Levi's Lot 401 & Viola Longacre

An image of Viola Longacre's Levi's 401 jeans

Viola Longacre

In 2017 a pair of Levi's Lot 401 jeans from the early 1930's were found during estate sale in Fresno, California.

Levi's Strauss &Co were contacted for an appraisal and for an undisclosed amount the jeans were acquired and placed in the company's archives in San Francisco.

The original owner of the 401 jeans was Viola Longacre, a teacher from Fresno who passed away in 2014 at the age of 100.

See Viola's obituary

Summer School

In the early part of the 1930's Viola Longacre was a college student that attended Fresno State College (now California State University, Fresno). During her studies to be a teacher she joined a six week summer school located near Huntington lake in the Sierra National Forest. Many of the classes at the summer camp were held outdoors amongst pine and fur trees, an environment where the jeans would have been an ideal choice of clothing for Viola.

Sierra Summer School, Sierra Forest, CA

The jeans, still in pristine condition, have Viola's name still printed on one of the pocket bags and are now know as "Viola ".

They are the oldest women's jeans in Levi's archives. The previous holder of that title is a pair known as "Harriet" after their former owner Harriet Atwood dated from 1938.

A front and back image of Viola Longacre's Levs 401 jeans.

Elizabeth Bedford Duncan, Viola's daughter recalls:

“I’m quite sure she bought them [the jeans] herself.  It was the Depression, and she didn’t go straight to college from high school. 

She worked for a couple of years and she paid her own way,”

The school was also where Viola met her future husband. “Maybe that’s one reason why she kept them

— because it reminded her,” Bette said. “All I know is I was never allowed to try them on.”

Although it’s not known the exact number of Lot 401 jeans that were manufactured, the scarcity and near perfect condition make the jeans priceless.

In Vogue

Launched by Levi's during the Great Depression in early the 1930's, Lot 401 women’s jeans were a limited number prototype product to test the market before "Lady Levi’s" Lot 701 were officially released in 1934.

Lot 701 were the first five pocket denim line of the time that were specifically created for women and went on to be featured in Vogue Magazine 1935.

A reprint of a Vogue page from 1935 showing Levi's women's jeans

A copy of the 1935 Vogue Women's Levi's overalls (jeans)

Value Version

In 1934 Levi's first introduced jeans for women with such features as a slimmer thigh and higher waist. A prototype "value version" the ones purchased by Viola, were made without suspender buttons, uncovered copper rivets and even the famous Levi's red tab.

It's not know if there was a cultural rejection by offering jeans to women, but they were certainly less popular in some regions.

"The West embraced denim riveted pants more readily, for instance, than the more formal and traditionally dressed East Coast" says Tracy Panek Levi's resident historian.

"Pants for women in the thirties were uncommon, women entering the workforce who needed sturdy workwear during World War II helped change the perceptions about wearing pants"

"The culture of Fresno, part of a county still dominated by agriculture, made it a good market for women's jeans, which would have appealed to women looking for practicality when much of life involved being outdoors"

Despite featuring in Vogue magazine it wasn't until the 50's and 60's that women's denim really started to take off. This surge is in part attributed to Levi's advertising but also an effective endorsement of Marilyn Monroe who wore jeans in some of her movies and private life.

Marilyn Monroe on the set of "The Misfits" wearing Levi's 701 jeans circa 1961

Marilyn Monroe wearing cuffed Levi's 701 jeans

Levis ad from the time

Huge Coup

Levi's see's the "Viola" jeans as more than just denim.

"Acquiring Viola was a huge coup and one of our most important additions" Tracy Panek says. "Viola helps us further understand our heritage and the cultural context of the Levi's brand. Having Viola's jeans and her story is also a key milestone in the history of women's clothing generally. It's priceless information."

Levi's Headquarters in San Francisco, home to their archives collection

Levi's 701 reproduction

On March 27 2024 Levis Vintage Clothing released a 800 piece limited edition stitch-for-stitch reproduction of Viola Longacre's jeans. Named Voila Viola! they were crafted from 11oz organic plain selvedge denim and came with an introduction letter and a printed photograph of Viola. Very quickly snapped up by denim aficionados you can still find the occasional pair on auction sites.

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