exasperating old garment. After

making this change I hastened to Seneca Falls to visit my cousin,

Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton. We had so long deplored our

common misery in the toils of crippling fashion that this means of

escape was hailed with joy, and she at once joined me in wearing

the costume.”3

2 Patricia Cunningham. Reforming Women's Fashion, 1850-1920 (Kent, Ohio: The Kent State University Press

2003), 38-41 3 Elizabeth Smith Miller. “Reflections on Woman’s Dress and the Record of A Personal Experience” in The Arena,

ed. B.O. Flower (Boston, Massachusetts: Arena Publishing Company 1892), 493-494.


Where Miller obtained the outfit remains a mystery.4 Though the painting “Anti-Slavery Picnic

at Weymouth Landing, MA” by American folk-artist, Susan Torrey Merritt, could be a source to

show that Miller adopted her outfit from abolitionists in Massachusetts, Elizabeth Smith Miller

most likely designed the infamous outfit based on influences close to her home in New York.

Historians argue about the source of Elizabeth Smith Miller’s trousers and short dress

design.5 Thanks to Amelia Bloomer, what has not been in doubt is that Miller first wore the

outfit in 1851. Susan Torrey Merritt’s painting “Anti-Slavery Picnic at Weymouth Landing,

MA” was gifted to the Art Institute of Chicago by Elizabeth R. Vaughn in 1950, and is dated by

the Institute to circa 1845.6 However, Merritt’s painting includes imagery of women in shortened

dresses and trousers. Could Merritt’s work reveal a source for the 1851 design of Elizabeth

Smith Miller’s outfit?

“Anti-Slavery Picnic at Weymouth Landing, MA” shows a gathering of adults, children,

and a few domesticated dogs in a rural landscape near the town of Weymouth, MA (a suburb just

south of Boston). A painted forest landscape is depicted in the foreground of the paper canvas

with a nearby town in the background of the image. There are two long tables covered with

tablecloths laid with food and floral decorations as a central focus within the arrangement of

attendees. Members of the crowd are shown carrying dishes toward the tables, and gathering in

small conversational groups. Individuals ride on horseback through the crowd. Small groups

come and go from the surrounding woods. In the lower right, four musicians stand with their

instruments. Men and women of different races are seen conversing together. In the upper part of

the painting, left of centre is a red flag with the word Liberty painted in white at its centre

4 Cunningham, Women’s Fashion, 31. 5 Ibid 6 Department of Prints and Drawing (Chicago, Illinois: Art Institute of Chicago, n.d). Curatorial File 1950.1856


encircled by white painted stars. Right of the upper centre is a large American flag waving over

the crowd and above the trees. Children in the lower centre of the image wave small American

flags. Merritt’s work embodies a peaceful, bucolic, nineteenth century, American political

gathering.

The majority of Merritt’s female figures are dressed in the belled shaped skirts

with fitted bodices that were worn in the United States from 1840-1865.7 Among the

crowd of 141 male and female figures, there are three women whose clothing differs

from the majority. Standing in front of the table on the left are two women dressed in

wide brimmed, flat capped hats and long sleeved, navy blue, knee length dresses over

pale yellow, baggy pants that balloon away from the legs and are gathered at the ankle.

By the table on the right, at the far right end, a third woman dressed in a red outfit of the

same trouser and dress style stands alone. The third woman is quite removed from the

other two women, but her single presence and strange attire does not cause a stir in the

gathering. The three women indicate that the fashion of trousers under a short dress was

common in Merritt’s idealized picnic world. The Art Institute’s c. 1845 date for Susan T.

Merritt’s work, Merritt’s women in trousers, and the political imagery in Merritt’s

painting support the possibility that Elizabeth Smith Miller learned of the bloomer

fashion from women in Massachusetts.

As there are various American flags and mixed racial groups shown throughout her work,

Merritt’s painting is believed to be a nineteenth-century political rally. Some historians have

suggested that the inclusion of a flag painted with the word “Liberty” may indicate the event was

7 Joanna Nunn. Fashion in Costume 1200-2000 (Chicago, IL: New Amsterdam Books, 2000), 104-131


for the Liberty Party.8 Elizabeth Smith Miller was the daughter of Gerrit Smith, famous

abolitionist and founding member of the Liberty party.9 Though founded in New York, the

Liberty party was active in the anti-slavery movement of Massachusetts, but not very popular.

Susan Torrey Merritt spent her life in Weymouth, MA. 10 She is not listed in the annuals of the

Massachusetts Anti-slavery Association,11 but her sister, Lucinda had abolitionist connections.12

Merritt may have known of or even supported the Liberty party, but additional research reveals

several issues with the Elizabeth Smith Miller bloomer dress coming from political activists in

Massachusetts.

Elizabeth Smith Miller’s clearly stated that she and her cousin, Elizabeth Cady Stanton

had sought a comfortable clothing style for many years, and that Miller was the one who found

the new style of clothes. From 1843-1847, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her husband lived in

Massachusetts.13 The Stantons were closely involved in the abolitionist movement in and around

Boston. In her memoirs, 80 years and More, Stanton writes

“In Boston I attended all the lectures, churches, theatres, concerts,

and temperance, peace, and prison-reform conventions within my

reach. I had never lived in such an enthusiastically literary and

8 Deborah Van Broekhoven. Letter to the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois: Art Institute of Chicago),

December 29, 1994. Curatorial File 1950.1856 9 Kathryn Kish Sklar. Women’s Rights Emerges with the Antislavery Movement 1830-1870 (Boston, Massachusetts:

State University of New York, Binghamton 2000), 53. 10 United States Census. Susan T Merritt in household of Amos Merritt, Weymouth, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United

States 1850, 1860, 1865; United States Census. Susan T Merritt, Massachusetts, United States 1870 11 Board of Managers, Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. 1843-1849 Volume 11-17: Annual Report (Westport,

Connecticut: Negro Universities Press, 1970).

Board of Managers, Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. 1850-1856 Volume 18-24: Annual Report (Westport,

Connecticut: Negro Universities Press, 1970). 12 William Lloyd Garrison. "Celebration at Abington" in The Liberator (Boston, Massachusetts), July 12, 1850: 110 13 Elizabeth Cady Stanton. 80 years and more: Reminiscences 1815-1897 (New York, New York: European

Publishing Company, 1898). 127-143


reform latitude before, and my mental powers were kept at the

highest tension.”14

It was during her time in Boston that Elizabeth Cady Stanton first met Maria Chapman, a

member of the Weston family of Weymouth, MA.15 The Weston’s were known for their political

involvement, mostly unmarried status, and progressive views on women’s rights and slavery.16

The wooded background in Susan Torrey Merritt’s “Anti-Slavery Picnic” painting is a specific

geological feature in town known as Weston Park.17 If the Art Institute’s date is correct, and

Merritt’s work depicts an abolitionist gathering connected to the Westons soon after 1845 in

Weymouth, MA with women in trousers and shortened dresses, it is inconceivable that Elizabeth

Cady Stanton was not exposed to the style during her time in Boston. If Elizabeth Cady Stanton

had seen the fashion that she often called shorts18 while in Boston, she would have known of the

outfit before her cousin, Elizabeth Smith Miller.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s presence in Massachusetts during the mid to late-1840s, and the

popularity of bloomers coming after 1851, raises questions about the c. 1845 date of Merritt’s

“Anti-Slavery Picnic in Weymouth Landing, MA”. The signature for Merritt’s work was

damaged during framing and the date was removed with only the “M” and “TT” of her signature

remaining.19 However, in 1948, Wolfgang Born stated the painting was signed and dated 1848.20

14 Ibid, 127 15 Ibid, 127-143 16 Lee V. Chambers. The Weston Sisters: an American abolitionist family (Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The

University of North Carolina, 2014). 17 Department of Prints and Drawing (Chicago, Illinois: Art Institute of Chicago, n.d.). Curatorial File 1950.1846 18 Theodore Stanton, and Harriot Stanton Blatch. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, As Revealed in Her Letters, Diary and

Reminiscences, vol. 2 (New York, NY: Harper & Brothers Publishers 1922), 28-34, 36-37. 19 Vivian J. Scheidemantel. Letter from the Art Institute of Chicago to Christine E. Evarts (Chicago, Illinois: Art

Institute of Chicago), August 24, 1951. Curatorial File 1950.1846 20 Wolfgang Born. American Landscape Painting (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1948), 126.


While, Merritt’s single biographer, Patrick J. Leonard dates the work to 1853.21 Due to the

presence of women in trousers and the varying dates, Merritt’s work is probably misdated as

circa 1845, and was likely finished after 1851. Whether her gathering depicts a political rally for

the Liberty party or not, the timeline of Merritt’s creation is too ambiguous to be used as a basis

to suggest abolitionists in Massachusetts were wearing trousers under short dresses prior to 1851

thereby influencing Elizabeth Smith Miller.

Though Wolfgang Born reports “Anti-Slavery Picnic” was dated 1848 that date does not

establish the painting as a reliable source for Elizabeth Smith Miller’s trousers and dress fashion

statement. Susan Torrey Merritt’s painting measures 660X914 mm and was created using

watercolour gouache, paper and a collage technique. 22 Merritt made the over 100 figures shown

in her work independently from the landscape, and then pasted the detailed figures onto the

painted image. The animals, food, tables, and American flag were all adhered over the

watercolour background in addition to the human figures. Most likely only the elements painted

on to the paper base were created in 1848, and later became a woodland stage for the pasted on

pieces. Susan Torrey Merritt’s women in trousers could have been added to the painting after

1851, when she and the public at large learned of Elizabeth Smith Miller’s rational dress through

the national press surrounding Amelia Bloomer’s Lily article.

Though it is exciting to think that a work by a little known artist could reveal the

beginning of a revolution in women’s fashion, Elizabeth Smith Miller’s influences may have

been closer to home. Miller’s description of donning the outfit for the first time in a fit of

frustration while at home suggests that she already had the clothing at her residence, or was able

21 Patrick J. Leonard. Miss Susan Torrey Merritt of South Weymouth, Massachusetts: An Artist Revisted (Quincy,

Massachusetts: President Press, Inc.), 27-31. 22 Department of Prints and Drawing (Chicago, Illinois: Art Institute of Chicago, n.d.). Curatorial File 1950.1846


to easily create the style quickly near her home. Furthermore, she claims to have been wearing

the style only since the spring of 1851, just prior to her visit to Seneca to see her cousin,

Elizabeth Cady Stanton.23 While she may have purchased an exotic outfit abroad, Miller’s joy at

switching to trousers under a short dress indicates that if she had acquired the outfit during her

travels, she would have begun wearing trousers at an earlier date. Most likely women in Miller’s

home state of New York influenced the design of her famous fashion.

Elizabeth Smith Miller was living in Peterboro, NY when she first shortened her skirts

and donned trousers. She spent most of her youth and part of her married life in Peterboro.24 Not

far from her home, three sources existed that could explain the birth of Miller’s bloomers.

The Native American Oneida Nation resided throughout the state of New York until

1838, when the Nation was relocated to Wisconsin.25 Elizabeth Smith Miller’s uncle Peter

Skanandoah Smith was named for a famous leader of the Oneida.26 According to the historian,

Sally Roesch Wagner, the Oneida Nation women were frequent guests at Gerrit Smith’s home in

Peterboro.27 Furthermore, the Oneida Nation women wore a shortened dress over matching

trousers.28 Elizabeth Smith Miller would have seen the Native American dress throughout her

childhood in New York.

23 Miller, The Arena, 493; Stanton, T, Elizabeth Cady Stanton Letters, 29. ESM visited ECS between February and

June of 1851, during which time ESM introduced ECS to the style of trousers under a shortened dress. 24 “Elizabeth Smith Miller,” Syracuse University Library The Gerrit Smith Virtual Museum, last modified 09 June,

2012 12:35 PM, accessed January 11, 2016, http://library.syr.edu/digital/exhibits/g/GerritSmith/esm.htm 25 Lawrence M. Hauptman, and L. Gordon McLester III, eds. The Oneida Indian Journey (Madison, WI: The

University of Wisconsin Press, 1999) 26 Hauptman, “The Oneida Nation” in Oneida Indian Journey, 25 27 Sally Roesch Wagner. “The Untold Story of The Iroquois Influence

On Early Feminists,” Feminist.com On the Issues, last modified winter 1996, accessed January 11, 2016,

http://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/genwom/iroquoisinfluence.html 28 Hauptman, “Introduction” in Oneida Indian Journey, 15


The similarities between the Oneida dress and Elizabeth Smith Millers are strong. In both

outfits the dress reaches mid-calf, however Miller’s dress is full skirted and plain instead of a

highly decorated A-line as worn by the Native American Oneida women.29 The trousers however

were the same straight legged style. Though later construction of bloomers had gathered ankles,

such as those painted by Susan Torrey Merritt, Elizabeth Smith Miller, and her cousin, Elizabeth

Cady Stanton originally wore pants that fell straight at the ankle.30 The similarities in style

between the Native American dress and Elizabeth Smith Miller’s original outfit indicate that

Miller may have integrated the Native American fashion into her personal design.

The Oneida Nation was not the only society in New York that believed women are the

equals of men, and may have been familiar to Elizabeth Smith Miller. In 1847, John Humphrey

Noyes founded a Perfectionist community approximately eleven miles from Peterboro, NY in

Oneida County, New York.31 Noyes’ settlement came to be known by the county name, and is

the predecessor to the Oneida silverware company.

In the 1800’s, the Oneida Association was known for avant-garde ideas, and women’s

rights advocates would have been interested in the Association’s activities. The Community

eschewed traditional marriage structures, and instituted a policy of structured open sexual

relationships and communal child rearing. The Oneida Association’s records state that women of

the community adopted the shortened dress and trousers style in 1848 based on children’s

clothing. 32 The women of the Oneida Association did not wear trousers publically, but Elizabeth

29 Ibid 30 Cunningham, Women’s Fashion. 21; Stanton, T., Elizabeth Cady Stanton Letters, shown just after page 40, no

page number 31 Oneida Association. First Annual Report of Oneida Association: Exhibiting Its History, Principals and

Transactions to Jan. 1, 1849 (Oneida, New York: Leonard and Company Printers 1849). 32 Ibid


Smith Miller may have seen their clothing through contact with the group. Though she was

engaged in a traditional marriage, Elizabeth Smith Miller was living in Peterboro, supported the

promotion of women’s rights, and was socially involved in her community at large. Her husband

supported her political efforts, and would have made no objection to her interacting with the

Oneida Association.33 Miller could have easily obtained her dress from the Community, or

appropriated their fashion to design her outfit. By 1838 the Oneida nation had been displaced

from New York to Wisconsin,34 perhaps the Oneida Community’s name and fashion struck a

memory in Miller that manifested into her radical clothing choice.

In addition to the many social influences surrounding Elizabeth Smith Miller, Oneida

County was home to a textile industry that entered a golden era in the late 1840s. From 1845 to

1850, the textile mills in Oneida County grew as steam driven looms became available.35 With a

booming local textile industry taking place within a few miles of her home, Miller had access to

cloth in excess. Fine black broadcloth36 would have been easy to obtain. Wide trousers to match

a shortened dress, or a fully new outfit could have been created quickly in any weight that suited

a dressmaker’s purpose.

Though she called her pants Turkish trousers, Elizabeth Smith Miller’s infamous fashion

statement is an American style by birth. Instead of seeing the outfit among abolitionists in

Massachusetts, Miller was surrounded by elements in New York to inspire her design. In

childhood, she could have seen the freedom of movement enjoyed by the women in the Oneida

33 Miller, The Arena, 494 34 Reginald Horseman, “The Origins of the Oneida Removal” in Oneida Indian Journey, ed. Lawrence M.

Hauptman, and L. Gordon McLester III (Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1999) 53-65 35 “Textile Industry, ” Oneida County Historical Society, copyright 2014, accessed on January 11, 2016,

http://www.oneidacountyhistory.org/momentsintime/exploringhistory.asp 36 Stanton, 80 years and more, 200


Nation. Later in life, she may have observed the ease in work that trousers provided to women in

the Oneida Community. She had access to materials to make whatever clothing inspired her.

Instead of purchasing an outfit, Elizabeth Smith Miller’s shortened dress and trousers were

plausibly of her own design, springing forth from her in a moment of frustration that inspired

genius and forever changed the clothing of women.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Report (Westport, Connecticut: Negro Universities Press, 1970).

Born, Wolfgang. American Landscape Painting (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1948), 126.

Chambers, Lee V. The Weston Sisters: an American abolitionist family (Chapel Hill, North

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Curatorial File (Chicago, Illinois: Art Institute of Chicago, accessed October 14, 2015).

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On Early Feminists” Feminist.com On the Issues, last modified winter 1996, accessed

January 11, 2016,

http://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/genwom/iroquoisinfluence.html

The Birth of Bloomers: a search for the beginning of women's trousers in nineteenth century America

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Transcript of The Birth of Bloomers: a search for the beginning of women's trousers in nineteenth century America