Balldresses?

[Jim of The SRR]

Based on this data from Stewart County, GA in 1860, how many women do you think would have owned balldresses? Also consider that only 5% or less had assets even over $1500 total.

90% farmers
8% laborers
2% other professions (mostly physicians, ministers, teachers)

Thanks,
Jim Butler

[Annette Bethke]

Re: Balldresses?

What are you defining as a ball dress? Godey's definition of a ball gown or just something that would have been acceptable to wear to a public dance or some other occasion where dancing was part of the evening's activities?

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Balldresses?

Given that distribution, if you're thinking of a formal ball, then... none of them.

Now, a nice dress worn for dancing parties in public? Just about any of them, but the dress would be suited to their economy and social class... it would be the best dress worn to church for the poorer women, and for the upper social circles of the community (who are still working class, but upper working class), they might have a best silk dress that they do wear for dancing parties, or a nice sheer wool, silk, or cotton... or even their best fine wool or cotton dress.

But the low-necked, high-fashion, silk ball gown? That's beyond the reach of any of that community, based on the information provided. I'd need to know more about the financial details of the professional class, and large landowning farmers, and see newspapers and social reports, to tell if anyone was hosting formal balls, or if social-circle dancing parties were the way they went.

[Drygoods]

Re: Balldresses?

Based on this data from Stewart County, GA in 1860, how many women do you think would have owned balldresses? Also consider that only 5% or less had assets even over $1500 total.

90% farmers
8% laborers
2% other professions (mostly physicians, ministers, teachers)

Thanks,
Jim Butler

Wow, I dunno, and this may not be my place to ask this, but I've never thought that everyone in rural areas were quite poor, so having less that 5% with assets, does that seem like the area had a bunch of failures? After housing, the next two most important items in one's life are food and clothing. I would consider furnishings and animals being next in line in terms of assets. Although people may have been poor, I think today we get hung-up on the idea that everyone then was struggling for existence.

After a discussion of this subject with my husband, if you figure that gold was about $15 an ounce, then that is equivalent to 100 ounces of gold; which today with gold at over $900 an ounce would be more than $90,000. It's very hard to calculate living standards and necessary expenditures because we don't buy the same things that they did then, such as; we wouldn't be buying boxes of candles by the pound, or flour by the hundredweight, barrels of pork, &c., but the gold standard is still a decent way of figuring finances since the price of gold is still used as an international baseline. Besides that, buying second-hand clothing was sold to all classes of people, as well as using pieces from past generations to be recut or borrowed for special occasions. Just my 3.5 cent piece tossed into the hat.:D

[Emmanuel Dabney]

Re: Balldresses?

Not to take over this thread with a bunch of statistics unrelated to ball gowns (which I will only say that only the very upper echelon of Stewart County likely owned a ball gown as there were only a few people in that socio-economic level to have a need for one and therefore find use for it).

However, in doing my general census search I found what I know Jim has already found as he prepares for the event:

Stewart County GA had


2 FARMS OF 3-9 ACRES
5 FARMS OF 10-19 ACRES
72 FARMS OF 20-49 ACRES
147 FARMS OF 50-99 ACRES
281 FARMS OF 100-499 ACRES
67 FARMS OF 500-999 ACRES
24 FARMS OF 1,000 OR MORE ACRES
TOTAL NO. OF SLAVES 7884
TOTAL NO. OF SLAVEHOLDERS 608

I think it is too easily passed off that rural=poor and on the same token I think Jim asks a legitimate question that is simply answered that by deducing location and the rural characteristics there were fewer NEEDS for a silk, low bodiced gown specifically for dancing in a formal style ball. However, most people had something nice to wear to attend church and some more dressy events.

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Balldresses?

Thanks, Emmanuel, that's some of the additional information I was talking about. It sounds a little silly to say, "Ball dresses are so much more involved than just property values", but it's really the case.

If we look just at the original numbers, the area appears highly agragian, and has a small percentage of households with a larger asset base. At first glance, the potential for ballgowns is very, very limited. Adding the breakdown of farm sizes, plus enslaved populations, add some information.

I'd definitely make this wardrobe decision on an individual case basis--which household am I being asked to represent? The answer on a ballgown is going to be radically different for a 10-acre farm with one slave for field work, versus a 1000+ acre establishment with a large complement of slaves for field work and a full household staff as well. The first type of farm is not likely to enjoy the economic prosperity that moves its owners out of the working classes. The latter type may well have social opportunities in the more monied classes, and have wives/daughters with the time and contacts to attend formal dress balls.

Still, more information would be useful. Are there diaries, letters, newspapers, or memoirs from the area, talking about social events in the "ball" class? Which households were involved with them? Are there similar historic sources talking about more working-class parties that included dancing? Is there a religious community involving a number of households that precludes dancing parties (some Protestant sects at this time do not encourage dancing, some do, and that could have a big effect on whether or not it's considered appropriate for a person of middle or higher economic standing to own a ballgown.)

Without specific references to strongly encourage formal ball gowns being included in a family's wardrobe, I'd err on the side of conservatism, and dress female family members in "best" dress for parties: sheers and better silks or wools in climate/season-appropriate weights and "best dress" styling, rather than ballgown styling.

More information about household makeup, social connections outside the area (rich Auntie in a more populated area? Bigger opportunity for Mom and the girls to go visit during the social season and need formal ball clothing), and specific local mentions of social activities would all potentially alter or entirely change the opinion, though.

[Hank Trent]

Re: Balldresses?

Since not everybody posting here may be reading the event-specific Sparks of Secession threads, I'll add a link to this thread:

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18676

where Jim has listed the specific names, occupations and dollar totals for the big bugs of Stewart Co.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net