Saving America's Treasures

Commercial patterns are full-scale tissue paper clothing patterns used by the home-sewer to create garments and accessories issued in the States as early as 1854. Originally full-scale patterns were included as supplements in fashion periodicals such as Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Magazine and sold through by mail order.

Commercial patterns are designed to be a disposable tool of the garment creation process, which makes them difficult to preserve. The CoPA© project electronically captures and records commercial pattern data in order to preserve these scattered and vanishing records of European and American culture.

For the most part, pattern companies did not date the patterns. We have compiled a comprehensive pattern dating resource so the patterns in the database are accurately dated as to when they were first issued for sale. Pattern-dating information for more than thirty pattern companies has been compiled, using the first appearance of the pattern in periodicals, catalogs, and/or flyers.

Factors required to date a pattern include the pattern number, the logo style and the price of the pattern. Pattern companies used number series to identify a specific pattern style. The number series generally runs from 1000 though 9999 and then the series begins again. There are several variations on the numbering scheme and some companies ran several series at the same time.

The company logo on the envelope changed as the stylistic trends changed. The font, type style and over all design of the pattern envelope are important factors for establishing the date of the pattern, as is the price of the pattern.

Betty Williams, a theatrical costumer in New York City, pioneered research on commercial patterns in the early 1980s. She became a leader in the field, establishing a major personal pattern collection and encouraging others to actively participate in the collection and storage of patterns. Betty passed away in 1997 leaving a wealthy legacy of research, and an extensive pattern collection now housed at the University of Rhode Island. The Williams Collection is combined with the URI and Joy Spanabel Emery Collections in the commercial Pattern Archive in Special Collections.

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Last updated: June 23, 2004
Created June 23, 2004