First Ladies Exhibit

One of my favorite sections in the Smithsonian American History Museum was the First Ladies exhibit. I had so much fun walking through viewing the dresses. 

This collection started in 1912 with the goal of obtaining one gown from each first lady to represent her in a display of historic clothing. There was a long line of women and girls of all ages snaking slowly past the display cases. I got in line while Brian sat down on a bench to wait. He wasn't the only guy sitting there waiting for his wife. 

While many of the dresses were worn for presidential inaugurations, some were donned for other purposes. Nancy Reagan wore the wool suit to the 1980 Republican National Convention, Lou Hoover wore the silk floral piece as a day dress, Jacqueline Kennedy wore the yellow silk gown in 1961 at their first state dinner, and Julia Grant, Edith Wilson, Dolley Madison and Mamie Eisenhower used their respective dresses as evening gowns. I loved reading about each gown and the woman who wore it.

Next to the gown collection sits a display of White House china that includes pieces from each first lady's china set. It was really fun to look at the different patterns.

If you want to read the specifics about each dress and china set, visit this link. It's an interactive site that allows you to click on the dresses and china patterns and read more about them. 

This part of the museum was my favorite, second only to the Star Spangled Banner. If you ever get a chance to go to D.C., stopping at the American History Museum is definitely worth your time.