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May 38, 2011 to December 31, 2011
The wedding is one of life's primeval and surprisingly unchanged rites of passage. Nearly all of the customs we observe today are merely echoes of the past. Everything from the veil, rice, flowers, and old shoes, to the bridesmaids and processionals, at one time, bore a very specific and vitally significant meaning. Today, although the original substance is often lost, we incorporate old world customs into our weddings because they are traditional and ritualistic. Tying the Knot, A History of Wedding Traditions is the title of a new exhibit in the upstairs exhibit gallery of the Museum. The exhibit explores the history behind today’s wedding customs as well as how they have evolved in modern times. The display features wedding photos from the early 1900s to the late 1960s that illustrate the change in wedding attire over time. |
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A new exhibit titled: From Top Hats to Bell Bottoms, Men’s 20th Century Fashions, examines the changes in men’s' clothing and accessories at the North Lincoln County Historical Museum. Men’s clothing never had as high a profile as women's fashion. Throughout the twentieth century men's clothing was not as distinguishable by decade as women's. However, if you look further into the history of men's fashion, you'll see how social change influenced changes in men’s clothing styles.
According to museum director Anne Hall, the connection between social change and fashion is worth noting. "When I researched men’s fashions for this exhibit I found that men’s clothing often reflected what was going on in their world at the time. During the Depression, men's clothing got very practical and utilitarian, no frills. After World War II, men were tired of military uniforms and all looking the same. As a result, men’s fashions became more self-expressive and flamboyant in the late in 1940s. You can see that kind of thing happening throughout the century."
The collection of fine artifacts featured in the exhibit come from the Museum’s collection as well as from the Lincoln County Historical Society and the Tillamook Pioneer Museum. According to Hall, men’s vintage clothing and accessories are hard to find. “I had to really comb through the collections of three museums, as well as ask private individuals for the loan of some objects. Museums have twenty or thirty times the amount of women’s clothing and accessories they do of men’s. It seems as though men’s clothes are either used up, given away or thrown out. They don’t have the sentimental attachment to their clothes that women have. I’m hoping that some people who see the exhibit and have some vintage men’s clothes they’ve been saving will decide to donate them to the museum.”
The exhibit opened on October 13th at the North Lincoln County Historical Museum, located at 4907 SW HWY 101 in Lincoln City, and will run until August 31, 2011. For more information contact Anne Hall, 541-996-6614. |
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