Images(3)

Cloak

Period1750 - 1770

Place MadePossibly New Jersey, U.S.A.

MediumWool, silk

Dimensions51.13 in. (129.9 cm)

ClassificationsCostume, Women's

Credit LineGift of Kathleen Moan, 1950

Object number3356

DescriptionA woman's cloak of tightly fulled scarlet wool with a collar above an attached shaped mantelet (collar extension). A hood, lined with white silk, is sewn to the cloak's neckline above both collar and mantelet. The cloak's edges are left unhemmed, while hood front edge is lined with red corded piping. The front edges of the cloak are faced with narrow strips of white silk. The cloak is fastened at the neck with a large steel eye and a brass hook.
Curatorial RemarksThe Historical Association has two other red wool cloaks in its collection: 1998.578, owned and worn by Freehold resident Moyka Longstreet Reed, and T1977.10, a cloak thought to originate from the Freehold area.NotesThe original owner and wearer of this bright red cloak, clearly eighteenth century in construction, is unknown. The garment was donated to the Historical Association by Kathleen Van Brunt Moan. The daughter of William T. VanBrunt, Kathleen was born in 1900 in Middletown, Monmouth County. She used a variety of spellings of her first name, including "Kathreen" and "Kathryn." Moan had a fascinating career, beginning as a fashion illustrator for several New York City-based department stores. After several years, she switched to a career in light opera, touring the country during the late 1920s with her mother as chaperone. Van Brunt graduated from the National School of Arts in New York City. In 1929, she married Ralph T. Moan, an actor and singer. Moan a decorated First World War veteran and recognized for his war-inspired poetry. According to the couple's marriage notice in a Red Bank newspaper, Ralph was "at present working in the talking pictures." The couple first settled in New York City, later moving to Shrewsbury, Monmouth County. Moan apparently returned to her first career as illustrator, working for a time in an advertising agency in the city. Moan died in 1992. It is most likely that the scarlet cloak comprised a part of Kathleen's stage costume wardrobe.

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