Fashion, Feminism, and Fear: Clothing and Power in the 19th Century

In the late 19th century, some women made the boldest, most bizarre fashion choice imaginable—they started wearing pants. These new costumes, whether pantaloons, bloomers, or knickerbockers, subverted long-held expectations and set the stage for the “New Woman” to emerge. To some, including William H. Walker (1871-1938), women in pants became a symbolic representation of the end of the world as they knew it.

The cartoons showcased in the exhibition show the anxiety with which these new women’s fashion choices were met, even as changes to women’s role in society were taking place.