Lula Brannon Briscoe, ca. 1903. Courtesy of the Brannon/Briscoe family
It’s time for Episode 8 of “Voices from the West,” our blog series featuring audio recordings of historical documents from the Museum’s Dickinson Research Center.
Our goal is to show that history is more than a timeline. At its core, it’s about people. And not just the famous and infamous, but the everyday and ordinary. If you missed previous episodes, you can start here.
About Lula
The oldest of six children, Lula had moved with her family from Texas to the Chickasaw Nation in 1898. They settled in Sugden, a small community near today’s Texas border that consisted primarily of farmers. She married Robert Willis Briscoe and together they had five children.
Listen Now
[audio mp3="https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/8-11021903-1.mp3"][/audio]
Girl’s dress from The Buffalo Evening News (December 2, 1903).
Albatross fabric from Sears, Roebuck, and Company Catalog, ca. 1902. Glenn D. Shirley Western Americana Collection. Dickinson Research Center. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
Fun Facts
Lula often sent items to her younger siblings. In this letter, she mentions a pale blue albatross dress for Juju. Albatross was a very popular fabric and light blue was an equally popular color. The lightweight woolen fabric cost around .47 cents a yard and was sometimes used for wedding dresses.
