Publication Date

Winter 2024

Abstract

Many clothing artifacts we find in museums or archives have been saved because of how special and precious they were. It is rare that there are everyday clothes that have survived generations. This final project examines three articles of clothing from the prominent African American Aray family of Ypsilanti held at the Ypsilanti Historical Society: a pair of gloves, a shirtwaist, and a skirt. Through material culture analysis, they reveal common everyday clothing trends with personalized touches. The research identified which Aray women wore these items, the mid to late 1800s clothing trends, how common these clothing items were, and how they relate to clothing of today. The fashions are typical of their era, showing the ingenuity of low to middle class families while still adhering to societal expectations for fashion. The Aray family appears to have adhered to the same fashion standards of their white neighbors with efforts to present themselves in a similar way to the rest of the community.

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