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By Pamela Ashworth Puryear

Pamela Ashworth Puryear is a native of Navasota and hails from a long line of Brazos Bottom farmers andexpert seamstresses! She worked on an advanced degree at Texas A & M, and taught English and history inhigh school for some years.

She is now interested in early horticulture, native plants, cottage gardens and collects old garden roses. Inself defense, Pam took up Victorian architecture when she moved into her great grandparents' 1871 house.

Her only previous published work was assisting Nath Winfield with Sandbars and Sternwheelers: AHistory of Steam Navigation on the Brazos, published in 1976 (at A&M). (The photo above was intended for the

dust jacket of that book.)

She is now researching a book on old rose crafts. Pam founded the Navasota Nostalgia Homes Tour in 1975with other homeowners. She often speaks to garden clubs and patriotic organizations. Pam also began theHouston area Brazos Symposium on old Roses, with Dr. W. C. Welch of College Station. When asked what shelimll'/ tried yet, Pam is wont to reply, "Making a living."

-_~ -::: - . -""2-e are Holidy wears her famous "old Red" in front of the W. ). Terrell home in Navasota. (See pi ~

Being a Brief Overview of Womm'5 Victorian Clothing in Texes,

1837 - 1900

With Notes on Recreation of the Styles

By

Pamela A5fiworth Puryear

COPYRIGHT, 1987by

PAMELA A5-HWORTH PURYEAR

Printed by

HERRMANN PRINT SHm'&RENHAM, TEXAS

fIutl}or's Preface

:-=-:0 e interested in historical clothing in the early 1970S when asked to speak at various events.y mother is an expert seamstress. Also luckily, I come from a family of collectors - or pack

-~_ ""Ie moved into my great-grandparents' home in 1975, and immediately recognized that our--:: 'one us proud. They had saved great-granny's wedding dress (1873) and other clothes, and one_ ::: - packed from college - in 1912!

- -: :::-:unate in my cousin, Ernest Lewis "Buzz" Youens, a Houston architect, who upon recognizing: .~"'"me the contents of twenty-two trunks. These were the clothes saved by his mother, belong-

=~2"ems and great-grandparents, and almost all in good condition. In fact, one pair of fancy hose- ::::-anr ancestor from Connecticut; embroidered with "clocks" all up them. I wondered why

_ _ =-= cy if this wouldn't show, and then realized that in 1803, men were still wearing knee:_: .sed Buzz that I would be a good steward, so I carefully photographed, drew, packed,

.~c=~:: ::::~ thed, inventoried, and so on. But the little handling I did showed that constant use would------ :':::::'_":"''''Y-oldcloth. So I thought of this book as a means of sharing what I had without ruining

-; :::: :::::en is one means of showing what I consider the most important part of history - the- := ::-e.."'Ydaypeople.

::__ :::::.:what small town Texas women wore in the Victorian Period, 1837 to 1904, in the hopes=:::- =~- of the virtues (and the vices) of our forebearers will enrich our modern lives.

Pamela Ashworth Puryear

vii.