NIGHTGOWN

Description: WHITE, LINEN. HAS A SQUARE CUT NECKLINE. FABRIC IS GATHERED IN TINY PLEATS JUST UNDER NECKLINE. SLEEVES ARE SHORT. THE UNDERSIDE OF EACH SLEEVE IS SPLIT, FROM CUFF TO HALFWAY DOWN SLEEVE. WRITTEN ON BACK NECKLINE IS "M H SHERLOCK". SHIRT IS YELLOWING; HAS SOME STAINS ON IT. HAS A FEW MINOR HOLES HAS SIGNS OF WEAR. SHIRT IS OTHERWISE PLAIN.

History: BELONGED TO M.H. SHERLOCK. SEE P19920058006-GA FOR HISTORY. *UPDATE* IN 2015 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS, INCLUDING ONE DONATED BY MARJORIE WELCH'S MOTHER, NORA EVERSON. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHERLOCK/MACLEOD FAMILY, SEE RECORDS P19960108000 AND P19740093000.; *UPDATE* IN 2021 TWO COLLECTIONS ASSISTANTS, RYLEY GELINAS AND O. E., CONDUCTED AN AUDIT OF THE ROLLED TEXTILE COLLECTION, INCLUDING SEVERAL TEXTILES DONATED BY MARJORIE AND JACK WELCH. ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2021, GELINAS INTERVIEWED PADDIE WALMSLEY, THE DONORS’ DAUGHTER, ABOUT HER PARENTS’ DONATION AND HER MEMORIES OF THE OBJECTS OF THIS DONATION, INCLUDING SEVERAL NIGHT GOWNS AND SHIRTS. WALMSLEY WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE NIGHT GOWN, BUT SHE DID HAVE MEMORIES OF HER PARENTS LOOKING THROUGH SIMILAR OBJECTS. “THEY WOULD BE SORTING THINGS OUT, YOU KNOW, AND MOVING IT FROM ONE TRUNK AND PUTTING IT SOMEWHERE ELSE.” SOMETIMES THE DONORS WOULD BE PACKING THE ITEMS FOR A MOVE OR JUST LOOKING THROUGH THE ITEMS: “MOM WOULD GO THROUGH IT AND […] HER AND DAD LIKED THAT KIND OF THING GOING THROUGH AND CHATTIN’ ABOUT THE HISTORY OF EVERYTHING.” WALMSLEY STATED THAT OBJECTS OF THE COLLECTION WERE DONATED TO THE MUSEUM BY HER PARENTS AS A WAY TO PRESERVE THE HISTORY: “SHE [MARJORIE WELCH] KNEW THE VALUE OF HISTORY AND THAT WAS KIND HER THING… AND MOM JUST WANTED, WOULD WANT SOMEBODY ELSE TO ENJOY THEM, AND YOU KNOW, TO KNOW THE HISTORY AND SEE IT.”