Camp Fire Gown

Girl’s Camp Fire Ceremonial Gown and Insignia, 1920s. Museum no. B.2:1-1994 (click image for larger version)

This gown was worn by a girl called Sybil Vincent. Sybil and her friends from Croydon High School formed a Camp Fire group called Camp Keema, meaning 'the camp which faces the wind'. They had enjoyed reading Elsie J. Oxenham's Camp Keema series of books, which were about a group of Camp Fire girls, and wanted to use the same name.

The Camp Fire Girls was founded first in the USA in 1912. The British Camp Fire Girls movement followed in 1921. In America the movement continues today and is known as Camp Fire USA. Boys were welcomed into the organisation in 1975. The founders, Luther and Charlotte Gulick named the movement after the camp fire because they considered fire to be an important part of community life. They wanted a movement similar to the Girl Guides but with more emphasis on creativity and the individual girl.

The loose fitting pull-on gown is made from khaki cotton, with a hem edged with dark brown suede fringing. The sleeves are also trimmed with a plain band of suede. A triangular badge of coloured felt is stitched to the breast of the gown, representing the emblem of the camp to which the wearer belonged. The gown is decorated with coloured wooden beads on leather thongs. Every piece of decoration on the gown has meaning - the beads are the equivalent of the Girls Guides' badges. There are seven crafts for which honours are awarded for tasks performed or skills attained, each with its own colour - orange for home craft, red for health, brown for camp craft, green for hand craft, blue for nature craft, yellow for business craft and red, white and blue together for citizenship.

The girl who wore this dress also wore the membership pin of steel, enamelled in blue and silver. The border of the pin bears the three elements of the word 'Wohelo' - 'Wo' for work, 'he' for health and 'lo' for love - the key philosophies of the movement. Sybil had the Wood Gatherer's ring - this was given to girls over the age of thirteen who had passed ten requirements listed in the handbook. Sybil also had the Fire Maker's bracelet which meant that she had been a Wood Gatherer for at least a year and passed a further ten requirements. Fire Bearer was one rank lower than the most senior rank, Torch Bearer. Each group also had an adult in charge who was called the Guardian.