Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-04-24
THE "BLooMeR" COSTUME.
Sirs. Bloc ner Declares that She Is Not
the inventor of it--its History.

Sirs. Bloc ner Declares that She Il Not
the Inventor of it--its History.
II have tried often 70 correct that i'm
pression,' said Mrs. D. C. Bloomer re-
Gently to a reporter Il did not invent
the 'Bloomer' costume, nor was the first
one to wear il. ain quite willing TINT
the correction should be made, for | do
not wish 10 be remembered only as the
woman who Invented new style Of
dress.
Il did not even name It. Mrs. Eliza
beth Miller, a daughter OF Gerritt Smith,
was the first lady who wore il. Sine came
dressed In one of those costumes from
Peterboro, n. Y, to Senes, Falls, where
l WAS living, and where Mrs. Elizabeth
Cady Stanton Bted. Where MIS-. Miller
got the idea do not know, but she is en-
titled to what credit there is for putting
the dress into circulation, as IL were, and
1t should be named for fer If for anybody.
It's hardly fair to Mrs. Miller to take the
credit from her A few days after Mrs.
MiIler's appearance in short skirt and
trousers. Mrs. Stanton sd n similar cos
tune made, and she wore IL. Then |
adopted the style Mrs Stanton did not
wear hers great while-possibly not
more than two years; bat wore mine as
long as the public talked about it and me.
I did not name the dress. The press did
that. Iwore the costume for six years
for two years in Council Bluffs-snd, II
had not retired to private life might be
wearing it yet. It is very comfortable
and sensible dress.
Some time, possibly month, before
Mrs. Miller made her appearance in
Seneca Falls In the costume, a writer,
whose identity never did discover, advo-
Gated in the columns of one of the papers
of Seneca Falls n reform in woman's
dress. / was editing paper there at that
time and took up the suggestion in flip
pant way, and treated the subject rather
playfully and facetiously. The unknown
writer OF the other paper answered me,
| and l answered again. So when Mrs.
Miller came in the short skirt and trousers,
and after Mrs. Stanton and myself had
adopted the garb, the papers Of the coun-
| try round about tried to make fun Of us,
and called us .Bloomerites' and Bloom
ers.' and so on. Hence the name, sup
pose Lucy Stone wore the dress for n
while, but gave it up because she thought
| il attracted attention away from the sub
| jects-temperanc and woman's rights
nv costume and Iectured in it in all my
tour of the cities Of the north and west,
and was the first to make such q lectur-
ing tour in those cities. was the first
woman who wore the costume in public
In Chicago.
..Of course, wherever l went the dress
attracted n great deal OF attention. 1t
was curiosity. and great many people
came to the lectures as much To see it as
| to hear what woman had to say.
Women lecturers were quite u curiosity,
too, in those days. used to notice that
after had finished my talk, whether on
women's rights or on temperance, great
many people, women especially, would
remain and come upon the platform, os-
tensibly to see me, but really to inspect
the dress"
Mrs. Bloomer showed the reporter cut
representing herself in her younger days,
attired in one Of her noted costumes. A
! short skirt reaching to the knees, baggy,
very baggy trousers gathered and frilled
1t the ankle; straight brimmed sailor
hat, set well back upon the head, made
up the attire from u masculine point OF
view. Female observation might have
disclosed that the skirt and waist were OF
one piece, and that the sleeves OF the wais,
were full and slashed, and gathered and
| frilled at the wrists. Close scrutiny and q
reversal of the picture might possibly have
led to the discovery that hustle WAS not
part OF the attire. This point, however
can he left to those ladies' who have beer
accustomed to cilisthenic exercises and
4 surf hathinD Omaha Herald.