What's Worn in Camp Stays in Camp: Women Campers Navigating Fashion and Function 1869-1915

Abstract

Before manufacturers and magazines commercialized a realistic alternative to everyday clothing for camping, women campers grappled with questions of why some clothing was feminine and appropriate, while others were unacceptably masculine and ridiculed. Camping provided an environment where middle-class women’s core beliefs on clothing were tested and broadened to accept clothing outside the bounds of mainstream society.