Martha Berry Museum exhibit features antique fashions

Antique dresses are on exhibit at the Martha Berry Museum.
Antique dresses are on exhibit at the Martha Berry Museum. | File photo

The Martha Berry Museum in Rome, Georgia, will give individuals the chance to see a collection of vintage fashion from the 1860s to the 1940s, along with a presentation by Alice Bristow, an assistant professor of theater at Berry College.

The exhibits will present styles of the late 19th and early 20th century, while teaching about dressmaking techniques of the era. Bristow will discuss the design of the dresses, which were usually made of a bodice and skirt. Guests will also be able to explore the whale bone that was present in many dresses, and examine handmade lace.

Bristow has been a part of the costume and fashion industry for years, after having earned her master of fine arts in costume design from Indiana University and having worked in the La Jolla Playhouse and the Indiana Repertory Theater. She has collaborated with the Martha Berry Museum for four years in the cataloging and documenting of various garments.

The dresses will be displayed at the exhibit through April 22 as part of the "Masterworks on the Move: A Traveling Exhibition of American Paintings from Wesleyan College."