Emily Reynolds Historic Costume Collection

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Emily Reynolds Historic Costume Collection The Emily Reynolds Historic Costume Collection (ERHCC) is a repository of textile material culture

Susan Curtis, Collection Manager
FLC 407
P: 701-231-7362
E: [email protected]

Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day! Whether you love them or think they are a nuisance, these small rodents are pretty a...
21/01/2025

Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day! Whether you love them or think they are a nuisance, these small rodents are pretty amazing creatures. Did you know that a squirrel can leap across a space ten times the length of their bodies? And who could forget Rocket J. “Rocky” Squirrel, the best friend of Bullwinkle the Moose in the early 1960s cartoon, Rocky and Bullwinkle?

This elegant squirrel, embroidered in silk and gold threads on a silk background, is enjoying a snack of grapes. It is a prominent motif on a table cover that was purchased in Japan by Mary Barber Robinson between 1885-1895. So let's celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day today and be kind to our squirrel neighbors!

Welcome to the start of a new semester! We hope that you have a warm coat as you walk across campus, with temperatures f...
14/01/2025

Welcome to the start of a new semester! We hope that you have a warm coat as you walk across campus, with temperatures falling well below zero! Maybe one like these Frostline coats made by Nancy and Tom Novak in 1973. The Frostline company, based in Colorado, had a mission to make quality down coats affordable by selling them as kits. Nancy and her future husband, Tom, got to know each other when Tom asked Nancy for help in assembling his. Both were NDSU students at the time and we see their Bison Pride in the color choices for their coats. To all our students, keep warm and have a great semester!

We were thrilled to welcome five generations of Louise Greenwood’s family to visit her crazy quilt today on World Embroi...
30/07/2024

We were thrilled to welcome five generations of Louise Greenwood’s family to visit her crazy quilt today on World Embroidery Day! Louise’s quilt is a stunning celebration of hand-stitching. She embroidered the seams of her silk and velvet pieces with multi-colored embroidery threads, along with the center of many of the blocks. She also incorporated pieces of floral Ojibwe beadwork. We hope that you take time today to create with needle and thread!

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Samplers have a long history in American culture. Their uses range from a method to teach young girls their letters and ...
14/05/2024

Samplers have a long history in American culture. Their uses range from a method to teach young girls their letters and sewing skills, as a means to document motif patterns, and as 20th-century decorative artworks. Examples of all these are included in the exhibition, “The Needle’s Art: Embroidered Treasures from the Emily Reynolds Historic Costume Collection” now open at the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County.

In conjunction with the exhibition, please join us as Kathy Andrews, embroidery teacher and researcher, presents a talk about antique samplers and shares pieces from her personal collection. This fascinating event is free and open to the public. It will be held on Sunday, May 19th at 1:00 pm at the Hjemkomst Center, 202 1st Avenue North in Moorhead, Minnesota.

These detail images are from a nineteenth-century sewing and embroidery sampler included in the exhibition. (Emily Reynolds Historic Costume Collection, 2012.1.12)

New exhibit opens! We are pleased to partner with the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County to present the exhi...
10/04/2024

New exhibit opens! We are pleased to partner with the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County to present the exhibit, “The Needle’s Art: Embroidered Treasures from the Emily Reynolds Historic Costume Collection” at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead, Minnesota. This exhibit celebrates the art of embroidery—a traditionally feminine art form that transcends geography, cultures, and time to connect women across the world and across history. The exhibit runs until June 23, 2024.

This lined, black cotton woman’s jacket, made in Jordan, is entirely covered in a cross stitch design in multi-colored cotton thread. Gift of Mary Dahl (2018.5.1)

The last day of December 2023 is Waltz Day!    --123123--We are certain that there was no more beautiful woman to waltz ...
31/12/2023

The last day of December 2023 is Waltz Day! --123123--

We are certain that there was no more beautiful woman to waltz with than Norma Zimmer when she wore this circa 1970s silk chiffon and beaded evening gown. Norma performed on The Lawrence Welk Show as the “Champagne Lady” from 1960 to 1982. The Champagne Lady was the show’s lead singer. Norma sang solos, duets with Jimmy Roberts, and waltzed with Lawrence Welk. In addition to her work on The Lawrence Welk Show, Norma also performed with her quartet, the Girlfriends, who sang with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin. Norma passed away in 2011 at the age of 87.

Norma’s gown is part of North Dakota State University Archives’ Lawrence Welk Collection. She is pictured here presenting the gown to the Archives in 1994. Ann Braaten, curator of the ERHCC, is on the left.

The 1960s embraced fun, informal, fast-changing trends. This appetite for novelty fueled one of the decade’s most frivol...
11/10/2023

The 1960s embraced fun, informal, fast-changing trends. This appetite for novelty fueled one of the decade’s most frivolous fads: the paper dress. The creation of these shift-style dresses is attributed to the Scott Paper company in 1966 as a teaser for their new line of disposable paper tableware. For $1.25 you could purchase the dress and receive a coupon for matching tableware. These dresses were made to be worn once or twice, then thrown away. Made from cellulose fibers mixed with rayon, they could be altered with a pair of scissors or mended with a piece of scotch tape. They were an immediate hit and Scott Paper was inundated with over half a million dress orders in the first year.

Other companies soon followed the trend, including the Campbell Soup Company with their 1967 “Souper Dress.” Inspired by Andy Warhol’s 1962 painting, this dress was printed with rows of the iconic soup cans and available for the cost of two soup can labels and $1.00.

Paper dresses were a short-lived fashion fad. By the early 1970s, disposable paper dresses were replaced by the back-to-nature, hippie fashion movement and environmental concerns about pollution and waste.

Home Economics classes have been taught at NDSU since the university opened in 1891. The first instructor was Clara Shep...
06/10/2023

Home Economics classes have been taught at NDSU since the university opened in 1891. The first instructor was Clara Shepperd Hayes, who taught cooking classes in her home. After Hayes’ death in 1893, the university hired the first full-time domestic economy professor, Marie B. Senn. Over the years, home economics grew from a program to a college and the classes and college evolved to meet the needs of its students and the profession.

This Qiana nylon scarf is from a 1970s fundraiser, “Scarves for Scholarships.” The text around the border of the scarf, titled “Flames of Home Economics,” lists the areas that were part of the college. These included Art, Family Economics, Home Management, Textiles, Clothing, Child Development, Foods, Nutrition, Housing, Furnishings, Equipment, and Family Relations. This scarf was purchased by Katherine Kilbourne Burgum, dean of the college, and donated by her daughter, Barbara Burgum.

Frankie Welch designed the scarf. After a 20-year career as a home economics teacher, Welch shifted into a career as a fashion consultant, then she became an accessories and dress designer. She was well-known for the scarves she designed for prominent political figures, which she sold in her Alexandria, Virginia, boutique.

Were you a fan of the 1980s prime time soap opera, Dynasty?  The series, centered on a wealthy Denver family, ran from 1...
07/09/2023

Were you a fan of the 1980s prime time soap opera, Dynasty? The series, centered on a wealthy Denver family, ran from 1981-1989, reaching the number one spot in the U.S. ratings in 1985. Nolan Miller, the show’s costume designer, collaborated with McCall’s pattern company in 1984 to create a line of women’s clothing inspired by the show. Even if your husband wasn’t a rich oil magnate, you could dress like one! Two of the show’s lead actors, Linda Evans and Joan Collins, modeled the fashions for the pattern envelope. After the end of the show, Nolan Miller began manufacturing his own line of clothing and also designed costume jewelry for QVC.

Welcome back to campus! As you walk across the campus, have you ever wondered what this building is?  It is the Alba Bal...
21/08/2023

Welcome back to campus! As you walk across the campus, have you ever wondered what this building is? It is the Alba Bales House, built in 1923 as a practice house for Home Economics majors. Seniors lived in the house for six weeks and put into practice the home management lessons they learned in their classes.

This group of students moved into the newly-opened house in the fall of 1923. In addition to their regular classes, each student took a leadership role in the house from budgeting to planning and preparing the meals to cleaning the house and hosting guests. A home economics instructor lived in an apartment on the third floor of the house and graded the students’ efforts.

In 1954, the house was re-named the Alba Bales house, in honor of the woman who planned the house and served as the university’s first dean of the College of Home Economics. As men entered the home economics major and students brought different life skills to college, the house no longer fit its original purpose. In 1982, the last group lived in the house. Since then the house has been home to several different programs and offices.

Today we celebrate the birthday of Altina “Tina” Schinasi (1907-1999). While working as a window display designer for mu...
04/08/2023

Today we celebrate the birthday of Altina “Tina” Schinasi (1907-1999). While working as a window display designer for multiple shops on Fifth Avenue, Tina noticed that the only options for women’s eyeglass frames were round. In response, she designed a frame that was inspired by Venetian Carnival masks. Tina believed this shape was more flattering to women’s faces. She named her design Harlequin glasses. After being rejected by all the major eyeglass manufacturers, she finally met a local shop owner who loved the design. The Harlequin eyeglasses, that we now know as cat-eye glasses, were an instant hit and were the dominant eyeglass shape throughout the late 1930s and 1940s.

What are you wearing to the Barbie movie?  We think this 1963 polka dot linen romper by John Meyer of Norwich would be p...
02/08/2023

What are you wearing to the Barbie movie? We think this 1963 polka dot linen romper by John Meyer of Norwich would be perfect.

John and Arlene Meyer added collegiate-styled walking shorts for women to their family’s menswear business in 1955. The amazing popularity of these items convinced the company to add high quality, original sportswear designs for women. In 1957, John took over as president of the company and in 1960 changed the name to John Meyer of Norwich to reflect the aspirational New England country living and Ivy League college lifestyles of their customers.

Cotton sundress and cropped jacket, circa 1962. Sewn and worn by Helen Thompson, NDSU graduate.Helen shared the story of...
12/06/2023

Cotton sundress and cropped jacket, circa 1962. Sewn and worn by Helen Thompson, NDSU graduate.

Helen shared the story of this dress: “In 1962, [friend and NDSU classmate] Karen Kruse and I decided to travel in the great American Southwest. We decided camping was the way to go so we bought a tent and other camping equipment and we were off. We saw all the high points between here [Fargo, North Dakota] and Catalina Island. We traveled north to San Francisco. Then we saw all the high points between there and here. We were gone 8 weeks and had driven 8,000 miles. It was the trip of a lifetime. The sundress picture was taken on this trip.”

So what’s your summer adventure?



Happy Star Wars Day!Princess Leia first appeared in the 1977 movie Star Wars dressed in a costume very similar to our Ho...
04/05/2023

Happy Star Wars Day!

Princess Leia first appeared in the 1977 movie Star Wars dressed in a costume very similar to our House of Bianchi wedding dress. Like Leia’s robe, this simply-cut wedding dress in white jersey has a high collar, belt, and hood.

Designer Phyllis Bianchi noted that the 1970s saw the rise of less formal wedding gowns to accommodate the growing number of non-traditional weddings. This wedding dress was worn by Sally Meidinger, of Fargo, North Dakota, for her 1974 wedding.

May the Fourth be with you!

A dress to celebrate spring! This 1950s sleeveless cotton dress has a bertha collar that ends in a bow at the midriff pa...
03/05/2023

A dress to celebrate spring! This 1950s sleeveless cotton dress has a bertha collar that ends in a bow at the midriff panel and gathers at the front waist add fullness to the A-line skirt. It was worn by Eunice Nesheim in Sharon, North Dakota. Eunice and a group of her friends belonged to a “Birthday Club,” meeting in each other’s homes throughout the 1950s and 1960s to celebrate birthdays and their friendship. Eunice continued to participate in the Birthday Club even after her family moved to Mayville. In this 1960s photograph, Eunice is seated in the back row, second from the right.

Mark your calendars! Next Wednesday (April 26th) is the annual fashion show presented by the NDSU student organization, ...
21/04/2023

Mark your calendars! Next Wednesday (April 26th) is the annual fashion show presented by the NDSU student organization, the Fashion Apparel and Business Organization (FABO). The students have done a great job organizing the show, with models on the runway highlighting fashions from local businesses. In addition, the Emily Reynolds Historic Costume Collection will have a display where you can see pieces from the collection, including this circa 1957 evening gown from designer Emma Domb, who specialized in ultrafeminine, special occasion dresses.

The fashion show is free and open to the public. It starts at noon in the Memorial Union Oceti Sakowin Ballroom and the ERHCC display will be set up just outside the ballroom. We hope to see you there!

Intern pick of the day: by Jeremiah KreskyJean Guy wore this floral polyester dress by Eleanor Brenner for Brenner Coutu...
28/02/2023

Intern pick of the day: by Jeremiah Kresky

Jean Guy wore this floral polyester dress by Eleanor Brenner for Brenner Couture in the early 1970s while serving as North Dakota’s First Lady. The gold buttons and belt buckle all have a lion’s head motif. She purchased the dress at the popular Washington, DC, department store, Garfinckel’s.

Jean’s husband, William Guy, was the longest-serving governor in North Dakota, serving from 1961-1973. After her term as the first lady, Jean continued her involvement in public service, including serving as the president of the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education during the 1980s. She died on July 5th, 2013, in Fargo at the age of 90.



Wedding dress worn by Christina Playfair. Christina married William Dollar on January 17, 1906 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. ...
17/01/2023

Wedding dress worn by Christina Playfair. Christina married William Dollar on January 17, 1906 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Her wedding dress and trousseau were made by her aunts’ dressmaker in St. Paul, Minnesota, requiring Christina to make several train trips to the city for fittings.

The white silk taffeta dress is overlaid with white Princess lace. This handmade tape lace was introduced at the end of the 1800s in Belgium. The tapes are shaped into the form of flowers, stems, and leaves and appliqued onto a net ground.

While Christina lived in Coeur d’Alene until her death in 1928, two of her children, Margaret Dollar Powers and Robert Dollar, and her sister Clara de Lendrecie settled in Fargo.

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