Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Date of Award

4-2026

Document Type

Honors Paper

Degree Name

History-BA

Department

History & Political Science

Advisor

Dr. Amy Johnson

First Committee Member

Dr. Amy Johnson

Second Committee Member

Dr. Richard Yntema

Third Committee Member

Dr. Patricia Frick

Keywords

first ladies, fashion, fashion history, 19th-century, presidents

Subject Categories

American Material Culture | American Studies | Higher Education | Other History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology | Political History | United States History | Women's History

Abstract

This paper is an exploration of former First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland’s position as an influential figure in women’s fashion during her years in the White House, seeking to fill a gap in historical scholarship regarding her legacy. It proposes the term “fashion archetype” to describe the phenomenon of celebrity that Frances experienced in which her public persona was detached from her individual identity and manipulated by the media to influence American women. Analysis of her early-White House wardrobe and the media attention her style and appearance received reveals the power that clothing held in nineteenth-century American society, as well as the shifting expectations in the role of First Lady. Relying heavily on articles from the New York Times and the Columbus Dispatch, this paper examines how the press constructed an image of Frances to function as a manifestation of idealized womanhood, and did so without her active involvement.

Licensing Permission

Copyright, all rights reserved. Fair Use

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