Clothing and Accessories
Women's Clothing ➔ Bodice
Identifier:
130798Description:
This navy blue bodice is made of velvet and features heavy beading on the center front. It has a standing collar and has buttons down the center front. It is boned and has orange thread fringe on the hem and cuffs. It also has chiffon trim on the cuffs. This bodice has an interior maker label from Miss F. McClelland Robes.Date:
circa 1875Materials:
Velvet, Fringe, Beading, ChiffonCurrent Location Status:
In StorageCollection Tier:
Tier 2Source:
Gift Of Mrs. Charles G. WatkinsRelated Entities:
Mrs. Charles G. Watkins (donor) Miss F. McClelland Robes (creator)Francis McClelland, born March 1849, was a dressmaker in Grand Rapids, Michigan who was first listed in the City Directory 1876 and continued in the trade for about 44 years until December 2, 1919, also the year of her death. She is listed as the head of household in the 1900 census and was living with a boarder and two domestics in Grand Rapids. She was renting her home as a single woman in 1900. She arrived as an immigrant from Ireland in 1874 and was living with two other women who also immigrated in the same year. One of these women is listed as a housekeeper and the other is listed as a dressmaker. Her birthplace is England as is her mother’s birthplace; her father came from Ireland. She is listed as a modiste, meaning she was a fashionable dressmaker or milliner. She opened her downtown shop soon after immigrating at age 25. Francis McClelland, listed her business as Miss F. McClelland Robes labeled the garments she created and there are several pieces in the Collections of the Grand Rapids Public Museum. She is buried in Oakhill Cemetery in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
