Civil War Dresses Exhibit

Some of you may remember that I attended an exhibit of Civil War era dresses last year at a local museum in Antioch, Illinois. They have another exhibit running though this summer (it ends September 6) and I saw it this past weekend. Seeing the old fabrics and the intricacy of the sewing was truly inspirational. The dresses are NOT reproductions. All are authentic period pieces dating from the 1850s - 1870s and part of a private collection.

The exhibit features summer dresses and ball gowns . . . 

. . .  as well as 19th century mourning clothing.

If you live in northern Illinois or southern Wisconsin (or even Iowa - only a short drive away, I hear) and this sort of thing appeals to you, then stopping by the museum is definitely worth your while. Here's a link to the museum's Facebook page for directions and other info.

Children's apparel

Look - an outfit trimmed with Prairie Points.

The fabrics were lovely and EVERYTHING was hand sewn.

Pack up the car, bring some friends and take a drive to Illinois this summer. Make sure you take the informative "tour" given by curator Ainsley Brook Wonderling. The dresses are all a part of her extensive and beautiful collection of 19th century artifacts.

Here's a link to the first post about the exhibit after I visited last year.

Part Two of the exhibit from 2014.   The exhibit showcases different dresses this year.