Wardrobe: Fashions from the Permanent Collection

November 9, 2023 – June 9, 2024

Price Strongwell Gallery

Women’s fashion from the 1830s to the 1930s changed dramatically– but some styles never faded. The historical pieces of fashion that make up the Cultural Heritage Permanent Collection and the William King Collection come from women young and old around Abingdon and surrounding counties. These ensembles and their wearers tell a story of how expectations of women, and therefore expectations of their clothing, evolved in western society between the Victorian era and the modern era. This century of fashion contains some of the most drastic changes in art, politics, and society over each decade. 

From high fashion to functional fashion, these ensembles explore the different everyday needs of women in Virginia and Tennessee. For most of the 19th century, women had all kinds of outfits for different occasions– walking in the park, riding in a carriage, visiting a friend for tea, dining with special guests, going to elegant balls– the list goes on. Not only did women wear a multitude of undergarments, but they also could have easily changed their clothing over three or four times a day. This exhibition displays just a selection of those various pieces of clothing that the average woman could wear at different times of day for different activities. With different types of wear for athleisure, dinner, graduation ceremonies, walks in the park, and so many more activities, Wardrobe gives visitors a look into a century of evolution in women’s couture. 

This exhibition is part of the McGlothlin Exhibition Series at William King Museum of Art