Images(4)

Skirt

Object number2015.21.2

Date1890-1899

MediumWool/Fabric/Thread/Metal

Credit LineGift of Francesca Colecchia

DescriptionDark brown wool skirt. Floor length. Pleats along front of skirt. One pocket on proper right hip. Raised hem along bottom of skirt. Trimmed around bottom edge with light green-brown fabric. Opening down back runs nearly the length of the skirt and fastens at top with two metal hook-and-eye fasteners. Waist is lined with brown striped fabric. Pocket and bottom edge are lined with striped brown, blue, and red fabric.Dimensions10 x 38.25 in. (25.4 x 97.2 cm)
Historical NotesThis skirt from the 1890s belonged to Maria Donatelli Colecchia of Pescocostanzo (L'Aquila province), Italy. In 1894, Maria married Felice Donatelli, also of Pescocostanzo. Maria's father was the mayor of the town and wanted his daughter to marry another man. Defying her father's wishes, she walked down the aisle by herself, a rare occurrence at the end of the 19th century. Shortly after the wedding Felice immigrated to the Bloomfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh and worked as a stationary engineer at an iron foundry. Maria immigrated ten years after him in 1905. The brown wool skirt is typical of what women would have worn on a daily basis during the cold months. According to local folklore, the women of Pescocostanzo, who were known for their intricate lace making, would smuggle tombolo lace in the hem of their skirts to sell at the market in nearby Castel di Sangro. They would hide the gold they earned in their skirts and return to their mountain village. The legend says that by these women earned enough money to buy the freedom of the town with the help of a local priest. According to the 1904 article "Pescocostanzo and its Lace-makers" in The Monthly Review, the town was bestowed its freedom by the King Ferdinand IV in 1774. The donor is the granddaughter of Maria Donatelli Colecchia.

Previous owner Maria Donatelli Colecchia

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