Digital photograph of printed linen dress.
Lua Carey Cooper wore this dress in Xenia, Ohio when she was about four or five years old, just after the Civil War. Her father, Hugh Carey, worked as a real estate agent and notary public on bustling Detroit Street, where Lua and her family could have shopped for millinery and dress goods. As a young woman, she helped organize her local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1894, and thereafter served as secretary.
“I Like Ike” Skirt, ca. 1952
Juli Lynne Charlot, California
Digital photograph of dress made of cotton with felt applique.
Clevelander Michaeline Hicks Maschke wore this skirt during Eisenhower’s campaign in 1952. Her father-in-law, Maurice Maschke, was the leader of the Cuyahoga County Republican Party until 1933 and had served as the Customs Inspector under President Taft. Singer and actress fashion designer Juli Lynne Charlot began designing this and other circle skirts after she began making her own clothes to save money.
Digital photograph of dress on screen-printed paper.
After the Scott Paper Company created the first paper dress as part of a promotional campaign, other designers began to experiment with disposable fashion. The two-dimensional form served as the perfect surface for printing images like this one. The temporary nature of the garment makes perfect sense for clothing that would only be worn briefly. George Romney served as the governor of Michigan before unsuccessfully running for President in 1968.