Gilded Age Fashion

Numbering over 2,000 objects, including gowns, children’s clothing, sporting attire, and fashion accessories, this collection illuminates the story of the Frick family and their sophisticated lifestyle in late 19th-and early 20th-century Pittsburgh.

A number of dresses in the collection-- including this maroon and ivory silk dinner or reception dress, embellished with lace, ruching and a large ruffled train-- date to the early 1880s. They were probably worn by Adelaide Frick during the whirl of social occasions that followed her engagement and marriage to Henry Clay Frick.

Another surviving example from the early 1880s, this two-piece dinner or evening dress by London dressmaker Lewis and Allenby features intricate and fanciful beading and embroidery.

This velvet hat trimmed with feathers, lace, and satin ribbon dates to 1887 and was purchased for Martha Frick. It was made by the Parisian firm of Mme. Beer, “Habillements Complets pour Enfants et Fillettes/ 35 Rue Boissy d’Anglas 35” (Complete Outfitting for Children and Little Girls).

This wool, velvet and satin coat dating to the 1890s, belonged to one of the Fricks' two daughters, Martha or Helen. The coat bears no label, but we know that the Fricks bought clothing for their children in Pittsburgh and New York. There are a number of similar dresses and coats, many also with detachable collars, in the collection. The empire (high) waist was common in clothing for little girls in this period.

A bag the size of this Japanese pouch was perfect for tucking away the Tiffany & Co. scent bottle also included in this exhibition. Designed to be tobacco pouches, bags like this became stylish purses for Gilded Age women, following the fashion for Asian furnishings and accessories popularized by the display of Japanese objects at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.

Kimonos were popular as robes or loungewear, in contrast to tightly-laced, restrictive clothing. This gold silk example belonged to Adelaide Frick and probably dates to the early 1900s.

Just as people were interested in buying Asian-influenced furnishings for their homes, they were also purchasing Asian style clothing. The iris motif appears in several items in the collection.

According to notes from Helen Clay Frick, her mother Adelaide Frick wore this ensemble from French designer Gustave Beer to a reception given at the White House by President Theodore Roosevelt.

Dating to 1905, its “S-curve” or "monobosom" silhouette was the height of fashion at the time. The combination of luxurious gold and copper trimmings with rich ivory velvet were hallmarks of the designer.

This portrait shows Helen Clay Frick, founder of The Frick Pittsburgh, at about 16. The artist had become friends with the Fricks when they visited France in the 1890s and commissioned several portraits from him.

Chartran’s bright colors and fluid brushwork are well suited to his teen subject, yet in this idealized image of Gilded Age femininity-- frilly lace dress, rose-studded hat, and parasol adorned in pink ribbon-- we see no hint of the serious young woman Helen was known to be.

Adelaide Frick wore this gown to her daughter Helen's 1908 debut party. Traditionally, the debutante dressed in white, and the mother’s dress was expected to be both dignified and beautiful, appropriately reflecting her role in society.

This gown is one of eight evening dresses by Lichtenstein Cie Modes that remain in the collection at The Frick Pittsburgh.

Although the design house is not well known today, it was clearly a favorite of Adelaide and Helen.

Adelaide wore one of their designs to Helen's debut (it can be seen in this exhibition), and receipts from the family archives show both women were ordering dresses between the years 1899 and 1911.