Every day, millions of people self-identify (or are identified by others) by what they wear. Clothes may indicate one’s profession, religion, or socio-economic status. Whether you intend it or not, your clothes telegraph—to those who know how to read the language—the groups to which you belong (or want to belong).
Partially identified collections photo: Students and instructors at afternoon tea, Sinai Hospital School of Nursing, circa 1950.
We received a number of potential identifications, listed below – if you can confirm or recognize any others, please let us know!
The woman at far left may be Tessie Matechek [Tessie Paraska Matechak-Black (R.N.)]; far left is Beverly Dorsey; and the two young women in student (dark) uniforms were from Hagerstown, members of the class of 1962; and one of the women might be Mignon Grant.
Thanks to Baltimore Jewish Times readers Mignon G., Zippy L. and two anonymous callers!
08. Necktie, c. 1970 and 14. Wing collar, c. 1917.
Gentlemen’s neckwear has gone through many, many changes over the past centuries in western societies. Some of those changes are due to fashion trends, but others relate to technology: improvements in materials and laundering techniques have made many of the must-haves of the past, like detachable collars, obsolete (though there are still tips and hacks out there to get rid of “ring around the collar”). Similarly, new fabrics have made patterned – and stain-resistant – neckties cheaper.
Necktie, c. 1970. Gift of Nathan Gruz. JMM 2001.110.8
This boldly patterned tie, made of a synthetic fabric and sold by Hutzler Brothers, measures 52” long and nearly 4” wide. The style and size of men’s neckties has varied widely as fashions change, reacting both to broad cultural shifts and to simple things like the cut of a suit and the width of a collar.
Wing collar, circa 1917. Gift of Birdie F. Hack. JMM 1989.107.1c
This starched linen detachable Arrow Collar (Tuxara style) was owned by Harry S. Falk (1891-1978) of Baltimore. Before the popularization of the soft-collared shirt, a gentleman could choose the style of collar that best suited the occasion. Detachable collars could be laundered and starched separately as needed, helping maintain a gentleman’s proper appearance before the world.
The detachable collar, legend has it, was invented in the 1820s when a New York housewife named Hannah Montague removed her husband’s collar from his shirt in order to launder it more easily. The collars and cuffs of mens’ shirts needed extra care; through much of the 19th century fashion demanded a stiff, starched appearance, and anyway those parts of a shirt are more vulnerable to everyday grime and debris (e.g., ink, hair oil…). The work of the laundress or laundryman was a little easier when these fiddly bits could be rubbed, scrubbed, starched, and ironed separately from the shirt itself, hence the introduction of collarless shirts and detachable collars, cuffs, and even shirtfronts. By the mid-20th century, however, men’s fashions had changed, and stain-resistant, wrinkle-free fabrics were introduced. Attached collars became the norm, and a high starched collar is now generally worn only on formal occasions.
From the Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog, 1900. So many collar and tie options! Which would you choose?
Thanks to the many websites that advise men on formal dress for both modern-day and reenactment/retro occasions, there’s no shortage of guides to appropriate neckwear for various eras. Here are a few links if you’d like to peruse other options for your next formal occasion:
Sheitel (wig), 1996. Gift of Marion Felsen. JMM 2001.35.1
Marion Felsen of Silver Spring purchased this wig (labeled “Celebrity Secrets”) at Paula Young, a fashionable wig retailer, in 1996. Some sheitels are designed to be all-season, so to speak, while others – such as this one – are styled and cut for a very specific era.
Halacha requires married Jewish women to cover their hair. As immigrants to the United States, however, women were often urged to abandon their wigs and kerchiefs – by social workers, by concerned friends, sometimes even by their husbands (particularly if the husbands had already spent time in the US). Such old-world practices were an obvious sign of a “greenhorn,” a newbie, and thus both embarrassing to acculturated husbands and children, and a hindrance to successful interaction with the world outside of the Jewish neighborhood. Some women complied, but in many family photos from the early 20th century, the younger women are wearing fashionable hats (or no head covering at all) – while Bubbe is still wearing her wig.
The Jontiff family, Baltimore, 1910. Abraham Jontiff emigrated to Baltimore from Poland around 1898-1900, followed a few years later by his wife Dora Ezersky Jontiff and their four oldest children (three more were born in the US). In this photo, Abraham and Dora (seated) posed with six of their seven children, and Dora’s elderly mother Chai Lura Ezersky (center, standing). Chai, who probably came to the US with Dora, wears a thin sheitel; if Dora is wearing one, it’s nearly impossible to tell. Gift of Edna Jontiff. JMM 1992.155.13
Though wearing a sheitel after marriage is a constant thread through the generations of many Orthodox families, the look is sometimes much different over time. Where early examples were obvious wigs (and some Ultra-Orthodox women still choose to make sure their sheitels are clearly not their own hair, so as to make certain people can tell they’re wearing one as they are supposed to), many modern sheitels are carefully made to be quite fashionable.
“My dear mother.” Mrs. Esselson, mother of Samuel Elson, likely taken in Russia, circa 1900. Gift of Joseph Hoffman. JMM 1997.1.2
Fagie Rosen, an Orthodox woman who specializes in wig styling, shown in her shop “Hair’s to You,” Baltimore, 1994. Gift of the Baltimore Jewish Times. JMM 2012.54.246.2
Find the full list of Fashion Statement “extras” here.
Bonnet, circa 1910. Gift of Temple Oheb Shalom. JMM 2004.97.13
This silk bonnet, constructed on a wire frame, was worn in the 1910s by Sophie Schaar Szold (1839-1918), wife of Rabbi Benjamin Szold of Temple Oheb Shalom. A label inside tells us it was purchased at (and likely made by) Maison Yetta, a New York City millinery shop owned by Etta Holstein.
“Maison Yetta, Importer, 2827 B’way, New York”
As best I can tell, Maison Yetta operated in the early 20th century; it can be found at the slightly different Broadway address in the “R.L. Polk & Co's 1915 New York Copartnership and Corporation Directory”, for example. This fits with a few ca. 1910 photos of Mrs. Szold in a very similar, if not exactly the same, black bonnet. However, this close-fitting bonnet is much closer to the fashions of the 1880s than to the 1910s, when big, wide-brimmed hats were all the rage. This discrepancy is not terribly surprising; fashion historians, and those who work with historic photographs, know that just because a style is trending amidst the fashion-conscious of Paris or New York, that doesn’t mean every woman is wearing up-to-the-minute designs at all times. New looks take a while to trickle down to the masses – what’s hot on the runway may not show up in your local shop for a few months at best, particularly in the days before instant internet dissemination – and many women (and men!) stick to the styles they know for years, even decades, past their pinnacle of fashion. A woman, particularly an older one, wearing an old-fashioned bonnet because it’s familiar or because she feels it suits her best is not unexpected.
Based on the photos of Mrs. Szold in our collections, she wasn’t much of one for hats and bonnets anyway; we have only a few photos, amongst many, where her head is covered, despite the fact that it was customary in the 19th and early 20th centuries for a woman outdoors to be wearing a hat. If you’re not that into headwear to start with, why not stick with what you know?
Sophie Szold (second from left) with her daughter Henrietta (far right, no hat) and two other women in Jerusalem, 1910. Sophie’s small black bonnet resembles the one in our collections; the unidentified women are wearing hats much more stylish for the time. Gift of Jastrow and Alexandra Lee Levin. JMM 1992.242.7.19
Sophie and Henrietta Szold in Palestine, circa 1910. In this tintype, taken around the same time as the previous photo, Sophie’s bonnet can be seen more clearly – and in strong contrast with Henrietta’s fashionable hat, complete with jaunty velvet bow. Gift of Jastrow and Alexandra Lee Levin. JMM 1992.242.7.21b
Find the full list of Fashion Statement “extras” here.
Gloves, 1895.* Gift of Lillian Naiman. JMM 1985.131.2a-b
Celia Josephson Naiman was born on August 27, 1873 in Siberia, the only daughter of Pia Bonner Josephson and Rabbi Raphael Asher Josephson. She was raised in Rochester, New York, where she studied retouching at the Eastman Kodak School of photography. She moved to New York City with her family and continued her education in the arts by enrolling at a needlework school in the city. When she became engaged to Nathan Naiman, a Baltimore manufacturer in partnership with Dan Weinberg, she and her parents moved to Baltimore. Celia and Nathan Naiman were married on March 13, 1895 by Rabbi Schepsel Schaffer of Shearith Israel and lived for a time on German Street before moving to Auchentoroly Terrace. She died in 1969. These gloves are thought to have been part of her trousseau.
For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, gloves were a wardrobe necessity for both men and women in polite society; those who could afford them had many different styles for different occasions. According to Celia’s daughter Lillian, these kid-leather gloves were Celia’s “good” pair; her every-day, “more tailored” gloves were given to the Maryland Historical Society. Yet another pair of Celia’s gloves – these from the 1930s – can be found in the JMM collections, and it’s likely she owned many others as well.
White gloves, wrist-length, with asymmetrical geometric design at cuffs; single snap. No store or manufacturer labels, but each is stamped "Made in Belgium." Early-mid 1930s, based on the style. Owned by Celia Josephson Naiman. Gift of Lillian Naiman. JMM 1986.130.2
Based on these and other pieces in the JMM collections, as well as at the Maryland Historical Society, Mrs. Naiman was a stylish woman who kept abreast of current fashions. While we don’t have any photos of her herself, these two pairs of gloves can help to convey that aspect of her personality.
Dresses of Celia Josephson Naiman on display at the Maryland Historical Society in the Leakin Room, summer 1977. Gift of Lillian Naiman. JMM 1985.46.6
*note that the exhibit text mistakenly says 1904; your curator apologizes for the error!
Find the full list of Fashion Statement “extras” here.
Fashion Statement curator Joanna Church shares one of her favorite details in the exhibit - stripey socks! You can hear more from Joanna this Sunday at her talk “Fashioning Identity”! Get tickets...
I remember well the evening [my mother] obtained the coat and wore it home in the car. It was raining and she got out of the car and looked at me standing in the window and began dancing a jig.
-Amalie Adler Ascher, daughter of Alene Steiger Adler, 1989
Evening coat with matching stole, 1941. Gift of Amalie Adler Ascher. JMM 1989.167.30.
This luxurious and expensive ermine coat, “hand tailored” by Havelock & Selenkow, Baltimore, was given to Alene Steiger Adler (1906-1962) by her husband, Charles Adler, Jr., on her 35th birthday. She wanted it to wear to the yearly performances of New York’s Metropolitan Opera at Baltimore’s Lyric Theatre.
Alene Steiger Adler in two different furs: right, what looks like a beaver fur coat, circa 1930; left, wearing the ermine stole over a light jacket, circa 1942. Both, gift of Amalie Adler Ascher. JMM 1989.167.9f, q
A white ermine coat like this one was not only expensive – made of a rare fur, and lots of it (with bonus tails sewn into the lining) – but it was also delicate, requiring careful and costly maintenance. To add to the wow factor, and to the required maintenance, the inner seams are lined with ermine tails. In other words, owning and wearing this coat was a statement of wealth.
Not everyone could afford this high level of fur achievement, but by the 1920s at least something of fur was in reach for many people – even if it needed a few months or years of saving up first. Fur muffs and tippets, and coats with fur collars, could add a bit of warmth, style, and luxury to a well-made, but otherwise relatively inexpensive, outfit.
Rose Schuchman of Baltimore purchased this “llama and fine virgin wool” tweed coat at Schleisner’s, her favorite department store, as part of her trousseau; she married Rev. Morris Klavan in December 1940. In the photo at left, she’s also wearing the matching tweed hat. Coat: Gift of Joyce Klavan Jandorf. JMM 2005.54.1 Photo: Courtesy of Joyce Klavan Jandorf.
Find the full list of Fashion Statement “extras” here.
Party dress, 1924. Gift of Hilda Cohen Fineberg. JMM 1991.217.1
Hilda Cohen (later Fineberg) (1899-2002) of Baltimore purchased this silk satin frock at Bonwit Lennon & Co., a high-end Charles Street dress shop. She wore it to a New Year’s Eve ball at Rauscher’s Ballroom, Washington, DC, hosted by what she called “Washington’s elite Jewish club,” Town and Country (now Woodmont Country Club in Rockville).
Neckline detail.
The dropped waist, wide sash, and knee-length hem represent up-to-date fashion for 1924, though not all religious authorities, whether Jewish or Christian, approved of such immodest attire. This new style dismayed many religious leaders, including Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, a Reform leader, who decried “vulgar” flapper fashion from the bimah in 1922. “Rottenness comes from the top,” he declared (as reported by the New York Times), specifically calling out wealthy young women, such as Hilda, as a bad example for the working and immigrant classes. (For what it’s worth, Hilda herself married a future rabbi in 1925.)
Find the full list of Fashion Statement “extras” here.
Gown, circa 1905. Gift of Judith Davidson Greenfeld and Margery Greenfeld Morgan. JMM 2008.130.1a-b
Ida (Chaya) Leikseich Berman (1877-1954) emigrated from Russia with her husband and newborn daughter, landing in Baltimore on July 5, 1900. In 1910 the family – three more children were born in the US – lived on Eden Street, while husband Michael found work as a “street peddler.” By 1920 they had managed to save enough to purchase a building at 125 N. Front Street (near the old Shot Tower, just north of Jonestown), where they ran a second-hand shop. They attended Shomrei Mishmeres, an Orthodox congregation, in the old Lloyd Street Synagogue.
Ida acquired this “occasion” gown, made of silk georgette and crepe and embellished with beads and sequins from an unknown seamstress; it’s possible that she made it herself, though there were plenty of sources for both materials and talent in East Baltimore at the time. The S-bend silhouette that this dress was design for was achieved through a blousy top, trained skirt, and (almost certainly) judicious corsetry. This was extremely fashionable for the middle of this decade, showing that Ida was up to date… though it is possible that the dress itself dates from later in the decade, making her a few years behind the fashions. Without knowing the particular ‘occasion’ for which it was worn, it’s hard to know if the maker and wearer were of-the-moment, or a little behind the times.
This brown dress, from a fashion plate in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collections, shows a similar silhouette, dating 1902-1909. And here is a green dress from the Met’s collection, dated 1905, in a very similar style – though with an evening neckline:
The exuberant sequins on the bodice look modern, but other examples of sequined gowns from this era can be found. Nonetheless this isn’t necessarily a look or style that we might, today, expect to see on an Orthodox immigrant; but perhaps Ida –like many of her fellow recent immigrants – enjoyed the newly-available opportunity to embrace the highs of American fashion.
More examples from the Met’s collection: sequins!
Evening dress, 1902
Ball gown, 1900-1902
Evening dress, circa 1902
Evening dress, circa 1905
Find the full list of Fashion Statement “extras” here.
Hat, circa 1990. Gift of Baruch Aronson. JMM 1994.74.1
This fur and leather hat, made by Rafaelli, was worn by Baruch Aronson while studying at Baltimore’s Ner Israel Rabbinical Academy. A wide-brimmed black fedora is traditional among many Orthodox men, but these hats follow trends like anything else; this example has a narrower brim than the style popular today.
Ner Israel students at a Torah dedication ceremony, March 1991. Photo by Craig Terkowitz. Gift of the Baltimore Jewish Times. JMM 2012.54.293.6
Students and teachers at Baltimore’s Talmudical Academy, 1940. Museum purchase. JMM 1988.129.1
It surprises some people to see early photos of Hebrew schools such as Ner Israel and the Talmudical Academy, with students and faculty alike wearing hats – gray fedoras, plain flat caps, etc. – that would be worn by any man or boy at the time. As hat-wearing has faded from everyday American life, hats worn by Jewish men have taken on a more distinct and signifying identity.
Find the full list of Fashion Statement “extras” here.
Cantorial hat, mid-20th century. Gift of Sheila Shapiro. JMM 2001.80.1
This silk hat was owned by Oscar Meyerhoff (1864-1946), a Russian immigrant who came to Baltimore in 1906 after some years in Palestine. He was a schochet (kosher butcher) and chazan (cantor), serving the East Baltimore neighborhood.
The Meyerhoff family, circa 1940. Oscar Meyerhoff is in the front row, second from left. Gift of Bobby Horwitz. JMM 2003.26.2
This white hat was reserved for the high holidays; Meyerhoff had a black velvet version for weekly services. Both were worn over kippot.
Though we don’t have any photos of Meyerhoff in cantorial regalia, here are a few other Baltimore cantors:
Cantor Reuben (Reuven) Grafman with Beth Jacob Anshe Veshear choir members, Baltimore, 1903. Gift of Stephen W. Grafman. JMM 1988.19.1
Cantor Anshel Konzak of Shaarei Tfiloh in cantoral hat and tallis, circa 1960. Museum purchase. JMM 2003.1.3
Cantor Abba Weisgal, a long-time and beloved fixture at Chizuk Amuno, shown here in 1958. Gift of Hymen Saye. JMM 1991.7.3
Find the full list of Fashion Statement “extras” here.
Bandeau, 1967. Gift of Margot Zipper. JMM 2013.58.8
This little headband was worn by Shelley Zipper at her Bat Mitzvah, held at Beth Jacob Congregation, June 11, 1967. The white headband has long been a staple at girls’ Bat Mitzvahs and Confirmations (as well as at the ceremonies for girls in other faiths; many women might find this piece familiar, regardless of their religious upbringing).
Beth Tfiloh Bas Mitzvah ceremony, with Cantor Kotlowitz, circa 1955. Gift of Ann Sue Grossman. JMM 1999.020.015
Liberty Jewish Center Bas Mitzvah class, June 1958. Photo by Leon Perskie. Gift of Morton M. Esterson (whose wife, Hinda Feldman Esterson, is the woman at far right). JMM 1993.37.30
Isaac Davidson Hebrew School Bat Mitzvah girls being presented with bibles by Mrs. Henry Danowitz (PTA president), circa 1960. Anonymous gift. JMM 1999.26.6
Moses Montefiore Emunath Israel Congregation bas mitzvah class, 1968. Photo by Jerry Esterson. Gift of Samuel Stone. JMM 1998.154.8
Beth Jacob Synagogue Bat Mitzvah class, 1973. Gift of Arnold Golberg. JMM 2010.7.15.
Find the full list of Fashion Statement “extras” here.
Dress label, early 1920s. Gift of Brownie Cummins. JMM 2003.76.2
This label, reading “Made in France, Rue de la Paix Gown, Paris,” was removed from an elaborately beaded ‘flapper’-style dress featured in a fashion show at Harrison’s Department Store in Cumberland, Maryland, in the early 1920s.
Undated ad for Harrison’s Cumberland store, likely from the Cumberland Daily News, circa 1925. JMM vertical files
Abraham Harrison was a savvy shop owner who, based on old copies of advertisements from his Fairmount, WV and Cumberland stores, delighted in humorous advertisements and intriguing promotional stunts. One of the latter was bringing girls from Earl Carrol Vanities (a small-scale Ziegfeld Follies group from New York) to appear as models in a fashion show at his Cumberland store; this dress was one of the pieces that appeared in the show.
Here’s the actual dress – isn’t it stunning? Picture it with a green silk lining, the only remnant of which is the scrap still attached to the label.
Black flapper dress, early 1920s, with white and turquoise beading and flower appliques. Gift of Brownie Cummins. JMM 2003.76.1
I’ve not yet found a specific designer linked to the “Rue de la Paix” label, but it was probably located on (or wanted people to think it was located on) the fashionable Parisian shopping street of the same name, and an online search for “Rue de la Paix gown” brings up other 1920s dresses of similar style. Our dress shows some wear; either this fashion show was a somewhat strenuous affair, or the gown (which stayed at the store afterwards; the donor, Brownie Cummins, was Abraham Harrison’s daughter) was worn by others afterward. But after all, with a gown this charming, who wouldn’t take every opportunity to take it for a twirl?
Find the full list of Fashion Statement “extras” here.
Dress, 2018. On loan from Rabbanit Hadas Fruchter. JMM L2019.10.1
Rabbanit Dasi Fruchter, a Silver Spring native and graduate of Yeshivat Maharat (founded in 2009 as the first yeshiva to ordain women to serve as Orthodox clergy), was the first woman clergy at Potomac’s Beth Sholom, a Modern Orthodox congregation. She has been profiled by the Forward and by the Today Show. She wore this dress, one of her favorites, when she was interviewed and photographed by the Washington Post in July of 2018.
In her own words:
“Growing up Modern Orthodox, I didn’t have that many female models dedicating their lives to Torah learning and leadership in a way that I could imagine myself in their shoes--or dresses, for that matter. But we’ve seen, even in the last five years, a huge uptick in the professionalization in female positions of spiritual leadership in the Orthodox community. Even women who aren’t ordained are getting increased support and training. It’s just a different world, where we’re honoring the full professional capacity and spiritual leadership capacity of women.
So now, this moment in time important because it means that there is room now for women like me to devour words of Torah and the teachings of our sages, teach in our full capacity, and lead our communities without leaving home. It hasn’t been easy--some have found it difficult to accept my role as a member of the spiritual leadership team at Beth Sholom in Potomac, MD, and it takes a lot of patience to help people through managing this change. It’s a challenge--my “femaleness” becomes the reason for people to act aggressively towards me, or direct demeaning comments towards me. It becomes the subtle, non-explicit thread that weaves through many, many interactions with both men and women.
So my clothing choices matter. While I’m not interested in diminishing my femininity, each choice I make in my closet comes with an extremely critical eye towards the effect it will have. What kind of attention will it get me? The good kind? The bad kind?. This critical eye leads to an exhausting daily tornado of shoes and lipstick and jackets and sweaters----balancing various factors: the necessity of success being somewhat reliant on how I look, an exploration of presenting in a way that reflects God, and something that makes me feel fun, respectable, and me.
I used to think that it was a particular uniform that would communicate my position, which is new in the community. A certain height of high heels, a particular blazer.
But I think the answer was simpler. I was most comfortable leading in a black dress, inherited from a close friend and altered from a frum boutique in the Five Towns. Whenever I don’t want to think about it or replicate that decision-making process, I go with something muted, feminine, and respectful. There’s always a good necklace.”
Find the full list of Fashion Statement “extras” here.
Women’s Army Corps uniform, 1944. Gift of Shirley F. Rosenberg. JMM 2008.20.1a-b
Shirley F. Rosenberg (1920-2014) of Baltimore enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps in 1942, and served for the duration of World War II. Rosenberg purchased her olive drab “Eisenhower” field jacket (issued to WACs serving in the European theater in 1944) at Belle Jardiniere, a Parisian department store.
Her pins and patches indicate that she was a WAC Corporal (enlisted) who served three years, with two periods of six consecutive months overseas, in the Civil Affairs Staging Area. More specifically: The blue star in white six-lobed flower within a red circle is the emblem of the Civil Affairs Staging Area, authorized in 1944. The double chevron on both shoulders indicates the rank of Corporal (she was later promoted to Staff Sergeant). On the left sleeve, each yellow stripe indicates six months consecutive service overseas, and the diagonal green stripe indicates 3 years of service. The gold pins on the collar are modern reproductions, but are the appropriate disc-mounted insignia – US on the right, the Pallas Athene symbol on the left – for an enlisted member of the WAC.
For a detailed look at WAC uniform pieces, accessories, and insignia, visit HERE.
Unfortunately, we do not have any photos of Ms. Rosenberg in her uniform. Here, however, is one of her fellow WACs, Sgt. Bernice Skolnik, shown in uniform in California in October, 1943. Bernice Skolnik Berlin (1921-2010) of Baltimore was one of the first women to enlist in the Women's Army Corps in WWII; she served in New Guinea and in the Philippines, and was discharged as a technical sergeant in 1945. Gift of Bernice S. Berlin. JMM 1992.104.1
Find the full list of Fashion Statement “extras” here.
