Wedding Ensemble, 1902
Donated by Donald B. Hause

At the beginning of the century, the elongated "S" shape reached its height of popularity. Charles Dana Gibson, a catalogue and magazine illustrator, is credited with creating this ideal of feminine beauty for American women. The look featured a pile of upswept hair, a forward thrust of the upper torso, and a backward thrust to the lower torso. The entire chest area puffed out in such a way as to create a look known as the "pouter pigeon." The "Gibson Girl," as she came to be known, was emulated for more than five years, an unusually long time for a style which required such elaborate undergarments to attain the "S" shape.

Susan Gertrude Hansen Backman, the donor's grandmother, was wed on June 25, 1902, wearing this up-to-the-minute wedding dress. The bodice and skirt are ivory silk organza.