I have a smallish collection of (mostly) 20th-century clothing and accessories (I’ll print out a list if anyone’s interested, though it’s kind of long). It belongs in a museum or historical society or college (if they promise not to use it in productions!). But no one wants it. All the museums and historical societies I’ve contacted say they’ll take what they want—one or two of the “best” pieces.
I hate eBay with the red-hot (you know the rest) . . . I’ve e’d Christie’s and Sotheby’s and neither have gotten back to me. I don’t want this stuff to end up in the Dumpster when I die, it needs to be preserved in a museum-quality environment!
I know three historical societies, but they’re very locally-oriented. You might contact the Smithsonian to see if they’d be interested in your collection.
Failing that, if you don’t plan on kicking the bucket in the immediate future, my honorary grandsons have an 11-year-old male cousin who is intensively interested in historical artifacts – not in a “boy” way, but in a scholarly-for-his-age way of being intrigued by what people wore and did in past times. (In many ways he’s another “Kevin” if you are familiar with that book.) Wait until he grows up; Barb and I have plans to guide him into a curator-trainee program presuming (as seems likely) that he keeps that interest; and I’ll ensure you and he make connections.
Space is a big (and legitimate) reason. The Phila. Museum of Art said, “We just don’t have the storage capacity to take any donations which might replicate things we already have.”
I’d agree to let them have two of the “best” pieces. Every one of those museums and historical societies would get two pieces that you say are the “best” ones. Who’s to know?
Problem is, some of the “not-best pieces,” which no one wants, still need to be preserved, as someday they will be rare, ancient museum pieces: 1940s and '50s day dresses, a 1950s Madras bathing suit, kicky '50s hats (these are the “common” things no one wants).
Everyone wants the 1930s Jean Harlow gowns and the 1914 tango frock, of course . . .
I have a friend who has had the same problem with some Gibson girl blouses he tried to donate to the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art’s Costume and Textiles department (he’s an alum). Sadly, the pieces were destroyed in a fire. Nevertheless, you might try them. What he had may not be what they wanted, but that might not be the case with you,** Eve**
You could try the museum at Kent State University in Ohio. They specialize in fashion and decorative arts. Here’s there donation page - near the bottom under ‘Donating Objects’ there’s an email for the curator you can use.
Obviously we just need to build our own damn museum.
We’ll charge $25 bucks a head.
I can provide a collection of vintage movie posters and I have some unique art made by my cat. (OK they are hair balls)
Anybody else want to set up a wing in the Museum of Dope? (Eve will run the place so just mail your junk to her.)
Jean Harlowe and Diors coming
Old swimsuits worn in Rio
I hear the derby hats calling
Eve’s clothing in Ohio
Gotta get dressed up in it, Fashion cops cutting us down
'58 derby on my head.
What if they found us in Jean Harlowe’s 1930 gown?
…get that tango frock off the bed!
Eve, I work at the library at my university institution, and our Special Collections/Archives can be called “eclectic” at best. We already have several items of clothing in the collection that have no real connection to the campus or its history. We also have the records and scrapbooks of the school’s Women’s Club, and the Student-Wives Club, which were in their heyday from the 1940’s-60’s. Since each club used to put on an annual fashion show, I don’t think our archivist would be too adverse to accepting at least a few items, to display in conjunction with our campus history collections.
E-mail me if you’re interested, and I’ll be glad to send you more info!
I’ll pack the shoes
you go and get the flapper dress
from the hanger where it’s stored
Staring at those clothes
for hours and hours
while you put them on twirl about
all night long for me
only for me
Put those clothes on
and model them for just a minute
then rest by me
everything’s okay
The hat boxes are resting nicely
over by the shawls and fur
Clothing for you
only for you
Those clothes are some very very very fine clothes
With such a pretty girl
who dresses and who twirls
now everything is easy 'cause of her…
[sub]I would never disgrace Eve by running naked through one of her threads.:)[/sub]
It’s getting to the point
where I can’t dress anymore
(my closet’s full)
Sometimes I’d like
to give it all away
(except my Dior)
I wear yours
you wear mine
we wear what we wear
And we wear it well-ell-ell
