At the beginning of the twentieth century, the “house dress” was a literal description. It was a garment meant to be worn inside the home. Usually made of cotton, it had an uncomplicated design with few frills and was intended to be easy to wash. (Sometimes they were even called “wash dresses.”) Although the category has now disappeared, in the fifties when this photo was taken it was still a common descriptor for a kind of woman’s dress.
As clothing in general became simpler in design, it was harder to distinguish dresses made for inside and those fit for public viewing. Looking at this threesome here, perhaps three generations in the same family, it is possible that the oldest woman on the left bought her dress as a house dress, something usually sold in the bargain basement of department stores. It has a very simple design and plain fabric. The other two dresses have more detail. The one in the middle has a contrasting belt and the one on the right even includes a matching bolero jacket.
I’m guessing that the younger women had come to visit and dressed up for the occasion. No one would catch them at a special event wearing a house dress.
