FIRST LADIES GOWNS AT THE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM

Thanks to Sandra at Madsnapper who told me about the blogger app for my iPhone, I am letting you know that I am without the Internet right now.  We are waiting for a new modem which is being mailed to us.  Thankfully I have had this post in draft form for a long time, an old blog post that I decided to reintroduce.   

From a visit into Washington DC on December 28th, 2009.

Back when the weather was a little warmer our family went into Washington DC to look around The Smithsonian Museum of American History. Our main objective (okay us girls as the guys elected to wait outside) was to visit the The First Ladies exhibition where their gowns are on display. The last time we couldn't even get in there without having to wait in line for a very long time and my legs were already tired from walking all over the city. This time it was a little better but still crowded. Mostly women and one or two men. I would have enjoyed taking more photographs, as many were too blurry. These came out okay. I didn't feel like I could monopolize my space and kept moving towards the end of the display, fortunately snapping off several shots along the way. Some snaps did not make it but I was happy with what I got. 

The exhibit only had 14 dresses on display. From the information I gleaned, this was because way back they did not realize how even the slightest light did so much damage to these historical dresses, so now they rotate them to prevent even more deterioration. At the time we visited we were allowed to take photographs but we could not use any flash for obvious reasons. The following is what I got on line:

"Why aren’t all of the gowns on exhibit?

Light, climate, and gravity are all harmful to fabric. Over time, they have damaged the gowns. There are some gowns that can no longer be exhibited because they were too badly damaged by their years on display. Other dresses are rotated on and off display in order to keep them in good condition."

It is hard to comprehend that this is Martha Washington's gown from the 1780's and is the oldest gown in the exhibit. It is made of salmon pink faille and is hand painted with flowers, butterflies and other insects. The collar and cuffs are reproductions.

This is Frances Cleveland's evening gown. She wore it with a fur-edged hem and a black satin and jet trim during her husband's second administration, and was made by Baltimore dressmaker, Lottie Barton.

I am not sure whose items are these, a guess might be Jane Findlay but I can't be 100 percent sure. Her portrait below shows her wearing a lace bonnet very similar to this one.

Oil portrait of Jane Findlay in about 1840 by an unknown artist. She was a Harrison family friend who came to Washington to assist with the first lady’s duties. Her gown was included in the original 1914 exhibition to represent the administration of William Henry Harrison.

This is Helen Taft’s 1909 Inaugural ball gown and is made of white silk chiffon. It is appliquéd with floral embroideries and trimmed in metallic thread, rhinestones and beads and was made by the Frances Smith Company. Her gown was the first one to be donated in 1912 so we have Mrs. Taft to thank for this wonderful exhibit.

The fabric and embroidery have become discolored and most part of the skirt was replaced as part of a 1940’s conservation effort.

Everyone who passed by this gown was in awe. It was just beautiful.

Portrait of Julia Tyler, second wife of John Tyler in about 1840.

Next is Grace Coolidge's flapper style evening dress. It is made of velvet trimmed, black and gold metallic lace over a gold lamé underdress.

Unfortunately I did not get whose dress this belonged to but there was a portrait of Pat Nixon nearby. My search online for the last hour didn't yield any results.

Various adornments worn by the first ladies.

This is Mamie Eisenhower's evening gown. It is a rose-colored silk damask ball gown for a 1957 state dinner at the British Embassy. Nettie Rosenstein designed the ensemble, which included a matching purse and shoes.

Jacqueline Kennedy wore this yellow silk evening gown, designed by Oleg Cassini, with an overlay of crepe chiffon in 1961 for the Kennedy administration's first state dinner, for Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba.

Finally this is Laura  Bush's gown. Made of red Chantilly lace and silk satin with crystal beading, it was created by Dallas designer Michael Faircloth.

It can take up to two years for a dress to go on display. A letter is sent from the Secretary of the Smithsonian asking if the First Lady would donate something that would represent herself in the collection. The gown will be on view immediately after donation. 

All were beautiful gowns, but my favorites were the vintage ones. Since I was very young I have always had a fascination for clothing going back to medieval times. My dream job would have been in a costume department either at a museum or on a stage set.  I still have a great interest in costumes and traditional clothing. 

 

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the day. I am looking forward to catching up with you all eventually. 

THIRD POST FROM MADAME TUSSAUDS

Another president in the President's Gallery.

This time it is Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States.  

One of my favorite characters in history as he was a great conservationist and was instrumental in putting land aside for many of our national parks.  Also he was a hunter and a taxidermist from a very young age.  When he was in his teens he learned to identify the sounds of almost all of the birds in his surroundings of New York and Long Island.

You can learn more information about him here.

Above are likenesses of President Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy (Onassis).  I found a very interesting history of how they met here.  I spent almost two years in Newport, Rhode Island in the late 1970's, and had no idea that that is where they were married.  John F. Kennedy, known as Jack, was our 35th President.  I am not showing you the presidents in numerical order.  More info on him at this link.

Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy.  They were married for 52 years.  He was our 40th President and was born on February 6th, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois.  After graduating college in 1932 he found work as a radio sports announcer in Iowa.   More info here.

I enjoyed this mural along one of the corridors between exhibits, and other artwork along the way.

The following picture depicts John Adams, who was the 2nd President of the United States, and was the first president to live in The White House.  When he arrived in Washington DC, this famous landmark was still under construction and he temporarily lived at the Tunnicliffe's City Hotel.  He didn't move into The White House  until November 1st, 1800, but soon after was defeated in the 1800 election, and only lived there for four months.  He was a bit of a grumpy guts but married a good lady, Abigail.  You can read more at this link.

This is John Quincy Adams, our 6th President and the son of John Adams.  He was a statesman and a diplomat, a Senator and member of the House of Representatives.   He was married to a lady named Louisa who was English, from London, and up until this last election, was the only First Lady who was born outside of the United States.  A link with more info can be found here.

The following is Woodrow Wilson who was the 28th President of the United States.  He was born in Staunton, Virginia, not too far away, a little over a two hour car ride.  He was born on December 28th, 1856 and experienced the Civil War in his youth, as he was present in Georgia when Union troops entered his town.  His mother tended to wounded Confederate soldiers.  Also, as a 13 year old he stood next to General E. Lee when he, Lee, participated in a procession in Augusta. His link full of information can be found here.

Warren G. Harding was the 29th President of the United States.  Info here.  Harding came from a small town in Ohio, and before entering politics he owned The Marion Star, which is still in existence today.  He served only two years in office, from 1921 to 1923, when he died.  His Vice President, Calvin Cooledge, became the 30th President of the United States.

Next, Dwight D. Eisenhower, our 34th President.  Camp David is named after his grandson, David.  Many years ago my sister and I were staring through the railings at the side of The White House (this was when there were no barriers except for the tall iron railings).  What captured our attention was a white squirrel on the grounds, scurrying along with a mouthful of acorns, trying to find a spot to bury them I'm assuming.  We had never seen a white squirrel before and were discussing the fact.  The next thing we knew, a guard appeared at a fast pace through the trees, with a rather formidable looking rifle, no doubt to make sure we were behaving ourselves.  Our conversation must have been a bit boring.  "Well I never, have you ever seen a white squirrel before?" "No, never!" was my reply.
"Isn't he a lovely little thing?"  We were trying to take photos, not of the Oval Office but of the white squirrel.  My sister and I were so startled at the sight of the guard we nearly fell out of our shoes, and with a quick smile at the guard, knew it was time to move along.   I have been seeing white squirrels each time I visit the city over these many years, the great, great grand-squirrels of that one little white squirrel perhaps?  Why am I retelling this tale?  Because the following story reminded me.  Eisenhower banished the White House's squirrels because they were ruining his putting green.  In the spring of 1954 the American Public Golf Association installed an outdoor putting green just steps from the Oval Office, which we were unknowingly standing not too far from, it being blocked from view by a 'forest' of large bushes and trees.  Much to his dismay, Eisenhower, who was an avid golfer, noticed the squirrels were continuously digging up the putting green to bury their acorns.  "The next time you see one of those squirrels go near my putting green, take a gun and shoot it", this to his valet.  The Secret Service, however, wisely avoided the use of guns, and instead the groundskeepers trapped the squirrels and released them into Rock Creek Park.  Well, I can tell you now, they came back!

Gregg is standing next to Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee.  It depicts a scene at the Appomatix Court House in Virginia, where Lee surrendered his army to Grant, a precursor to the end of the Civil War.  President Grant became our 18th President.  There are some very interesting facts about the two at this website.

There was a very old tree in our neighborhood and local legend, so I was told, said that Lee stood under its branches and addressed his troops.  It would be nice if the story had some truth to it but I have no clue if this is fact. Sadly the tree had to be cut down years ago. 

The following collage shows from left to right, William Howard Taft, No. 27, Ulysses S. Grant again, No. 18, James Buchanan, No. 15, and Rutherford B. Hayes, No.19.  You can click on their names to learn more.

The following are Presidents Richard Nixon, No. 37, Gerald Ford, No. 38, Lyndon Johnson, No. 36  and Jimmy Carter, No. 39.

President Barak Obama, our 44th President and First Lady Michelle Obama.  President Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii.  First Lady Michelle was born in Chicago, Illinois.  They met while working for a Chicago law firm, where she was assigned to be his advisor.  They were married on October 3rd, 1992. There is more information here.

We visited before President Trump was added but I read that he has now joined the President's Gallery.

I hope you've enjoyed this post.  I have tried to get my facts correct, but if any historians out there see any discrepancies, I would be very grateful for any corrections.

I have one more post to share of the celebrity section of the wax museum, and that one will be my last post.