The Smithsonian’s First Ladies Exhibit
Katelynn Angel
Pearl River Community College
The Smithsonian’s First Ladies Exhibit
An exhibit on the most powerful women throughout American history. In 1914 the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History created an exhibit based on the first ladies. The collection began with one goal in mind to collect a dress that represents each first lady or the hostess. It includes materials related to their lives and contributions as well as their gowns. The exhibit has three major sections: the evolution of the first ladies collection, the inaugural gown and a first lady’s contributions to the presidency and American society.
In 1912 the first ladies hall was in the Arts and industries building. Then towards the 1960’s it was moved to the museum of History and Technology, now named the National Museum of American History. In 1955 the curator Margaret Brown Klapthor designed a new First Ladies Hall, the gowns were placed in rooms set up to resemble the White House. Actual architectural pieces saved from Harry Truman’s renovations of the White House. However in 1992 the exhibit took a whole new direction when curator Edith Mayo developed a new way of viewing the first ladies, it was based on political and social history.
The main point of the exhibit was to collect a dress to represent every first lady. The dresses were placed on mannequins so give a more intimate and personal feel. To make the rooms they were seem more present and full of life. The gowns represent personal style and the official style of the presidency. Usually the gowns were donated after the First Ladies left the white house. As popularity grew so did the ceremony surrounding the donations. Helen Taft supported the First Ladies collection, she started the tradition of the inaugural gown. In 1909 she donated her inaugural gown and every first lady has done so since. The first lady to present her dress formally was Lady Bird Johnson in...