Calico

This is a late 1830s dress made of printed cotton calico.

Most fabrics used in early Illinois were store bought not homemade (despite"pioneer stories"). Broadcloth, flannels, silk, and other fabrics were all shipped from the east to be purchased and made into clothes by women on the Illinois frontier. Clothing was also made by professional tailors, seamstresses, and milliners (bonnet makers).

Ledger entry from an 1840s Jacksonville, IL store.
Mr. Alexander would have kept a similar record.

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