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Cloak

Maker Moyka Longstreet Reed

Period1754 - 1757

Place MadeNew Jersey

MediumFelted wool

Dimensions52 in. (132.1 cm)

InscribedAttached is a handwritten inked tag reading "Red Cloak. Moyka Longstreet Reid (1735-1757) wife of James Reid. Rode pillion to Tennent Church. Gift of Miss Lydia R. Parker."

ClassificationsCostume, Women's

Credit LineGift of Miss Lydia R. Parker

Object number1998.578

DescriptionA woman's cloak of tightly fulled bright scarlet wool. The cloak is cut on the half-circle and seamed up the back. The front edges are bound with narrow red cording, while the bottom edge is left unhemmed. A fold-over simple collar is attached to the neckline and trimmed with narrow red cording. An additional double capelet is sewn along the neckline and edged with narrow red binding.
Curatorial RemarksThe cloak was a mainstay of both men's and women's wardrobes throughout the 18th and into the 19th centuries. Straightforward to construct, practical to wear, and providing warmth through cold winter months, a well-made cloak could last its owner for years. Moyka Longstreet's cloak is typical of 18th century cloaks. The wool fabric was put through a process known as fulling. Water and pounding resulted in the woolen fibers contracting, forming a tight weave. Coupled with the wool fibers' coating of lanolin, the fabric was naturally water repellent. The shells of tiny insects known as cochineal may have been the source of the bright scarlet dye. Moyka's cloak was trimmed with narrow red cording along some of the edges. The bottom edge of her cloak, however, was left unhemmed and unfinished, as the tight fulled weave prevented the fabric from unraveling or fraying. Moyka Longstreet's cloak may also have had a decorative silver clasp sewn at the throat of the garment to keep it closed.NotesThis bright red wool cloak was owned and worn by Monmouth County resident Moyka Longstreet Reid. Moyka (also spelled variously as Moika and Moira) was born on May 15, 1735, the daughter of Captain Aaron Longstreet (1710 - 1793) and Catherine Osborn (1710 - 1754). Moyka married James Reid (also spelled in documents as Reed) on May 28, 1754. James and Moyka had one child, a son they named Aaron after Moyka's father, born on January 27, 1756. Moyka died at the age of 22 on August 11, 1757, possibly from pregnancy or childbirth complications. Both Moyka and James Reid are buried in the Topanemus Episcopal Burial Ground in Marlboro, Monmouth County. A handwritten tag, possibly inscribed by donor Lydia Reid Parker herself, noted that Moyka wore her scarlet cloak "while riding pillion to Tennent Church." The term "pillion" signifies that Moyka rode behind James on horseback. The donor of the cloak, Lydia Reid Parker, was the great great granddaughter of Moyka and James Reid. Parker donated the cloak, along with James Reid's own cloak (see entry 1999.572), in 1957. A newspaper article from the December 15, 1957 issue of the Asbury Park Press noted that Lydia R. Parker was the owner of "a collection of old clothes that have been in her familiy for several generations." The article went on to mention that "some of the oldest clothes, a few dating back to revolutionary days, were presented to the Monmouth County Historical Association."

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