Strong and Soft: Linen from the Penn State Fashion Archive

Charlene Gross, Director, Fashion Archive

Woven from the flax plant, linen is part of the family of bast fibers. It is also one of the oldest known fibers used by humans to produce garments dating to more than 36,000 years ago. In 2022, when the Center for Virtual/Material Studies invited the Fashion Archive to collaborate on a virtual exhibition, linen seemed an appropriate place for the collaboration to begin.

The exhibition examines 18 linen, and linen-like, garments ranging in date from 1892 to 1982, chosen from the School of Theatre’s Fashion Archive. Purposefully, approximately half of the garments chosen were made from linen. Approximately half of the garments are from synthetic fibers made to mimic linen, and its properties. One garment (the wrapper) fooled us into thinking it was linen, and not until its fibers were examined under a microscope was it discovered to be made from finely woven wool. All the garments are broken down into three categories: Shirtwaists, Day Dresses, and Cocktail Dresses. Each category explores how seemingly soft, feminine silhouettes can be an example of women’s strength, growing freedoms, and equality over this 100-year span.

This exhibition of objects has been chosen from the 3000+ pieces in the Fashion Archive to provide examples of what the small flax seed may become after it is grown, harvested, and spun into linen. In addition, these garments served as a beta test for accessioning the complete collection, creating a digital catalog, teaching hands-on research and textile conservation techniques to students, as well as creating collaborations across multiple disciplines within Penn State and the larger community.

From a small seed of an idea, a fruitful relationship has evolved. Here’s to it being durable and long lasting, just like the linen that inspired it.

Learn about the history of flax and making linen fibers here.