Name/Title
Women's CapeEntry/Object ID
2014.5.1Description
Black silk cape with pink lining of same fabric. The cape has a high collar with a tie at the neck. At the center near the edge, there is a loop on each edge to close the cape. There is also a hook and eye closure at neck. An interior label reads "F.B. Shackelford Co., Smart Apparel for Women and Misses, Columbia, SC."Context
In February 1915, Frederick Benjamin Shackelford (1882-1947) and partner Leonard Klein incorporated F.B. Shackelford and Co., a general mercantile business. Prior to founding the store, Shackelford worked in sales at Will Evans, a women's garment shop, both in sales and as the manager. F.B. Shackelford and Co. opened on Saturday, February 27, 1915, to local fanfare, with its “women’s and misses ready to wear” clothes “already being talked about by the well dressed women of Columbia.”
For just more than a decade, the business operated on Columbia’s Main Street, first at 1526 Main (1915-1917), and then across the street at 1513 Main (1917-1926), as well as in downtown Greenville, SC. A savvy advertiser, Shackelford ensured that local papers reported his regular buying trips to New York to scout and purchase the most fashionable wears and quoted him on stories about upcoming fashion trends. The company declared bankruptcy in April 1926, with a final liquidation sale of all inventory and store fixtures that June. Shackelford later founded Shacks Crackers.
This cape was formerly the property of Cecile Huggins (1900-2006) of Columbia. Huggins was a well-known biology professor at the University of South Carolina (USC). Her father, George Henry Huggins (1860-1929) was the treasurer of USC as well as a former postmaster of Columbia. This cape was likely Cecile's, but it could have also belonged to her mother, Daisy Huggins (1874-1961), or sister, Annie Cornelia Huggins Hensly (1903-1994).
“New Enterprises Were Authorized,” The State, February 3, 1915.
“F.B. Shackelford & Co.’s Opening, The State, March 2, 1915.
“Petitions in Bankruptcy,” The State, April 21, 1926.
“F.B. Shackelford, Maker of Shacks Crackers, Dies,” The State, January 24, 1947.Clothing/Dress/Costume Details
Article of Clothing/Dress/Costume
CapeClothing Sex
FemaleTextile Details
Material
CottonColor
Black, PinkMade/Created
Artist
F.B. Shackelford Co.Date made
1915 - 1926Place
City
Columbia, South CarolinaLabel/Inscription/Signature
Type
LabelLocation
CollarTranscription
F.B. Shackelford Co., Smart Apparel for Women and Misses, Columbia, SC.Material/Technique
LabelDimensions
Height
46-1/2 inWidth
62 inRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Cecile Huggins
