Recent news reports about the newly re-opened “First Ladies at the Smithsonian” exhibit mention Martha Washington’s silk gown, decorated with hand-painted flowers, birds and insects. A colleague has a memory of that gown appearing in Threads, possibly in the last 2 years.
An online search of the archives didn’t turn up anything, and I can’t find it in my *library* [only goes back to issue 127].
I’d appreciate any information you might be able to share with me about this gown.
Many thanks, Robyn
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Here's a link to a pic of the gown:http://www.smithsonianlegacies.si.edu/objectdescription.cfm?ID=77
Thank you. I have seen that site, but can't magnify the image on my computer. I am trying to see the painted flowers in detail as there is some controversy whether they actually are "native American," as the news reports claimed. I've been in touch with a former Smithsonian curator -- who conserved the gown in the early '90s. She asserts there is no evidence that these are indigenous flowers/insects. (Haven't managed to speak to a current Smithsonian-ite yet....) And I'm impatient! I was hoping there had been a recent image in Threads, as I had been advised.Thanks again for your help.Cheers,
Robyn
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