Grant will help implement upcoming fashion exhibition
The Chester County Historical Society will open an exhibit on 19th-century clothing in November.
For the Chester County Historical Society (CCHS), a new gift could be considered the perfect fashion accessory.
A $35,000 grant from the Coby Foundation, a New York group that funds projects in the textile and needle arts field, will help implement the forthcoming exhibition “Profiles: Chester County Clothing of the 1800s,” which will run from Nov. 22 through Aug. 30, 2014, a CCHS news release said.
The first comprehensive interpretation of 19th-century Chester County clothing and the people who wore it, the exhibit will be installed in CCHS’s 2,000-square-foot gallery, the largest of six exhibition spaces. The display will include more than 40 fine and ordinary examples of outerwear worn by women, men and children that will show the evolution of clothing profiles in the 1800s, ranging from empire-style gowns of the early 1800s to elaborate men’s vests from numerous decades, the release said.
“The Coby Foundation board is pleased to be supporting CCHS’s Profiles exhibition,” said Ward Mintz, Coby’s executive director. “It is a fascinating mix of excellent examples of locally-worn clothing, along with photographs, rare documents and fashion plates. And the staff has worked hard to make it enjoyable for families.”
Rob Lukens, CCHS president said he was excited about the partnership with Coby, pointing out that the exhibition “will provide a powerful and meaningful experience for our visitors, using clothing as a portal to the past.”
For more information on CCHS, call 610-692-4800 or visit www.chestercohistorical.org. More information on the Coby Foundation is available at http://cobyfoundation.org/.
