"The contribution (of the dress) is not only a memento of a famous Indian uprising, but a reminder of the generous spirit shown by Nevada residents for people in trouble even back in those days when residents were scare and the distances vast."
--Nevada State Journal, ______1947

This is the classic type of dress a woman would have worn for her everyday work from the late 1840s. Some call this style a "round dress" meaning that the dress was constructed so that the bodice and skirt, floor-length and without a train, were joined together.(Mills,31) Even though the dress opens in the center front, the skirt wraps to the side front, also common construction for a round dress. The bodice has concentrated gathers in the front and back. The choice of fabric, calico, is affordable and practical. When new, the dress was probably worn as a "good" dress for special occasions by its owner.

Bodice Sleeves

Skirt History

1846-1870.
This dress would be an example of
styling for a classic frontier dress.
(Nevada State Museum HM-12169-Q-169)