Blithewold Costume Collection Tea and Talk

Madelyn Shaw, retired Curator of Textiles at the Smithsonian will discuss our significant collection of late 19th- and early 20th-century fine women’s clothing and accessories – all belonging to Bessie and Marjorie. Afterward, enjoy afternoon tea in the dining room and be the first to view the new exhibit, Summer Fashion! There will also be 2 behind the scenes tours available to add on to your ticket.

One of the wonders of Blithewold, beyond its beauty, is the sheer size of its collections. These are items that the family loved, including a very fine costume collection. We have over 100 pieces of clothing, as well as boxes and boxes of hats, gloves, purses, shoes, and other accessories that were worn by the Van Wickle McKee family from the 1880s to the 1930s. One of our greatest joys is sharing the collection with visitors. Every year, two costume exhibitions are held.

Preserving a collection like this is exacting work requiring great skill. These efforts are expensive, and in order to continue this important conservation work we need your help. All proceeds from this talk and tea support the Costume Collection conservation.

Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate any dietary restrictions for this program.