Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1979 - 35

Upcoming
Costume
Exhibits
1979
by Vicki Earle
Many museums are fortunate to have the resources which
enable those interested in costume to view selected items
from their collection all year long or to study a specially
mounted exhibit which has been developed around a particular theme. I have recently completed a national survey of
museums to obtain information on their costumes and how
they are exhibited. Although the museums surveyed varied
greatly in size, over three-quarters of them have some exhibit
space in which to present a small part of their collection, and
14% of the respondents (which numbered over 300) indicated
that period clothing was the focus of past, current, or future
exhibits. I have chosen a cross-section of the larger U.S.
cities to ,indicate the variety of exhibits which can be viewed
during 1979.
New York City has several exhibits at present. The best
known is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which featured
"Diaghilev and the Ballet Russe" in the Costume Institute until
March 3. This was a visually stunning show which gave the
public a rare glimpse into theatrical costume of the early
twentieth century. Just up Fifth Avenue the Museum of the
City of New York is scheduled to open Head Over Hee/s, an
exhibit of hats and shoes, in mid-February. This exhibit will
run through June and can be seen in addition to the museum's five period rooms with mannequins dressed in 18th to
20th century clothing. The Brooklyn Museum plans to display
a selection of Worth gowns from the 1890's in revival styles.
They will be continuing their exhibition entitled "Changing
Fashions 1800-1972" and have tentatively scheduled a major
exhibition and publication on the late designer Charles
James for the fall of 1981.
The Maryland Historical will be closing an exhibit on Feb. 7.
This exhibit, entitled "In and Out of Fashion: Costumes and
Customs 1750-1950," focused on recreational and leisure
activities of Maryland's past. During the spring and summer
(May 15-August 30) there will be a seasonal display of costumes selected from the 1820-1920 period. The museum also

has a permanent display of Union and Confederate uniforms,
a Revolutionary War uniform, and a dress worn by Mary Todd
Lincoln.
In Columbus, Ohio, the Ohio Historical Society will be exhibiting eighteen dresses dating from 1827 to 1974 which
were worn by Ohio's First Ladies. This exhibit will continue
through the summer.
Arkansas State University, which has a new museum, has
two exhibits this year. One is on wedding dresses from 18401930 and the other, entitled "Eastern Arkansas at Home," will
feature sixteen costumes donated by the John Twist family
covering three generations of family life.
The Denver Art Museum has tentative plans for an Edith
Head Retrospective in the fall of 1979. An exhibit on wedding
gowns and accessories is also planned, but the dates will
depend on finalization of plans for the Edith Head show. The
Denver Art Museum always has a small gallery of costumes
displayed which are rotated once or twice a year.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has mounted an
exhibit entitled "The Splendid Silk Dress" which will be on
view through July 1. Over thirty silk dresses, accessories,
Oriental silk garments, and textiles from the 18th through
20th centuries will be shown.
The Oakland Museum always has costumes on display in
the Cowell Hall of California History. In addition the museum
has a Robert Weede Riga/etta costume in the opera section,
and several dance costumes which were worn c. 1900-1915
by La Estrellita are rotated in the vaudeville area.
The Museum of History and Industry in Seattle will be
displaying 1920's costumes in an exhibit depicting opening
day at the Longacres Race Track. This exhibit can be viewed
from February through the opening day of racing season.
The Boston Museum of Fine Arts closed an exhibit on
winter clothes March 18. "The Well-Dressed 18th Century
Man" opens April 3 and runs through September 2. It will
feature "peacock" fashions popular in France and England
during that century.
The Detroit Historical Museum will present an exhibit entitled "Dressed in Detroit" featuring costumes from the museum's collection which were purchased from Detroit stores
(no period indicated). This exhibit is scheduled to open
March 15 and run through November, 1979.
The St. Louis Art Museum is exhibiting the "Vanity Fair"
exhibition seen last year at the Costume Institute of New York,
Metropolitan Museum of Art. It opened February 3.
In addition to the above mentioned museums the following
list indicates a selection of museums which have items on
display throughout the year:
Phoenix, Arizona: The Phoenix Art Museum has several
rooms for displaying costumes, which are rotated every six
weeks, and a larger exhibit space which is available for a
special exhibit every two years. Last summer 19th century
summer cotton costumes were featured in a show called
"Mid-Century Summer". In March, an exhibit opened entitled
"Show Biz," featuring costumes of stars from Joseph Jeffer~
son to John Travolta.
Denver, Colorado: The State Historical Society moved into
a new building in 1977 and will have new exhibit space available for costume display.
Topeka, Kansas: The Kansas State Historical Society has
mannequins within eleven period settings. The museum
plans to move into a new building in four to six years. There
will be expanded storage and exhibit space to offer better
research facilities and costume display area.
New Orleans, Louisiana: The Louisiana State Museum has
two galleries devoted to approximately thirty costumes each.
The museum has over 150 period Mardi Gras costumes,

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