Please enter a search term

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.

  • Dress, deep yellow silk taffeta with blue silk satin pleats and long train, 1877-1882, front view with restored seams and darts
    Dress, deep yellow silk taffeta with blue silk satin pleats and long train, 1877-1882
  • Shoes, white kidskin slippers with kidskin bow, 1879, side and front view
    Shoes, white kidskin slippers with kidskin bow, 1879
  • Dress, asymmetrical natural form brown silk taffeta and satin, c. 1880, front view
    Dress, asymmetrical natural form brown silk taffeta and satin, c. 1880
  • Housedress, cranberry red wool with self-trims, 1880s, front view
    Housedress, cranberry red wool with self-trims, 1880s
  • Girl’s dress, salmon and maroon silk taffeta check with bustle, 1880s, front view
    Girl’s dress, salmon and maroon silk taffeta check with bustle, 1880s
  • Dress, amber silk taffeta with chenille-fringed barege overdress, c. 1880, front view
    Dress, amber silk taffeta with chenille-fringed barege overdress, c. 1880
  • Mantelet with lappet tails in black voided velvet, 1880s, front view
    Mantelet with lappet tails in black voided velvet, 1880s
  • Duster, cream silk with dolman sleeves, 1880s, front view
    Duster, cream silk with dolman sleeves, 1880s
  • Stockings, white cotton with black embroidery and openwork, 1880s
    Stockings, white cotton with black embroidery and openwork, 1880s
  • Bustle pad, c. 1880s, back view
    Bustle pad, c. 1880s
  • Cape, black silk satin with black bead embroidery, 1880s, front view
    Cape, black silk satin with black bead embroidery, 1880s
  • Stockings, cream cotton with blue embroidery, 1880s
    Stockings, cream cotton with blue embroidery, 1880s
Back