The Historic Fashions of Maryland

Published: Sept. 4, 2019, 2:35 p.m.

An upcoming exhibit at the Maryland Historical Society will present clothing and accessories from across four hundred years. What can we learn from clothing designed and worn by Marylanders of the past?Dress historian Nora Ellen Carleson tells how seamstress Lottie Barton built a thriving business, styled First Lady Frances Cleveland, and evaded smuggling charges. Carleson will be speaking about dressmaking in 19th and 20th century Baltimore at a Frances Scott Key Lecture on September 12thAnd Allison Tolman, Vice President of Collections for the Maryland Historical Society, describes how designer Claire McCardell, who was born in Frederick, paved the way for innovation in women’s clothing. Learn more about the Society's fashion archives here.The exhibition, Spectrum of Fashion, opens with a gala on October 5th and will be on view through October 2020.