Ice Blue Satin Wedding Gown
One of my favorite time periods is the 1930’s. That is why I picked the Ice Blue Satin Wedding Gown form The Meadow Brook Hall Costume Collection that Frances Dodge wore for her wedding in 1938. It is absolutely beautiful. “Of course royalty and those with a high social standing always dressed at the height of fashion, sparing no expense” (Way Back When, 2006). Still, I have never seen anyone wear such a color. This is an old poem that says how the color of your wedding dress will affect your future; “Married in white, you will have chosen all right. Married in grey, you will go far away. Married in black, you will wish yourself back. Married in red, you’ll wish yourself dead. Married in blue, you will always be true. Married in pearl, you’ll live in a whirl. Married in green, ashamed to be seen, Married in yellow, ashamed of the fellow. Married in brown, you’ll live out of town. Married in pink, your spirits will sink” (McIntyre, K, N/D).Before the 1900’s, women were able to have more color choices (As the Years Went By, 2006). It was more acceptable not to wear white (As the Years Went By, 2006). Brides continued to dress in a manner befitting their social status. Always in the height of fashion, with the richest, boldest materials money could buy. Those without unlimited resources did the best they could, while the poorest of brides wore their church dress on their wedding day. The amount of material a wedding dress contained was a reflection of the bride’s social standing. The more material used, the more sleeves flowed, the longer the train, the richer the bride’s family was apt to be” (As the Years Went By, 2006).
Typically, you have the white or off white wedding dress worn present day. “Today’s bride can get married in almost any style. From an ornate designer dress to a more informal beach wedding dress it’s a given she’ll look beautiful in whatever style she chooses” (Evolution of the White Wedding Dress, 2006). But, “Wedding gowns were not always white. The marriage of Queen Victoria to her cousin Albert of Saxe- Coburg in 1840 has had more influence on weddings than any other. Queen Victoria put the wheels in motion by marrying in white. Though brides continued to wed in gowns of different colors, white was now set as the color of choice for weddings and has continued ever since” (McIntyre, K, N/D).
During the depression, the popularity of the white dress did fade a bit (Evolution of the White Wedding Dress, 2006). “It was a different story during the depression when women were married in their Sunday best. During World War II, many brides felt it was inappropriate to get married in a lavish white dress, and chose church dresses or a good suit for their wedding attire. After the war, a prosperous era dawned and wedding dresses reflected this. Formal white wedding gowns became the fashion. Shades of white, such as cream, off white or ivory are all acceptable wedding dress colors” (Evolution of the White Wedding Dress, 2006).
I love how at first when looking at the garment Frances Dodge wore; it does not look like much. I thought it was a simple, classic, chic, and elegant dress with a flowing drape when viewing the photo. When I looked at the pictures marked detailed, that is when I noticed all of the wonderful embellishments. You see embroidery and the beading around the waistline and the back, along with the gothic styled buttons down the arm. To me, it looks as if it was done by hand. The description reads, “Ice blue satin wedding gown, which according to the designer, was "inspired by the simplicity of ancient Grecian art." The gown has beaded decoration at the waist in an acanthus leaf pattern and a four-and-a-half yard scalloped train. Frances Dodge, for whom the gown was made, also wore a veil of ice blue illusion bound with blue satin held in place with a tiara of illusion decorated with seed pearls. According to Aubrey Eads, president and spokesperson for Peggy Hoyt in 1938, "The procession of bride and bridesmaids was the most wonderful wedding procession, the most exquisite in design, that we (Peggy Hoyt) have ever created. (Meadow Brook Hall Historic Costume Collection. 2006)”.
The designer, Peggy Hoyt, was originally born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1893 (Digital Dress, 2006). From a young age she seemed to take interest in the creative arts making clothing for paper dolls or drawing (Digital Dress, 2006). It was when her father passed that her and her mother (Caroline Stephens) moved to New York to find a better life (Digital Dress, 2006). Only that did not happen at first (Digital Dress, 2006). They struggled financially for many years before any relief occurred (Digital Dress, 2006). Peggy Hoyt was quoted saying, “As a small child, I had all the pretty frocks that any little girl could wish. Then, when I was five, we lost everything we had, and for a long time before his death, which came a few years later, Father was ill and unable to resume his business. Mother made up her mind to get a job at once. She decided to leave Saginaw, Michigan, which had been her home for years, and come to New York. Here, she believed, she would have a better chance to get work which would eventually lead to more than a bare living. Also, she foresaw the educational advantages I would have in a great city” (Digital Dress, 2006). Then one day, “Caroline Stephens found a job as a comparison shopper for a large department store, eventually working her way up to one of the highest salaried European buyers for the store” (Digital Dress, 2006).
When Peggy graduated from her all girls school, at age 17, she “preferred to become an apprentice in a Fifth Avenue millinery shop instead of making her debut. By 1915 she established her own shop under the name Peggy Hoyt, Inc. She started the shop, which was located on upper Fifth Avenue, with $300 she had borrowed from her mother, 3 years later moving the business to 16 East Fifty Fifth Street. She soon became “one of the foremost American designers of gowns and millinery, she offered the Parisian ateliers their first serious competition. In 1920 Hoyt’s costume designs for Colonel Henry Savage’s revival of “The Merry Widow,” were a huge sensation” (Digital Dress, 2006). In 1926 she did over one million in business, and not long after she went into theatrical costume design (Digital Dress, 2006). Unfortunately, she had an untimely death (Digital Dress, 2006). Peggy Hoyt died from pneumonia on October 26, 1937(Digital Dress, 2006). She was buried in Detroit’s Elmwood Cemetery “Hoyt’s work continued after her passing with her mother and husband maintaining the establishment. Eads guarded his wife’s sketchbooks, which after his death were to become the property of the New York Public Library” (Digital Dress, 2006).
Frances Dodge grew up during the great depression (Frances Dodge, 2006). It started in 1929 when the New York stock market crashed, but lasted through the 1930’s and early 1940’s (Building the Hall, 2006). The more industrialized of a country you were, the more the crash affected the economy of that nation. From reading up on the family and the bibliography of Frances, the depression did not seem to affect her family or their estate too much. Three weeks into the depression, the housewarming party for the Meadow Brook Hall still went on as planned (Building the Hall, 2006).
The Doges built the Meadow Brook Hall mansion at a cost of $4 million. Life went seemed to go well for the Dodges (Building the Hall, 2006). Frances mother, Matilda had her hand in the beginning of the project to the end (Building the Hall, 2006). She went on two architectural tours of England to research exactly how she wanted the place to look (Building the Hall, 2006). “Her decorator, Wallace Newton, once said, "She would listen to my advice on design, but not color. She preferred stout colors. She did not like veneered furniture. She wanted solid woods and marble and set out to build a suitable monument for her children, heirs to the Dodge fortune” (Building the Hall, 2006). She had much inspiration from the 16th, 17th, and the 18th centuries (Building the Hall, 2006). Even though her inspiration came from England, most of the materials that were used were all American (Building the Hall, 2006). Many wealthy families of the time would just import such things as entire rooms of paneling and furniture (Building the Hall, 2006).
Frances Dodge did not grow up to be the typical woman as most women born into wealth are not average. History says much more about her life, “Frances was born in 1914 to John and Matilda Dodge, the couple’s first of three children. Her father died in January 1920 when she was only 5. After her mother settled her father’s estate, Frances traveled with her mother, brother Danny, and sister Anna Margaret in 1922 on an extended vacation to Nice, France, in the French Riviera. The family stayed abroad for more than a year before returning to the United States. In April 1924, Frances’ sister died at the age of 4 from complications following the measles after the family had returned from Europe. Her mother was remarried in June 1925 to Alfred Wilson, co-founder of the Detroit-based Wilson Lumber Company, and built Meadow Brook Hall on the family’s Meadow Brook Farm estate. When the hall was completed in 1929, Frances was 14 and moved to the hall with her mother, stepfather, and brother. In 1930, her parents adopted Richard, an 18-month-old boy. They then adopted Barbara, a 3-month-old girl, in 1931. Frances finished boarding school at Mt. Vernon Seminary in 1933. Her debutante ball was held in Detroit that same year” (Frances Dodge, 2006).
“In 1934, Frances accompanied her parents on a six-month trip to Egypt, India, Spain and South Africa by ocean liner. Frances married James Johnson in July 1938, and had one daughter, Judy, who spent much of her childhood at Meadow Brook Hall. Frances’ brother Danny was married just a month later in August 1938 to Laurine MacDonald and died on his honeymoon after being injured in a gunpowder explosion and drowning” (Frances Dodge, 2006).
“On Frances’ 25th birthday in 1939, a party was held at Meadow Brook Hall, in which a young Frank Sinatra sang accompanied by Tommy Dorsey and his 22-piece orchestra. On that day, Frances also came into her share of the trust fund her father left, which totaled $9.5 million. An internationally known horsewoman, Frances was a pioneer in the harness and saddle horse world. She became interested in show horses at an early age and founded the Dodge Stables at Meadow Brook Farm, where she bred harness race horses. In 1940, she set a record for time in the saddle at the Red Mile that stood for 54 years. In 1945, she purchased Castleton Farm in Lexington, Ky. In 1948, Frances and James divorced. The following year, Frances married Frederick Van Lennep and moved Dodge Stables to Castleton Farms. The couple had two children, Fredericka and John” (Frances Dodge, 2006).
“Frances and Frederick owned and managed a few racetracks including Pompano Park in Florida and Wolverine Raceway in Michigan. Throughout the years, they were leading supporters of many harness racing organizations, including the Lexington Trots Breeders Association, Tattersalls, Hamletonian Society, Hall of Fame and Grand Circuit. In 1969, The Horseman & Fair World, a weekly harness racing publication, honored the Frances and Frederick with the coveted Horseman Award. When first notified, Frederick said, “Give Frances all the credit. It belongs to he” (Frances Dodge, 2006).
“Frances’ stepfather died in April 1962 from a heart attack. Her mother also died of a heart attack in September 1967. A day after Frances and Frederick celebrating their 22nd wedding anniversary, Frances became ill at their winter home in Deiray Beach, Fla., and died the following morning at a Boca Raton hospital on January 24, 1971, at the age of 56. Funeral services were held at William R. Hamilton Funeral Home in Detroit on January 27, 1971, and she was buried in Detroit. She was survived by her husband; two daughters; a son; brother Richard; sister Barbara; a stepson, Hector McNeal Van Lennep; and a grandson, James William Bartlett” (Frances Dodge, 2006).
Today, Meadow Brook Hall is part of Oakland University (Meadow Brook Hall Today, 2006). Four years after Matilda (Frances Dodge’s mother) passed, she donated the estate's 1,500 acres and $2 million dollars to the present Oakland University (Meadow Brook Hall Today, 2006). 100,000 people a year go and tour the historic mansion (Meadow Brook Hall Today, 2006). "Knowledge of the past helps people face the challenges of the future, she (Matilda) once said. Matilda also understood that it is through the preservation of properties like Meadow Brook Hall that future generations will have the opportunity to be inspired and educated by their history” (Meadow Brook Hall Today, 2006).
References:
As the Years Went By. (2006). Love To Know Corporation. Retrieved November 26th, 2006, From http://weddings.lovetoknow.com/wiki/History_of_the_Wedding_Dress
Digital Dress, 2006, Designer Bio; Peggy Hoyt, Retrieved November 6th, 2006, From http://lumprod.wayne.edu/cp/tag.8f53ea675ab50d0e.render.userLayoutRootNode.uP?uP_root=root&uP_sparam=activeTab&activeTab=u28l1s53&uP_tparam=frm&frm=frame
Evolution of the White Wedding Dress. (2006). Love To Know Corporation. Retrieved November 26th, 2006, From http://weddings.lovetoknow.com/wiki/History_of_the_Wedding_Dress
McIntyre, K. (N/D). From Times Past, The History of the White Wedding Dress Retrieved November 20th, 2006, From http://www.fromtimespast.com/wedding.htm
Meadow Brook Hall Historic Costume Collection. (2006). Retrieved November 6th, 2006, From http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?g=costumegroupic;c=hcc;q1=weddings;rgn1=hcc_su;sid=1be9958744d32bf9177b139523e13922;size=20;lasttype=boolean;view=entry;lastview=thumbnail;subview=detail;cc=hcc;entryid=x-01-und-32-und-38;viewid=ET01A01_32_38D;start=1;resnum=1
Meadow Brook Hall & Gardens. (2006). Meadow Brook History: Building the Hall. Retrieved November 7th, 2006, From http://www2.oakland.edu/oakland/OUportal/index.asp?item=3758&name=Meadow+Brook+Hall+History&site=87
Meadow Brook Hall & Gardens. (2006). Frances Dodge. Retrieved November 7th, 2006, From http://www2.oakland.edu/oakland/OUportal/index.asp?item=3996&site=87¢eronly=y
Meadow Brook Hall & Gardens. (2006). Meadow Brook Hall Today. Retrieved November 7th, 2006, From http://www2.oakland.edu/oakland/OUportal/index.asp?item=3758&name=Meadow+Brook+Hall+History&site=87
Way Back When. (2006). Love To Know Corporation. Retrieved November 26th, 2006, From http://weddings.lovetoknow.com/wiki/History_of_the_Wedding_Dress
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