Unveiled

A look at historic wedding dresses unveiling society and history across time.

The New York State Museum has a good representation of wedding gowns that demonstrate the changes in fashion. These gowns reveal information concerning the ritual of choosing a wedding garment and planning the event. By looking carefully at these gowns’, we can understand much about our society and history noting changes across time. The wedding dress is an expression of the bride-to-be’s identity and can represent her place in society, her hopes and her dreams. Because we can identify the wearers of these garments, we can place them in the context of their time. This talk will examine a selection of our collection. Come walk down the aisle of history and gain a peek into the closets of the NYSM’s clothing collection.

Connie Frisbee Houde is the curator of the NYSM’s clothing and textile collection. She has worked in the museum field since graduating with her master’s degree in the early 1970’s specializing in the identification, care, handling and exhibiting of period clothing and textiles. She began her career as the director of Historic Cherry Hill culminating in an exhibition, Not Just Another Pretty Dress held at the Albany Institute of History and Art. Working as a consultant Connie assisted may museums across New York State identify and care for their clothing collections. She has led workshops in the care and handling of our precious textile heirlooms. She has been at the New York State museum for the past 15 years.