A Turn of the Century Lady

Abstract

The aim of this project is to explore the life of a turn of the century lady. In order to do so I first must examine the environment in which she would live, the social and historical framework that she lives within. This is a period of rapid social and political change especially in the lives of women. The ―New Woman‖ emerges rapidly gaining more independence through her active lifestyle. Carrie Burnam Taylor is one of these women. As one of the first female business owners in the Bowling Green area, she overcame economic and geographical challenges in addition to gender boundaries by creating her own dressmaking company, the Mrs. A.H. Taylor Company. I examined dresses produced by her company and made a detailed record of my examination. Based on the data I collected, along with supplemental research, I created all of the underpinnings (bloomers, camisole, corset and petticoat) and a day dress that Taylor’s clientele would have worn