Moravian Kroj
Moravian kroj
Unknown designer, Czech Republic
CFTC #399-403
Gift of Margaret Humphrey
This Moravian folk dress, also referred to as kroj, was collected by Professor Margaret Humphrey while traveling through the Kyjov region of Southern Moravia, now the Czech Republic. Humphrey was a Professor of Clothing and Textiles at Cornell from 1933 to 1967. In 1938, she loaned Blackmore several ensembles from her personal collection of European folk dress for the fashion showcase “Costumes of Many Lands” which she later donated to the collection. This particular kroj is worn in the southern region of Kyjov and consists of a white linen blouse, collar, weskit (sleeveless waistcoat), apron, and cap. While kroje are often portrayed as an ideal image of folk life within museum collections and exhibitions, Czech and Slovak communities within the United States continue to donn and doff kroje for cultural events, festivals, or pageants.
Additional Media:
Production
The National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa holds over a hundred different variations of kroje that were donated by Czech and Slovak immigrants who arrived in the United States throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Consumption
The following guidelines provided by the American Czech-Slovak Cultural Club relate to the donning and doffing kroje during cultural events and pageants in the United States.
Sources
Cornell University, Office of the Dean of the University Faculty. (1983). Memorial statement for Professor Margaret Louise Humphrey. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University.
Snowden, J. (1979). The folk dress of Europe. New York: Mayflower Books.