At the dawn of the 20th century, three members of the Wright family were among the most beloved figures in America (and possibly worldwide). Orville and Wilbur Wright’s flying machine demonstrations across both oceans brought thousands of spectators out into fields just to watch them fly their patented aircrafts.
Katherine Wright flew more than any woman of her generation. Here they can be seen together in this 1910 photo from the Library of Congress, while you can access original patent drawings online through Mississippi State University.
David McCullough’s book The Wright Brothers provides an intimate portrait of Orville and Wilbur Wright as ordinary men with extraordinary focus, determination and passion. While others attempted to perfect human flight during their generation, Orville and Wilbur Wright were first to achieve it successfully.
Wilbur Wright and Mrs. Hart O. Berg’s exploits even inspired a fashion trend: when Mrs. Berg accompanied Wilbur on one of his flights in 1908, she tied a scarf around her ankles in order to keep her dress from shifting during flight. It’s possible that French fashion designer Paul Poiret noticed Mrs. Berg and Katherine Wright tying down their skirts as inspiration and created an eye-catching style known as the hobble skirt which became widely popular at that time.
Walking was difficult in these narrow skirts. As noted in the postcard above, these garments were called “speed-limit skirts” because women could only take small steps at a time. If you encounter a photo of one of your ancestors wearing one with this design between 1910-1913 you have an indication of where this photo could have come from.
Our ancestors had fashion icons who inspired everyday dress, like Orville and Wilbur Wright who both dressed neatly for their flights; Wilbur often donned a high-necked collar with tie and jacket as well as full-crowned caps which became increasingly popular throughout the second decade of this century. While these full-crowned caps existed prior to Orville and Wilbur Wright taking flight, their popularity increased throughout that decade as their style of brim and crown changed over time.
Watch for fashion trends in photos taken around 1910 in your family album. If one of your ancestors mentioned witnessing Wright brothers flight, be sure to include that story as part of your research!
