Embellished in Elegance: Textile Remnants of Women’s History
Saturday, March 1st 2025
Clothing, while practical in its purpose to keep one warm and preserve a sense of modesty, is also a means of artistic expression. In the nineteenth century, a large wardrobe demonstrated wealth, and each item reflected one’s social status through fabric, style, and construction. While many enslaved men, women, and children were allotted only two or three outfits each year, elite nineteenth-century women often changed their outfits two or three times each day to match the varying levels of formality dictated by their social calendars.
Historically, dresses made of expensive embellishments and worn by upper-class women have been considered heirlooms worth preserving. However, in many cases, women’s stories have not been regarded or preserved with the same care. As a result, textiles often serve as remnants, or surviving traces, of women’s experiences that researchers use to piece their stories together and bring them to life.
Victorian Vogue: Dresses that Endured and the Stories They Tell
Harriet Flud Hampton’s Morning Dress, c. 1840–1848
HCF 1972.205.1 A-B
Worn for eating breakfast, taking morning strolls, and writing letters, morning dresses were made of relatively lightweight and breathable fabric. Paired with a removable capelet and featuring long, simple sleeves, this versatile brown silk dress was likely worn outdoors and within the comfort of the Hamptons home at Millwood Plantation in Columbia.
This dress likely belonged to Harriet Flud Hampton (1823–1848), the eldest daughter of Wade Hampton II (1791–1858) and Ann Fitzsimmons (1794–1833). Although she was born into an affluent, politically powerful family, Harriet, like most other women in the nineteenth century, had little agency during her lifetime and none in shaping her public memory. For an unknown number of years, Harriet and her three sisters were victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by their uncle, James Henry Hammond (1807–1864). In 1843, twenty-year-old Harriet confided this information to her father, aware of the potential long-term consequences that coming forward with allegations about any man, much less the sitting state governor, would have to her reputation.
Neither Harriet nor her three sisters ever married despite being advantageous matches for any man of their standing. While rumors circulated, exact details of their abuse and the fallout for both the Hamptons and Hammonds are only known through James Henry Hammond’s private diaries.
Ultimately, James Henry Hammond’s voice is preserved in the historical record, as institutions throughout the Carolinas maintain his letters, diaries, speeches, plantation manuals, and account books—little, if any, of which he intended to make public. In many ways, James’ own words vilify his actions and demonstrate Harriet’s courage, even as her own perspective was largely lost to time. After purportedly suffering an illness for many years, Harriet passed away at the age of twenty-five and was buried at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Cemetery. Harriet’s surviving possessions—comprising of this dress, a portrait, and an equestrian racing trophy created in her honor—exemplify the power and limitations of material culture.
Mary Boykin Chesnut’s Evening Gown, c. 1830–1840
HCF 1981.8.1 A-C
This dress was conserved and reproduced in 2018 by the Columbia Town Committee of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of South Carolina (NSCHA-SC). The original gown is on view in the Robert Mills House along with a vest worn by James Chesnut, while the reproduction is on view in the Hampton-Preston Mansion.
In contrast to simple morning dresses, evening gowns were worn for elaborate social engagements like parties and dinners. Made of imported silk and hand sewn, this gown—like many other nineteenth-century dresses—was repeatedly mended and altered to extend its use. The fabric of the dress likely dates to the turn of the nineteenth century when waistlines were high, and silhouettes were relatively straight. By the 1840s, when this dress is thought to have been reworked, waistlines had dropped and become more pointed, while skirts filled out and sleeves became wider and more puffed.
Worn and reworked prior to the Civil War, this gown with detachable sleeves belonged to Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut (1823–1886), the daughter of Governor Stephen Decatur Miller (1788–1838), a wealthy plantation owner and politician in South Carolina. Her father’s wealth enabled Mary to receive a formal education, preparing her for her marriage to James Chesnut Jr. (1815–1885) in 1840. The younger James Chesnut managed Mulberry Plantation in Camden and later served as a US senator, Civil War officer, and aide to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
These connections grew during the Chesnuts’ time in Columbia, giving Mary access to influential figures during the Civil War. She documented these interactions in her diary, A Diary from Dixie, published posthumously in 1905. Altered much like her dress, Mary revised her original diary entries in the 1880s to frame the war as a fight for states’ rights.
Though active in social circles and celebrated for her wit and charm, Mary also struggled with depression and lamented her inability to have children. After her death in 1886, she was buried next to her husband, James, in Knights Hill Cemetery in Camden.
Leila Bernard Meredith’s Wedding Gown, 1881
HCF 1972.290.1 A-C
This two-toned wedding gown belonged to another prominent South Carolinian. In the nineteenth century, few wedding gowns were made of white fabric and worn for a single day. Instead, women often wore their most elaborate outfit, regardless of color. Exemplifying this tradition, this gold satin dress is adorned with bows on the sleeves, rosettes and ruffles on the skirt, and thousands of hand-strung beads.
This dress—and these shoes—were worn by Leila Bernard Meredith (1861–1947) for her marriage to Richard Irvine Manning III (1859–1931) on February 10, 1881, in Richmond, Virginia. Leila came from a politically influential family, and her father, John Alexander Meredith (1814–1882), was the first circuit court judge of Richmond and a member of the Virginia Senate. Her husband came from a prominent South Carolina family with their own politics ties: Richard’s grandfather, Richard Irvine Manning I (1789–1836), was South Carolina's 50th governor, and his uncle, John Lawrence Manning (1816–1889), was the 65th. Richard III himself served as a state senator and as the state’s 92nd governor.
Despite these connections, few details about Leila’s life, independent of the men around her, survive. Instead, she is known primarily for her role as a mother and grandmother; Leila gave birth to at least thirteen children, and at her death, she was survived by twenty-six grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren. She is buried at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Cemetery.
Emma Floride Cunningham’s Everyday Dress, 1908–1914
HCF 1970.5.1
In contrast to previous dresses sewn by hand, this silk dress was primarily machine-made, apart from the hemline which was hand-stitched. Made with moiré fabric, known for its wavy or water-like appearance, this dress may have been altered to suit the owner’s height, or the fabric may have been repurposed much like Mary Chesnut’s dress. Either way, the high waist and neckline suggest the outfit dates to the early twentieth century, a time when fashion shifted to brighter colors.
Treasured and preserved by the Cunningham family, this dress likely belonged to either Ann Pamela Cunningham (1816–1875) or her niece, Emma Floride Cunningham (1841–1919). Born in Laurens County, South Carolina, Ann was from an affluent family. She often traveled north by boat for medical treatment, passing the former home of George Washington in Virginia on her journey. Reflecting on one such trip, Ann established the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association—an organization that is still active today—which fundraised for the purchase and restoration of Mount Vernon. After a successful career that led to her recognition as the “Mother of Historic Preservation,” Ann returned to South Carolina, where she died in 1875. She is buried at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Cemetery.
However, given the style of the dress, it most likely belonged to Ann’s niece, Emma Floride Cunningham, a writer, entrepreneur, and suffragist. Throughout the 1800s, Emma contributed to the New York World and the Washington Post, represented South Carolina in the Chicago World’s Fair, and served as one of the only female real estate agents south of Washington, D.C.
Progressive for her era, Emma was also a supporter of the Black and female vote. She is quoting stating, “[Men] are machine politicians who would prostitute humanity for their own selfish ends. Their injustice to the negro is as pronounced as it is to women…the reduction of the negro vote in South Carolina is a problem that this constitutional convention has to solve...And I had hoped to see it accomplished without discredit to the race who stood loyally by us during the civil strife.”
Emma died six weeks after Congress ratified the Nineteenth Amendment, giving women the right to vote the following year. She is buried with her family in Laurens County.
From Silhouettes to Social Shifts: Dresses with a Greater Purpose
While the material, style, and craftmanship of these dresses serve as a testament to each woman’s social status, far less is known about their thoughts, desires, or actions. Nonetheless, the very existence of these dresses—along with the family stories that accompany them—provide a tangible representation of the women that wore them, preserving their stories and preventing their silhouettes from fading into history.
As Historic Columbia continues researching these women and their gowns, visit our online catalog to learn more.
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