The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-21
SOME FIRST PETTICOATS.
MRS. KITE GoVLDsBEE, OF GEOR-
GA, COLLECTS BABY SKIRTS.

hudc One Worn by the Father ct
His Country-Has 100 Flannel Pet
ticOatS Belonging to Celebrated
Women Since the RevOIutiOn--Sel-
ling Fac-Simile of Mrs. CIcVcIand'S
Bridal Pctticoat.
One of the queerest collectors in the
world is Mrs Fittie Gouldsboe, of Lin
coin county Georgia. who has a fancy for
! collecting flannel petucoats. All her long
| life, and she is now 50 years Old
! Mrs. Gouldsbee has begged, borrowed or
stole" cast-off flannel petticoats. until her
collection numbers over one hundred of
these articles of wearing apparel
The skirts by no means belong to OBJ
| scure persons. That would defeat the
object of the collector. They must have
| clinging associations of the great persons
who have worn them. One of the skirts,
! plain yellow and blue plaid was worn
by Nancy Hart, Georgas great woman
patriot of the Revolution. 1t is made of
three straight breadths of coarse woollen
| cloth, dyed with copperas to q dingy yell
| low
| Another was worn by the baby that at
| forwards became Judge Dooley, another
welll-known character. The petticoats of
| persons in the ordinary walks of life are
| despised by Mrs. Gouldsbee unless they
are bridal petticoats; then they are treas
ured. But petticoats of actresses, of
woman doctors, writers, lecturers and
very famous people of any description are
eagerly sought and wanted. Every mans
| petticoat is desired because of the epoch
| It marks in babyland. The style of cut
| ting out baby's undergarment varies
| each decade. The collection of baby pet
| ucoats is, therefore, of historic interest
| in the annals of the nursery.
I 80 ardent a collector as this would never
| permit her treasures to Tie around loose. !"
| Much less would she hang them up in a
clothes press to become moth eaten and
| out of shape Each skirt is tenderly laid
| away in a place of it's own; and after be
| ing tenderly gazed upon at short inter-
| walls. is folded smoothly and laid back in
| place.
The collector keeps them in chests of
oak, hickory and cedar made expressly
| for them The chests are the length of a
flannel annel petticoat, and only, a foot deep, to
| laid between each, as a lady puts away
| her velvet waists.
The petticoats, as they lie in the chests.
| are thickly sprnkled with the roots of the
| china tree and of sassafras to keep away
| the moths Several times each season they
| are taken from the chests and shaken and
| laid in the sun for several hours This
| scares away the most persistent woollen
| worm, and IL is a matter of remarka BILE
note that although the skirts are some of
| them a hundred years old there is not a
| moth hole or nibble in any of them. Some
! are preserved as though just brought from
| the shop.
A little petticoat that belonged to the
| Washington family, and was said to have
| been worn by baby George on his first
birthday is of white flannel with "pep-
per-and-salt" effect 1t IS grayish white
Around the hem there is coarse feather
stitching in red yarn. Twisted yarn
| makes the tie for the neck and waist
One that was worn by Martha Washing
| ton. presumably when she went to the
| white house to be First Lady" is a love-
| ~ yellow, colored with golden rod, in the
| fashion of those days. There is a seal
| Top upon il, and a vine running round it
| that IS done with blue yarn, colored from
indigo. This is a very handsome petit
! coat.
The fame of Mrs. GouIdsbee's collection
! has spread and become infectious. There
| Is a scramble among women to get the
skirts of famous personages. A southern
! woman recently bought a very pretty lit
tie petticoat of pale blue flannel. rather
| course but soft that was sold as the
! first petticoat of Winnie Davis 1t was
| afterwards cut off and worn as a child's
skirt. Then the yoke was sewn on again
| to make it as it was originally
Another petticoat in this same collec-
| ton is Mrs. CleVeland's bridal petticoat
| 1t is not the original petticoat as this is
still in the possession of the lady of the
| white house, but il is an exact COPY made
! by the seamstress who had charge of the
| bridal rousseau. 1t is only an under pet
ticoat, but of fine white flannel almost
the texture of linen. 1t is sheer as web.
It is made in many cores, each separated
| by narrow ribbon. A silk vine runs up
each breadth. Around the foot is a
heavy fall of lace. over this there was a
| silk petticoat worn.
This petticoat was guaranteed to be the
| only copy made of the original one and
| the purchaser bought it under that con-
sheraton. If a second one is found she
Will begin a suit for selling under false
pretenses." Such is the passion which
now possess the collectors of flannel
In Mrs. Gouldsbee's collection there are
! petticoats dyed with every species of home
coloring. The older skirts are all home
made. Most of them are plain around
| the edge, but some are scalloped and
| edged with coarse yarn Others are
finished in different fancy stitches of the
most primitive sort. The Kate Green
now so popular in undergarments for
young and old, are conspicuous by their
| absence. The twist Kensngton stitch.
| known TO every woman. is not seen
| The colorS of these skirts are varied
though of home manufacture. Some are
dyed with copperas, some with red oak,
| some with cedar and Sassafras and some
| with sparkle berry. The handsomest have
| the hue of indigo. The weave is not AL
ways close and fine. some showing a care
| less houseWifery and poor handiwork One
that came from the Priscilla Alden fami-
| ly is covered with coarse knots. showing
that the weaver was either very careless
| or very thrifty, either neglectng her loom
| to talk or else thrifty tying small pieces
together TO make one more yard of cloth.
They are, as a collection, the most in
teresting relies of the past Perhaps in
another hundred years. if the descendants
| of Mrs. Gouldsbee and of her followers
keep them in good state Of preservation.
| they VIII be curiosities of dress as the
| buckled shoes, the knee breeches and the
| wig; for in the improved dress" econom-
les there Is no place for the flannel petit
| coat. Neither the bloomer girl with her
| legs, nor the tailor-made with her slender
| figure, nor yet the baby in the nursery
with his silken lingerie needs the flannel
petticoat OF sacred memory.
Harry Germaine
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