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Professor Irma G. Bowen began collecting items in 1920 as a hands-on teaching tool for students in the Home Economics department at the University of New Hampshire. The collection was named in Bowen’s honor after her death in 1947, and by the time it transitioned to the University Museum in 1969, the Bowen Collection had gained new significance. With most of the objects donated by local colleagues and families, the preserved items were recognized as an unexpected archive of New Hampshire heritage on a personal scale, a glimpse of lives otherwise invisible to the historical record.

This digital catalog continues the Bowen Collection's mission to teach while expanding its reach by making it more widely accessible to those interested in the design, technique, artistry, and historical relevance of clothing.

  • Coat, brown wool with leg-of-mutton sleeves and appliqué, 1894, front view
    Coat, brown wool with leg-of-mutton sleeves and appliqué, 1894
  • Stockings, white cotton with red and black stripes, 1895
    Stockings, white cotton with red and black stripes, 1895
  • Infant’s dress, white on white checked batiste with an embroidered ribbon waist, c. 1897, front view
    Infant’s dress, white on white checked batiste with an embroidered ribbon waist, c. 1897
  • Boy’s dress, wool challis printed red, with white polka dots, c. 1897, front view
    Boy’s dress, wool challis printed red, with white polka dots, c. 1897
  • Dress, black leaf-patterned silk over mint green cotton, c. 1898, front view
    Dress, black leaf-patterned silk over mint green cotton, c. 1898
  • Dress, mauve and cream striped wool with gray velvet lapels, c. 1898, front view
    Dress, mauve and cream striped wool with gray velvet lapels, c. 1898
  • Bodice, black lace over green faille and pale green organdy with shoulder frills, pink beaded flowers, and sequins, c. 1898, front view
    Bodice, black lace over green faille and pale green organdy with shoulder frills, pink beaded flowers, and sequins, c. 1898
  • Boy’s suit and shirt, late 19th century, front view
    Boy’s suit and shirt, late 19th century
  • Comb, yellow with brass, late 19th century, front view
    Comb, yellow with brass, late 19th century
  • Comb, yellow with rhinestones, late 19th century, front view
    Comb, yellow with rhinestones, late 19th century
  • Comb, amber with blue rhinestones, early 20th century
    Comb, amber with blue rhinestones, early 20th century
  • Comb, pale green with rhinestones, early 20th century
    Comb, pale green with rhinestones, early 20th century
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