52 Ancestors - BEGINNINGS: Baby Dress

Back in March of 2020, “Covid-19” was a new word in our vocabulary. Masks were not even mandated yet. An email from one “Ms Green” alerted me to a treasure in the attic of my grandparents’ home. She is the current owner of the house in the Cradock community of Portsmouth, Virginia, built by my grandfather in 1950. While installing new insulation in the attic, Ms Green discovered boxes and boxes of stuff that had belonged to my parents and grandparents.

My sister and I were quick to retrieve all that we could. I grabbed up letters, receipts, college notebooks, whatever was made of paper. My sister grabbed the baby clothes – some shoes, some diaper shirts (a sweet forerunner of the onesie), and DRESSES.

Here are two of the dresses as they looked after being in the attic for nearly 70 years:

 

Here is how one dress looked this past Christmas:

My dress looking like new!
Framed for posterity!

You might think this is a trick, a scam, maybe a photo of a different dress. But you don’t know my sister. Mary Jollette never met a stain she couldn’t remove. She and Fels Naptha are a mighty force. (Don’t tell, but she’s also been known to throw a little bathroom cleaner onto stubborn stains threatening otherwise lovely tablecloths.)

People of my generation are probably quite familiar with the lovely Feltman Brothers line of infant clothing. Delicate lace, pintucks, smocking and embroidery adorn day gowns, dresses, caps, rompers and christening sets made of cotton batiste in white, occasionally pink or blue. Our dresses were not by Feltman but look very much like them.

Pintucks and embroidery 
on the collar and bodice

Sweet embroidery along the hem

 

Ours were made in the Philippines by the Alfred Léon company. Etsy and eBay have plenty for sale ranging in price from $5 to $55.

Thank-you, Sista!

Amy Johnson Crow continues to challenge genealogy bloggers and non-bloggers alike to think about our ancestors and share a story or photo about them. The challenge is “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.”

Wendy

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