Mother Hubbard dresses not "Prairie Dresses"

L-R: Silk crepe and velvet Mother Hubbard circa 1893, Black sheer cotton Mother Hubbard with shaped yokes circa 1900, Pink cotton print Mother Hubbard circa 1891, Red Princess Back Mother Hubbard 1887-1892

I have long had a fascination with the Mother Hubbard dress. Its origins were vague at best, modern fiction seems to call them prairie dresses (1970s term not 1880s term), and somehow they have worked their way into the heads of many as the "true dress of the western era."  A few years back after recieving some teasing at a conference when I was doing a lecture that included a viewing of a few of the Mother Hubbard dresses in my collection. ("You can't wear those they will scare the horses!") I went on a deep dig and wrote a book on the origins of the Mother Hubbard entitled Men Behaving Badly- The Saga of the Mother Hubbard Dress In the book I dig deep on why women started wearing this dress style as well as include detailed looks and scale patterns of several of my originals.  For the purposes of this post however, I'm going to just hit a few of the high points you should remember when choosing this style to wear for 19th century living history.

tintype Marna's collection 1883-1885

The earliest adult versions of the Mother Hubbard dress date to the early 1880s with the first version in a pattern catalog I can find being 1883. This concurs with the newspaper accounts of the same year taking notice of the "new style." As a general rule the square yoke is most common and the "skirt" or gathered portion falls loose from this front and back. It may or may not have a fitted half lining.
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Demorest 1883

Rounded Yokes on Mother Hubbards are not seen until 1890s. Pink Improved Mother Hubbard from my personal collection, this particular dress is unlined except for a self lined yoke. (original garments I have examined show about equal fitted lining and unlined except for yoke) Pattern Image from 1891 Butterick Pattern catalog.

Mother Hubbard garments were NOT only worn as maternity wear, they were actually worn as fashion forward or artistic garments, or even just a comfortable gown for a hot sumnmer day.

Newpaper article from Semi-weekly interior journal., July 20, 1883, Stanford,KY 

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 One of my favorite Mother Hubbard styles is the "Princess Back" Mother Hubbard which has a fitted back and a front yoke with gathered bottom. These are usually fitted with a inner lining or at least an inner tie to hold the back against the body while allowing the front to flow gracefully. Both the extant pieces shown here, as well as my reproduction have fitted half-linings (they are lined to about the hip level).Sometimes they will also have a tie sewn into the side seam. These appear mid 1880s and are seen through the 1890s.
​I recently released a front Mother Hubbard option as an add on for my Kay's Housekeeping dress pattern.

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Marna Jean Davis Collection approx. 1900-1907

Horses do not appear to be scared of the Mother Hubbard dress

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 And Finally, the most likely real reason men didn't like women wearing the Mother Hubbard style? The only time they had seen it before on the streets was on women of "questionable virtue" and they may have been getting themselves in trouble by accosting upright ladies. Despite the pushback, women found it a comfortable gown for summer wear, and it would grow increasingly popular from the 1883 through the early 1900s. They would NOT cave in to the objection of the men, and by the 1890's the increasing popularity of bicycles would make divided skirts and bloomer costumes the "new fad" to be horrified of and complained about.

Hovey's Dance Hall, 1884 Arizona

Northern Tribune, Cheboygan, Michigan, September 1883

Dodge City Times, July 1883