News

March Curator’s Corner

March is Women’s History Month. This year, due to the pandemic and the cancellation of many events, the National Women’s History Alliance is continuing its last theme, “Valiant Women of the Vote,” by adding the phrase, “Refusing to be Silenced.” This will allow many women’s history centennial events to continue into 2021.

The Nevada State Museum commemorates the significance of women’s history with the 100th Anniversary of Suffrage and the signing of the 19th amendment display in our Nevada Stories Gallery. The two ensembles featured represent fashions from the 1920s era.
Fashions for women in the 19th century were significantly different than those of the 20th century. Garments were tightly fitted with little or no ease, shoulder seams were snugly fit over the back, and the torso was restricted with darts and boning.
For Curator’s Corner on March 3rd and 17th, from 1 to 3 PM, Jan Loverin will illustrate the restrictive nature of this clothing, by featuring several 19th century bodices, INSIDE OUT. She will highlight the construction detail not typically seen when clothing is displayed right side out.
Before suffrage, women dressed in fashionable attire, were not only socially and legally restricted but were physically constrained in their clothing as well.
This black silk bodice (ca. 1885) was worn by Eliza Middaugh Mott of Mottsville, Nevada.