Fashion and History Unite in Gilded Age Exhibition at Salve Regina University – Newport Buzz

(Photo Credit – The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection, The New York Public Library. (1902)

A new exhibition in Newport is set to take visitors on a journey through the fashion and aspirations of Gilded Age New England. Opening October 10 at the Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery, Fashion and Longing: Gilded Age Dress in New England explores the attire of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, offering a glimpse into a transformative period of industrialism and cultural exchange.

Organized by Salve Regina University’s Department of Art and Art History, the exhibition showcases clothing that reflects the ambitions of middle-class New Englanders who yearned for the wealth and status of high-society families like the Astors, Goelets, and Vanderbilts. The exhibit’s curators, Professors Ernest Jolicoeur and Anthony F. Mangieri, highlight the significance of fashion during this time. “This was a period of affluence and aspiration in cities like New York and Newport,” the co-curators explained.

Visitors can expect a diverse collection of garments, from formal wear to sportswear, including everything from mourning dresses to bathing costumes. The exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see pieces that reveal the day-to-day lives of New Englanders during this iconic period in American history.

The garments on display are on loan from the University of Rhode Island’s Historic Textile and Costume Collection, selected by textile conservator and dress historian Rebecca Kelly. Working alongside Jolicoeur and Mangieri, Kelly carefully curated the exhibit. Additionally, students from the university’s advanced Art History course participated as assistant curators, contributing to a digital humanities project designed to further explore the significance of these garments.

The public is invited to the exhibition’s opening reception on Thursday, October 10, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery, located on the Salve Regina University campus. The exhibit will run through November 24, 2024.

The gallery, located at the corner of Lawrence and Leroy Avenues, is handicap accessible. Visitors can view the exhibit Tuesdays through Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and weekends from noon to 4:00 p.m.

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