L.P. Hollander was founded in 1848 by Maria Theresa Baldwin, the wife of Louis P. Hollander. Baldwin started as a dressmaker in Boston on Boylston Street after her husband’s business failed in New York. Starting with children’s wear, she branched out to ladies wear. The Hollander sons traveled to Europe, particularly London and Paris to import fashions for the business. By the 1880s, L.P. Hollander was a very well-respected luxury dressmaker and import house.
Branches opened as follows: 1890-Fifth Ave NYC, 1892: Newport, Rhode Island, 1907: Palm Beach, Florida, 1904: 220-222 Fifth Ave NYC, and in 1909: 550-552 Fifth Ave. Branches continued to open in Watch Hill, Rhode Island; Pasadena, California; Bar Harbor and York Harbor, Maine, and Hyannis, Massachusetts. Upon Baldwin’s death, the business was inherited by her son Theodore and then sold in 1929. The L.P. Hollander Building at 552 Fifth Ave. at 46th St. in Manhattan is an Art Deco landmark constructed from 1929-1930. In February 1932 L.P. Hollander went into voluntary bankruptcy.
Written by pastperfectvintage.com
from a c 1885 dress
Courtesy of The Met Collection API
from a c late 1890s evening cape
Courtesy of The Met Collection API
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