Marjorie Meriweather Post’s Fancy Dress Costumes of the 1920s

The exhibition features four elaborate costumes created for Marjorie Merriweather Post (at the time, Mrs. E. F. Hutton) for the legendary costume balls of the 1920s. This exhibition marks the first time that the four costumes will be viewed together.

Although the Hillwood Museum holds an extraordinary collection of Marjorie Merriweather Post’s apparel and accessories, An Invitation to the Ball is the museum’s first exhibition to focus on the personal items and accessories she acquired and maintained.

In addition to the four costumes, the exhibition includes archival and reproduction images and documents including newspaper clippings, invitations, and correspondence. Hillwood notes that the exhibition reveals the “...personal side of Hillwood’s founder and offers visitors an escape to a storied time of opulence and exuberance.”

Join ADSW for a special guided tour of the exhibition conducted by Hillwood’s Assistant Costume Director, Howard Kurtz. The program will begin at 10 AM with a 30-minute orientation film. For those arriving late, the film will repeat at 10:30 AM. Mr. Kurtz will lead the tour at 11 AM.

Following the tour, attendees are welcome to participate in Hillwood’s French Festival. This popular annual event takes attendees back 300 years to a time when ladies curtsied, men bowed, and courtships came alive in outdoor garden settings.

The New York Baroque Dance Company and Opera Lafayette will entertain guests with music, dance, and fanciful music.

The French Festival also includes

• gallery talks about French decorative arts and Sevres imperial porcelain,
• a “Kings, Queens, and Soup Tureens” audio tour, and
• traditional games, including jacks and a hoop-tossing game called the Three Graces.

Ticket Reservations

Space is limited. RSVP to Karyn Jarboe by July 2.

• Members: $13
• Nonmembers: $18

For More Information

For additional information or reservations, contact Karyn Jarboe by phone at 703-864-7070 or email at kjarboe@adsw.org.

Comments

·

Created June 22, 2009; Modified Monday, June 22, 2009.