2-981-996 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

American Sketches: scene in the Rotunda, Washington, 1876. '...an Illustration of the manner in which people stand about the Rotunda, "lobbying" the members of Congress for purposes not always reprehensible, or simply wanting to pick up a dose of political gossip, or to indulge their personal curiosity with a sight of the leading public men. Ladies, as well as gentlemen, are observed not seldom among the frequenters of this place; and Dr. Mary Walker, the female medical practitioner, wearing her Bloomer suit of tunic and trousers, happened to figure in a foreground group at the moment of making our sketch'. Walker was an abolitionist, writer, lecturer, surgeon and advocate of dress reform for women. Her typical ensemble included trousers with suspenders under a knee-length dress with a tight waist and full skirt. She is the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor. From "Illustrated London News", 1876.