BLACK HISTORY SPOTLIGHT
Elizabeth Keckly
Elizabeth Keckly supported herself and her family through her dressmaking and design skills. She bought her freedom moved to Washington D.C. She was famous for the inaugural gown she designed for Mary Todd Lincoln, wife to then president Abraham Lincoln. This dress can be viewed today at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. The wives of Robert E. Lee, Stephen Douglas, and Jefferson Davis were also clients of Elizabeth Keckly. A respected independent business woman, she worked towards the abolition of slavery through her well-connected white clients.
Francis Criss
Born in Virginia Francis, Criss was known in Richmond as a talented seamstress. In 1915, she moved to New York City, where she designed and made garments for Broadway stars as well as actress Gloria Swanson. A flamboyant and free spirited personality, her home in New York was a center for influential African-Americans.
Ann Lowe
Ann Lowe was born in Alabama in 1899 and moved to New York at the age of 16. She attended design school and opened a shop on Madison Avenue. Her clients included members of the Vanderbilt, Roosevelt, and Rockefeller families. She made more than 1,000 dresses per year for society clients and sold her designs in Henri Bendel, Neiman Marcus and I. Magnin. In 1953, Ann Lowe designed the dresses for the entire bridal party, the mother of the bride and the bridal dress for the wedding of Jacqueline Bouvier to John F. Kennedy.
Source: eHow.com
Interesting Facts
Sewing Supplies
The history of fashion industry is full of important contributions from creative, talented black female clothing designers. They included: Mildred Blount, an African-American milliner who made hats for Hollywood films, Gone With The Wind and the Easter parade; and Zelda Wynn, who designed for Josephine Baker, Gladys Knight, and even designed the first Playboy bunny costume. Moreover, Elizabeth Keckly and Lillian Rogers Parks went on to write successful memoirs detailing their stories as influential female clothing designers.
Mary Todd Lincoln Inaugural Gown by Elizabeth Keckly
Elizabeth Keckly supported herself and her family through her dressmaking and design skills. She bought her freedom moved to Washington D.C. She was famous for the inaugural gown she designed for Mary Todd Lincoln, wife to then president Abraham Lincoln. This dress can be viewed today at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. The wives of Robert E. Lee, Stephen Douglas, and Jefferson Davis were also clients of Elizabeth Keckly. A respected independent business woman, she worked towards the abolition of slavery through her well-connected white clients.
Francis Criss
Born in Virginia Francis, Criss was known in Richmond as a talented seamstress. In 1915, she moved to New York City, where she designed and made garments for Broadway stars as well as actress Gloria Swanson. A flamboyant and free spirited personality, her home in New York was a center for influential African-Americans.
Ann Lowe
Jacqueline Kennedy Wedding Dress by Ann Lowe
Ann Lowe was born in Alabama in 1899 and moved to New York at the age of 16. She attended design school and opened a shop on Madison Avenue. Her clients included members of the Vanderbilt, Roosevelt, and Rockefeller families. She made more than 1,000 dresses per year for society clients and sold her designs in Henri Bendel, Neiman Marcus and I. Magnin. In 1953, Ann Lowe designed the dresses for the entire bridal party, the mother of the bride and the bridal dress for the wedding of Jacqueline Bouvier to John F. Kennedy.
Interesting Facts
Sewing Supplies
The history of fashion industry is full of important contributions from creative, talented black female clothing designers. They included: Mildred Blount, an African-American milliner who made hats for Hollywood films, Gone With The Wind and the Easter parade; and Zelda Wynn, who designed for Josephine Baker, Gladys Knight, and even designed the first Playboy bunny costume. Moreover, Elizabeth Keckly and Lillian Rogers Parks went on to write successful memoirs detailing their stories as influential female clothing designers.fd
Elizabeth Keckly
Francis Criss
Anne Lowe