Happy Halloween to you all.  In celebration of the season I thought I’d show you a few of the children’s Halloween costumes in the Museum’s collection. They are delightful.

Indian, c. 1935
Not at all politically correct, by today’s standards, but historically it was a popular Halloween choice. I wonder if it was worn with facepaint and a feathered headdress?

Uncle Sam c.1943
A nod to the upcoming election day as well as a very fine trick-or-treating ensemble. Notice the faux beard in the upper left-hand corner; this Uncle Sam went the whole nine yards.

Cowgirl, c. 1962
Made by the “Young Texan” company, this rodeo-ready outfit also includes a pair of pint-sized boots with red stitching and a snazzy hat. And check out those faux chaps. Stylish!

Our collection of Halloween attire pretty much stops after the 1960s, so we’re on the lookout for more contemporary pieces (1970s all the way up through today). Do you, fair readers, have anything lurking in the back of your closets that you’d like to give to the Chicago History Museum? If you do, here’s some of our criteria to bear in mind:

• The Halloween costume needs to have been worn in Chicago — either out on the streets trick-or-treating or at a party.
• Did someone make the costume? If so, who? If not, where was it purchased?
• Who wore the costume? What made them pick that particular one?
• Any photographs or film of the Halloween costume being worn are definitely a bonus.

Interested in donating to the collection?
> Learn more about the Museum’s acquisitions process

Tags: clothes, Costume and Textile, cowgirl, Halloween, Indian, Meghan Smith, Uncle Sam

This entry was posted on Friday, October 31st, 2008 at 10:51 am and is filed under Collections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.