Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-02-18
Eme Ellsler.
THE eLooMER COSTUME.

The Lady Whose Namo It Bears Denies
That She Introduced It.
Tho following letter from Mrs. Amelia
Bloomer, whose name became world
famous years ago in connection with
what was known as the "Bloomer cos
tune" is printed in the Ladies' Home
journal, and has a keen degree of in
terest in that the Mrs. Bloomer denies
the credit of introducing the costume in
America. This letter, recently written,
Is now produced in print for the first
time:
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Ia. - Ny Dear SIR:
I hardly know how to write about tho
costume" associated with my name.
But was not its inventor or originator,
as is so generally believed.
In March, 1851, Elizabeth Smith Mil
Ter, daughter Of Hon. Gerritt Smith, of
Peterboro, N. Y, visited her cousin,
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, at Seneca Falls,
N. Y, which was then my home, and
where was publishing the Lily, and
where Mrs. Stanton also resided. Mrs.
Miller came to US in q short skirt and
full Turkish trousers, a style of dress
she had been wearing some two months.
The matter of woman's dress having
been just previously discussed in the
Lily, Mrs. Miller's appearance led Mrs.
Stanton to at once adopt the style, and
very soon followed, Mrs. Stanton intro
ducing it to the Seneca Falls public two
or three days in advance OF me. In the
next number of my paper following my
adoption of the dress april, 1857
wrote an article announcing to my read
ers that had donned the style to which
their attention had been called in previ-
Gus numbers.
The New York Tribune noticed my
article, and made it known to its thou
sands Of readers that l had donned q
short skirt and trousers, and from this
1t went from paper to paper throughout
this country and countries abroad. I
found myself noticed and pictured in
many papers at home and abroad. I was
praised and censured, glorifed and ridi-
culed, until stood in amazement at the
Juror I had wrought by my pen while
sitting quietly in my little Office at
home attending to my duties.
Suffice it that it was the press at
large that got up all the excitement and
that named the dress. never called it
the 'Bloomer Costume" With me it
was always the short dress and trousers.
few inches below the knees and the
substitution of trousers made Of the
same material as the dress. In other
respects, the dress was the same as
worn by all women. At the outset the
trousers were full and baggy, but we
improved upon them by making them
narrower and gathered at the ankle,
and finally by making entirely plain
and straight, falling to the shoe like
the trousers of men.
To some extent, I think the style was
adopted abroad, but not largely, or, for
that matter, at home. There were in
dividuals here and there who gladly
threw off the burden of heavy skirts
and adopted the short ones, but soon
both press and people turned upon it
their ridicule and censure, and women
had not the strength of principle to
withstand the criticism, and SO returned
to their dragging skirts. For myself, I
wore the short dress and no other, at
home and everywhere, for six or
seven years, long after Mrs. STAN
ton, Lucy Stone and others had aban-
doned it. Lucy Stone wore the dress
several years, travelled and lectured in
it. and was married in it, think. None
of us ever lectured on the dress ques-
ton, or in any way introduced it into
our lectures. We only wore it because
we found it comfortable, convenient,
safe and tidy-with no thought of intro
ducing fashion, but with the wish that
every woman would throw off the bur-
den of clothes that was dragging her
life out.
This dress question has been of second
airy Importance with me, and it is not
for that wish to be remembered. As
you will see from what I have written
above, wrong impression prevails in
regard to my part in that matter. I
was not its originator. adopted the
style and made it known to the public.
The press did the rest.
am not lecturing at all these last
few years. A throat difficulty and my
seventy years have compelled me to re-
tire from active participation in works
for the advancement of woman.