The item from which the lapel watch hangs appears to be a chatelaine. This is a brooch with multiple fine chains to which a woman could attach various useful items like needle-cases, scissors, watches and keys to keep them close to hand. They were quite common from the middle ages up through the beginning of the 20th century. By WWII they'd mostly fallen out of favor as women were carrying handbags or even wearing trousers with pockets [ gasp! ;-) ]

I can remember even back in the early 1970s, my mother had a watch similar to that. And she was only in her 50s at that time.

And it was the most sincere of her off guard moments when she was washing clothes. How her husband sneaked the camera into the wash room, I will never know. Anyway, her smile is as beautiful as she is.

I'm glad that so many people are enjoying these photos. She looks like some I would have liked to have known. The comment about the Roosevelt likeness is interesting because in one of the photos she is laughing and, to me, resembles Eleanor. I believe her husband took most of the photos, since she seems so comfortable with the camera, and in some shots, she is clearly flirting a little. I have well over 100 negatives, and would like to post a few more, if only to cover some of the other outfits she has, if it's okay with Dave.

Is that horizontal blur above the watch a pocket opening?

On a side note, I did a stint as a model for a while in my youth, and there were always certain designs that we called 'statue clothes' that looked great as long as you stood in the same position the designer drew them, but as soon as you moved they started to hurt. That's what I see in the clothes she is wearing.

I don't intend this comment as any sort of judgement, as at the time time women had two purposes, To look good in public, and maintain the home. It is impossible to use modern standards to judge.

What a treat to have the extraordinary pictures of this woman from 3dfoto and to read all the comments on clothing and hats and rings and the timepiece, many of them written by men. We come to Shorpy for the photographs but we're also rewarded with words: e.g. willc's "a purpose-woven milliner's buckram, stiff but not stout" -- pure poetry!

Could that be called a breast watch?

[Lapel watch. -tterrace]

I look forward to seeing more photos of this smartly dressed woman. I love the fact that the lining of her coat matches her dress. She was either quite well off or herself a dressmaker.

This woman bears a strong resemblance to members of the Roosevelt families...those of Teddy and FDR. Perhaps some of the photos were taken in Hyde Park.

She's prepared for bad weather. With a hat like that you don't need an umbrella.

The lady's hat was huge but probably not at all heavy. Close examination of the embiggened photo reveals the thinness of the hat mesh fabric where the light shines through it above her left shoulder. The fabric on this model was probably a purpose-woven milliner's buckram, stiff but not stout, and even with its creped silk ribbon trims the hat probably weighed only a few ounces. The three-pronged fork shape protruding above the brim over her right shoulder is the ornamental end of her long front hatpin that secured the hat into the crown of her hair and prevented the hat from sailing up and away in the slightest breeze.

It was probably needed to keep one's neck from snapping under the weight.

Was it a custom of the day for a woman to wear only a diamond ring when she got married? I have noticed in a couple of these photos that she is wearing only a diamond ring.

I love how the trim on her coat matches her dress. I'll bet the stripes on her dress match the color of her coat.
It must be later in the season to need spats.

I am enjoying the pictures of this very fashionable lady. I wonder what she would have thought, had she known she was going to become a fashion model, a century later!