Bertha E. Butts Dress

Title: Bertha E. Butts Dress
Description: This item is a dress sewn in 1904 by domestic science student Bertha E. Butts (1882-1963) while enrolled in a dressmaking class. The dress is full length, with quarter sleeves, lace detailing, and buttons. When the dress was given to the RIT Archives, it was accompanied with a label written by the donor, Mary Helen Joint, Bertha’s niece. The note states that the dress was sewn for graduation, but it is unknown if it was celebratory or a graduation requirement. Nonetheless, the beautifully sewn dress demonstrates Bertha’s skill at her craft, a skill which led her into seamstress work in Sodus after graduation.
Subject: Dressmaking at Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (RAMI)
Creator: Bertha E. Butts
Source: Bertha E. Butts Sewing Scrapbook and Dress Collection
Date: 1904
Rights: RIT Archive Collections
Format: The dress is white cotton, with lace cuffs, waist, and bodice detailing.
Date Created: 1904
Rights Holder: RIT Archive Collections
Bibliographic Citation: Bertha E. Butts collection, RIT Archive Collections, collection ID – RITArc.0203