WRHS Chief Curator Dean Zimmerman said many items will be seen in public exhibition for the first time. “We have purposely chosen pieces to show a range of Cleveland society from brides who shopped in New York and Paris to those who acquired their dresses in Cleveland and even one bride who made her own outfit.” 

Cleveland takes a look at 150 years of fashion history

CLEVELAND – Wedding gowns and the trousseaus of those who wore them will be featured in the new “Tying the Knot: Cleveland Wedding Fashions, 1830-1980” exhibit at the WRHS History Center in University Circle opening June 22.  The exhibit draws exclusively from the extensive WRHS Costume and Textile Collection and highlights wedding attire worn byCleveland brides through 150 years, along with the other wardrobe items, or trousseau, of dresses and lingerie that brides traditionally brought to their marriages.  The exhibit runs throughFebruary 14, 2013, in the Chisholm Halle Costume Gallery of theWRHSHistoryCenter. 

Elaborate confections from the 1800s, such as the 1879 by famed designer Charles Frederick Worth for Euclid Avenuesocialite Alice Wade Everett will be featured along with stylish examples from the 20^th century.  In addition to items from the trousseau, wedding photographs, invitations and a display of wedding vests worn by grooms – essential but often overshadowed members of the wedding party – will complete the exhibit. 

Visiting costume and textile specialists and exhibit designers, Colleen Callahan and Newbold “Newbie” Richardson, said their research for the exhibit resulted in a new appreciation for the WRHS collection.  “Selecting the wedding dresses and other items for the exhibit has allowed us to truly experience the depth and range of the WRHS costume collection,” said Colleen Callahan. “Even with my previous knowledge of the collection, I was unprepared for its vastness.”

WRHS Chief Curator Dean Zimmerman said many items will be seen in public exhibition for the first time. “We have purposely chosen pieces to show a range of Cleveland society from brides who shopped in New York and Paris to those who acquired their dresses in Cleveland and even one bride who made her own outfit.” 

Additional gowns featured in the exhibit include the lovely 1912 wedding dress worn by Elizabeth Ring and designed by famous Titanic survivor, Lady Duff Gordon, known as Lucile;  the gold silk satin dress worn in 1841 by Hannah Walworth, who married Benjamin Strickland, the first dentist to practice in the Western Reserve; and a dinner dress of gray silk trimmed with silk brocade that was part of the 1898 trousseau of Anna Stambaugh, who married David Tod – the namesake and grandson of David Tod, the governor of Ohio during the Civil War.

The Chisholm Halle Costume Gallery is located in the WRHSHistoryCenterin University Circleat 10825 East Boulevard.  Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.and Sunday noonto 5 p.m.  Admission is $8.50 adults; $7.50 seniors; $5.00 students (age 3-17). WRHS members and children 2 and under receive free admission.  Group rates are available.  For information call (216) 721-5722or visit www.wrhs.org.