Complete Collection of Inaugural Ball Gowns on Display during Tin Cup Tea

First Exhibit of Collection Including Gibbons' Gown

August 2007, Carson City, Nevada -- The full set of Nevada’s First Ladies inaugural ball gowns in the collection of the Nevada State Museum’s Marjorie Russell Clothing and Textile Research Center will be on display for the first time at this year’s annual Tin Cup Tea & Chuck Wagon BBQ. The collection includes all of the dresses still in existence worn by First Ladies including the gown of current First Lady Dawn Gibbons. They will be shown at the event held September 8 from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City.

“This is the first time we will display the entire inaugural gown collection that spans from the oldest in the museum’s possession to the dress worn by the current First Lady,” said Jan Loverin, Curator of Textiles.

The display will include 15 historic gowns worn by Dawn Gibbons, Dema Guinn, both dresses worn by Sandy Miller and one by her daughter Megan Miller, Bonnie Bryan, Kathy List, Carolyn O’Callaghan, Jackalyn Laxalt, Bette Sawyer, Marjorie Russell, Ida Pittman, both dresses worn by Idelle Balzar and Una Dickerson.

“Each of the First Ladies’ gowns is remarkably different and truly reflective of the time period in which they were worn,” said Loverin. “For example the first inaugural gown worn by Idelle Balzar in 1927 is an incredibly rich silk chiffon with an elaborate beaded medallion at the center front, whereas the dress she wore for the second term inaugural ball in 1931 during the Great Depression is a very understated floral silk faille.”

The gowns are part of the permanent collection of the Marjorie Russell Clothing and Textile Research Center, a study center for understanding historic costumes and textiles. The size of the collections is approximately 10,000 artifacts. Most significant is the women’s collection which ranges from eighteenth century to current day fashions of historical significance to the State of Nevada.

The Tin Cup Tea is a fundraiser for the Nevada State Museum in Carson City and the W.M. Keck Earth Science and Mineral Engineering Museum at the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno. The cost to attend is $50 per person and tickets may be purchased by calling Holly Austin of the Nevada State Museum at (775) 687-4810, ext. 222.

The Tin Cup Tea and Chuck Wagon BBQ features a western barbeque, dancing to the music of David John and the Comstock Cowboys, and a performance by the Guns and Gals of Virginia City. Guests will be offered tours of the Governor’s Mansion and a chance to view the unique Mackay Tiffany Silver, wagons and buggies, and Nevada mineral and fossil specimens.

The Nevada State Museum actively engages people in understanding and celebrating Nevada’s natural and cultural heritage. The museum collects, preserves, and presents this heritage through exhibits, educational programs, and publications. Exhibits highlight the state’s geology, history, a replica walk-through mine and ghost town, and Under One Sky: Nevada’s Native American Heritage. For information, call (775) 687-4810.

Source: Nevada State Museum

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