The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-04-05
TIE "sLooMeeD COSTUME
Mrs. Bioomer Declares Tha; She j. non
the Inventor Of tits History.


II have tried often 70 correct that i'm
preston. - said Mrs. y. C. BloOmer re-
Gently TO a reporter II did not invent
the Boomer costume, nor was tie hrai
one 10 wear II. am quite willing mat
the correction should be made, ior DO
10, wish TO be remembered only as the
WOMAN who Invented lew style oi
.Icss
Il did not even name Il. Mrs. Eliza
beth Miller. q daughter OF Uerrtt smith,
WAS the first lady who wore il. size came
dressed ~ one Of those costumes from
peterbOrO. y y, u seneca talls, where
,vts living. and where Mr. Elizabeth
Cady stanton lived Where Mr.. Miller
cot the idea DO not know, but she Il en-
titled . what credit there is for putting
tie dress into circulation, as 1t were, and
j. should be named for he's If for anybody
las hardly fir to Mrs. Miller 70 take the
credit from her 4 few days after Mr.
Mller's appearance in short SKIRT and
trousers. Mrs. stanton hal similar COS
tune made and Size wore il. Then
adopted the style. Mrs Stanton did rot
wear hers great while-pOssi1ly not
more than two years; but wore mine DOS
long a. the PUBLIC talked about u and NE
did not name the dress The press o4d
that. wore the costume fOr tx yeats
for two years in Council Blulfs-and. %
had not retired 10 private lie might bc
wearing il vet. Il Is 4 very comfortable
and sensible dress.
Some time possibly month. before
Mrs Miller made her appearance %
Seneca Falls IN the costume, 70 writer
whose identity never did discover, adyo-
Gated in the columns Of one Of the papers
Of Seneca Fails a reform ia woman
dress. was editing paper there 40 that
time and took up the suggestion IL hip
pant way, and treated the subject rather
painfully and facetiously. Tie unknown
writer Of the other paper answered me
and l answered again. So when Mis-.
Miller came in tie short skirt am trousers,
and after Mrs. Stanton and myself had
adopted the garJ. the papers Of tie coun-
try round about tried 10 make fun Of us,
and called Us BlOOmerites' and Bloom
ers.' and so Oh. Hence tue name, sup
pose. Lucy stone wore the dress for
while, but gave it up because She thought
il attracted attention away from the SUBJ
jects-tcmperdnce and woman : Tght5-
upon which she was lecturiug. l wore
nv co-tume and lectured ia IL in all my
tour q the cities Of tie north and west,
and was the first 10 make such lectur-
ine tour in those cities was the inst
woman who wore the costume IN public
la Chicago
GOT course, wherever | went the dress
attracted a great deal Of attention 1t
was q curiosity, and a great many people
came 70 the lectures as much 10 see i as
70 hear what woman had % say.
Women lecturers were quite u curiosity,
too. in those days. used to notice That
after had finished my talk, whether on
womens rights or on temperance, a great
many people women especially, would
remain aud come upon the platform. os-
tensibly 10 see me, but really 10 inspect
the dress
Mrs. Bloomer showed the reporter a cut
representing herself in her younger days,
attired in one Of her noted costumes \
short skirt reaching 10 the knees, baggy,
very baggy trousers gathered and frLled
at the ankle; u straight brimmed sailor
hat, set well back upon the head, made
up the attire from masculine point 81
view. Female observation might have
disclosed that the skirt and waist were Of
one piece and that the sleeves Of the waist
were full and slashed, and gathered and
fril.ed at the wrists. Close scrutiny and
reversal Of the picture might possibly have
led to the discovery that a hustle was not
part OF the attire. This point, however
can be left 10 those ladies who have been
accustomed 10 calisthenic exercises and
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