Fashion on the Road (1870–1915): The Linen Duster Paradox

Abstract

This article looks at visual representations and discussions of the linen duster coat in the American fashion press between the years 1870 and 1915. Originally worn as a travel garment on trains and steamships, the linen duster was eventually adopted and redefined as a motoring accessory in the early twentieth century. The literature illustrates noticeable shifts in the duster's perceived fashionability over the years, illuminating broader questions of gender, class and mobility during a period of rapid social and technological change. This research was inspired by two linen dusters — one produced in the 1870s, and the other between 1900 and 1912 — from the Historic New England Textile Collection in Haverhill, Massachusetts. These garments are examined in relation to their visual and narrative representations in contemporary magazines and newspapers.