Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

WEDDING GOWN

Date

1954

Materials

TULLE, SATIN, LACE

No. Pieces

7

Length

143.5

Description

1. DRESS. ABOVE DIMENSIONS. DRESS IS STRAPLESS WITH A HEART SHAPED NECKLINE. DRESS IS MADE UP OF 3 LAYERS. BOTTOM LAYER IS FADED TURQUOISE SATIN. MIDDLE LAYER IS A HEAVY, STIFF, TURQUOISE TULLE. OUTER LAYER IS A FINER TURQUOISE TULLE. AT MID-LENGTH OF SKIRT IS A WIDE ROW OF TURQUOISE LACE THAT GOES AROUND SKIRT IN A LARGE ZIG-ZAG PATTERN. ROW OF LACE HAS A BORDER OF GATHERED TULLE ON TOP AND BOTTOM. BODICE TO JUST BELOW WAIST IS COVERED IN SAME TURQUOISE LACE. BOTTOM EDGE OF LACE IS AGAIN IN A LARGE ZIG-ZAG PATTERN, AND ALSO EDGED WITH A ROW OF GATHERED TULLE. THERE IS ALSO A ROW OF GATHERED TULLE AROUND NECKLINE. THERE IS A ZIPPER IN LEFT HAND SIDE OF DRESS. BODICE HAS 4 PIECES OF BONING SEWN ONTO LINING. THERE ARE 2 RIBBONS IN BODICE (ONE HELD ON WITH A SAFETY PIN), FOR HANGING DRESS. 2. JACKET. 62.5 (SLEEVE LENGTH). BOLERO STYLE JACKET, MADE OF SAME TURQUOISE LACE AS ON DRESS, OVER HEAVY TURQUOISE TULLE. JACKET IS VERY SHORT WITH LONG SLEEVES. SLEEVES COME TO A POINT AT WRIST, AND EACH HAVE A METAL SNAP. COLLAR IS TURNED DOWN AND COMES TO A POINT. DOWN FRONT OF JACKET ARE 26 LACE COVERED BUTTONS WITH LOOPS OF EMBROIDERY THREAD. 3. PETTICOAT. 96.5 (L). MADE OF LOOSE WEAVE WHITE COTTON. HAS A SATIN WEAVE WAISTBAND, WITH AN ELASTIC THROUGH IT THAT IS TIED AT SPLIT IN SKIRT AT BACK. PETTICOAT CONSISTS OF THREE PANELS BELOW WAISTBAND. EACH PANEL IS GATHERED TO CREATE A VERY FULL SKIRT. 4. SHOES. 2 PIECE. 12.1(H) X 24.2(L) X 8.6(W). EACH IS AN OPENED TOE SANDAL WITH A SLIGHT PLATFORM HEAL. HAVE BROWN LEATHER SOLES, REST OF SANDAL IS TURQUOISE SATIN. STRAP THAT GOES AROUND ANKLE HAS A DIAMOND SHAPED PIECE OF LIGHT TURQUOISE LEATHER ON IT, TO ADD STRENGTH TO BUCKLE HOLES. INSIDE OF EACH SHOE READS "THE T. EATON CO LIMITED CANADA". WRITTEN ON BOTTOM OF ONE SHOE IS "547". 5. HEADBAND. 3.7(H) X 15.5(L) X 14.0(W). TURQUOISE. STIFFENED TULLE IS GATHERED TO A HEADBAND. GATHERS ARE VERY DEFINED. EACH GATHER HAS 4 CLEAR SEQUINS GLUED TO IT (SOME SEQUINS MISSING). ATTACHED TO EACH END OF HEADBAND IS A PIECE OF VERY LOOSE WEAVE, STRETCHY NET. 6. VEIL? 174.5(L) X 100.0(W). RECTANGULAR PIECE OF STIFF TURQUOISE TULLE. EDGES ARE UNFINISHED.

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

DRESS BELONGED TO DONOR'S MOTHER, LILY ARTHUR, WHO MARRIED ERNEST MARTIN ERICKSON ON NOVEMBER 6, 1954 IN LETHBRIDGE AT SOUTHMINSTER CHURCH. RECEPTION WAS HELD IN THE MARQUIS HOTEL. LILY WAS BORN AND RESIDED IN FORT MACLEOD, AND ERNEST FARMED IN THE NOBLEFORD/MONARCH AREA WHERE THEY RESIDED FOLLOWING THE WEDDING. DONOR IS UNSURE WHERE DRESS WAS PURCHASED. DONOR RECEIVED DRESS IN 1997 WHEN THEY CLEANED OUT FATHER'S HOME. DRESS HAS NOT BEEN WORN SINCE 1954. COLOR OF DRESS CAN BE ACCOUNTED FOR BY LILY'S PREVIOUS MARRAIGE; LILY WAS SEEN AS "DIVORCED" BY SOCIETY AND HAD TO WEAR A NON-WHITE DRESS. LILY PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 76 IN 1989. SEE PREVIOUS DONATIONS BY DONOR FOR FURTHER HISTORY. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHS. UPDATE* IN 2017 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING A NURSING UNIFORM AND DRESS DONATED BY JUDY ERICKSON. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS COMPILED USING ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. LILLY ERICKSON (NEE ARTHUR) WAS BORN IN FORT MACLEOD ON SEPTEMBER 18, 1913, THE DAUGHTER OF JOHN ARTHUR AND SARAH ARTHUR (NEE CROWE). ACCORDING TO HER OBITUARY, LILLY WAS RAISED IN FORT MACLEOD AND “ATTENDED HIGH SCHOOL IN WETASKIWIN WHERE HER FATHER WORKED WITH THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAYS AND IN 1939 THE FAMILY RETURNED TO FORT MACLEOD. LILLY TRAINED AS A NURSE FOR A FEW YEARS AND LATER WORKED WITH REACH & COMPANY FOR 12 YEARS. SHE MARRIED ERNEST ERICKSON ON NOVEMBER 6, 1954.” THE COUPLE LIVED AT BEAVER FARM, SIX MILES WEST OF NOBLEFORD AND IN 1971 THEY RETIRED TO FORT MACLEOD. LILLY PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 76 ON DECEMBER 30, 1989. AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED ON JULY 12, 1935 REPORTS THAT “MRS. J. ARTHUR OF WETASKIWIN, AND MISS LILY ARTHUR, WHO IS ON SICK LEAVE FROM THE GALT HOSPITAL TRAINING STAFF, LETHBRIDGE, ARE GUESTS OF MR. AND MRS. J. ROGER HUNT AT MACLEOD.” LILLY’S WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENT GIVES THE FOLLOWING DETAILS: “THE BRIDE’S UNCLE, MR. S. CROWE OF FORT MACLEOD, GAVE HER IN MARRIAGE. SHE WORE A FORMAL GOWN OF TURQUOISE LACE AND NYLON MARQUISETTE OVER TAFFETA. A MATCHING LACE JACKET MODIFIED THE STRAPLESS BODICE AND EXTENDED TO THE BOUFFANT SKIRT.” ERNEST MARTIN ERICKSON WAS BORN IN MONARCH, AB ON MAY 1, 1919, THE SON OF ERNEST ERICKSON AND ELIZABETH ERICKSON (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN). ERNEST PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 80 ON JANUARY 19, 2000. SEE PERMANENT FILE P20000072 FOR COPIES OF THE ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD.

Catalogue Number

P20020068000

Acquisition Date

2002-11

Collection

Museum

Less detail