Blithewold Costume Collection Tea and Talk
Blithewold Costume Collection Tea and Talk
with Madelyn Shaw, retired Curator of Textiles at the Smithsonian
Added Date: Friday | March 21
Sold Out: Saturday | March 22
Talk begins at 2 PM
Tea will be served after the Talk
Location: Living and Dining Room
Madelyn Shaw, retired Curator of Textiles at the Smithsonian will discuss our significant collection of late 19th- and early 20th-century fine women’s clothing and accessories – all belonging to Bessie and Marjorie. Afterward, enjoy afternoon tea in the dining room and be the first to view the new exhibit, Summer Fashion! There will also be 2 behind the scenes tours available to add on to your ticket.
One of the wonders of Blithewold, beyond its beauty, is the sheer size of its collections. These are items that the family loved, including a very fine costume collection. We have over 100 pieces of clothing, as well as boxes and boxes of hats, gloves, purses, shoes, and other accessories that were worn by the Van Wickle McKee family from the 1880s to the 1930s. One of our greatest joys is sharing the collection with visitors. Every year, two costume exhibitions are held.
Preserving a collection like this is exacting work requiring great skill. These efforts are expensive, and in order to continue this important conservation work we need your help. All proceeds from this talk and tea support the Costume Collection conservation. (Can’t attend? You can donate to the Costume Collection conservation with at the registration button below.)
Tea and Talk: $80
Add on a Behind the Scenes Costume Storage Tour: $30
Tours at 4 & 4:30 PM, select a time when registering. Limited to 10 people per-tour.
Friday, March 21: Sold Out
Talk and Tours are Sold Out
Saturday, March 22: Register Here
2 tickets left for talk (last updated 3/11 @ 10 AM)
Both tours are Sold Out
Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate any dietary restrictions for this program.
More about Madelyn:
Madelyn Shaw is the Curator of Textiles at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C. Recent work includes the book and traveling exhibition Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts & Context in the Civil War, (2012-2015); the exhibitions Color Revolution: Science Meets Style in the 1960s (ATHM, 2013) and Needle/Work: Art & Industry in New Bedford (NBWM, 2008); and the publications Clothing through American History: The British Colonial Era (with Kathleen Staples, 2013), Slave Cloth and Clothing Slaves: Craftsmanship, Commerce, and Industry” (JESDA Fall 2012), Shipped in Good Order: Rhode Island’s China Trade Silks in Global Trade and Visual Arts in Federal New England (2014); Silk in Georgia, 1732-1840: Sericulture to Status Symbol in Proceedings-Third Biennial Henry D. Greene Symposium (2008); and H. R. Mallinson & Company in American Silk: Entrepreneurs & Artifacts, 1830-1930 (2007), winner of the Millia Davenport Publication Award.