Archives & Manuscripts #14 - International League of Antiquarian ...

12 (Klu Klux Klan).
Original Woman’s KKK
Hood and Robe.
[Texas: circa 1925]. $3500
Original woman’s white linen Klan
robe, 46" long with 20" long sleeves
with original mother-of-pearl buttons
affixed. With a 70" long rope belt
with tassel intact. The word “crusader”
is embroidered in blue thread on
both the front and back seams. Red
and white felt patch depicting a cross
is affixed to half-cape, and is a bit
worn. Some spotting and soiling, with
occasional light stains, toned and a
bit musty, overall about very good.
Reasonably good knowledge of the
provenance and style indicates that
this is likely from Texas.
Original second wave Klan robe, circa
1925, presumably made for a member
of the WKKK, (Women’s Ku Klux
Klan). The 1920s saw a resurgence
of the Ku Klux Klan, and it was
during this time that women formed
a supplementary group to the Klan.
For the first time they were officially
members, with their own titles and
a capital in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The women’s group supported their
male counterparts by focusing on the
perceived moral, educational, and
civic duties of being a white American
woman. This was apparently defined
by being anti-Jewish, anti-Catholic,
anti-immigrant, anti-black, and
violent when the need arose. Like so
many other “great” ideas, this one too
collapsed, and women wouldn’t be full
participating members in the Klan
again until the 1980s.
An interesting and compelling artifact
which has continued to stand up
as a sobering and enduring symbol
of American racism and the terror
created by it. The painstaking and
even loving stitchery seem in marked
contrast to the hateful purpose
for which it was employed. Klan
paraphernalia occasionally comes
on the market, but this is the first
woman’s robe we’ve encountered.
[BTC #385067]