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A quick exploration of costumes for our collection

Peace Activist and Suffragette Lola Maverick Lloyd (1875-1944) wore this beaver fur hat, c. 1910.

Curator’s Corner

Originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2020 Gazette by Meagan McChesney, PhD This year’s successful Virtual Gala featured several of the unique hats housed in the Winnetka Historical Society’s offsite Costume Collection. While notable in their own right for their beautiful designs and detailing, collecting images of these hats led me to wonder about the people […]

A postcard depicting the elegant grounds of the North Shore Health Resort on Sheridan Road.

Curator’s Corner: The Early Days of the North Shore Health Resort (1900s-1930s)

Appeared in the Gazette, Spring/Summer 2020 by Rachel Ramirez “Come and Get Well,” calls a 1918 advertisement for the North Shore Health Resort from the Chicago Daily Tribune. The ad, under the “Health Resorts” section of the classifieds, lauds the facility’s “Scientific care combined with ideal surroundings,” “beautiful grounds,” and a “bathing beach.” Established in […]

Curator's Cache: A Token of Love

Curator’s Cache: A Token of Love

Valentine’s Day Cards, c.1880.  Winnetkan Susan Garland received these cards sometime in the 1880s.  While valentines were still sent to romantic loves, in the 1800s, people began to send greetings to a larger circle of loved ones or friends. Victorian valentines were often hand-decorated with ribbon, lace, or sometimes feathers and real plants and flowers. These valentines […]

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Curator’s Cache: Burgundy Velvet Visiting Costume

For November’s Curator’s Cache we feature this exquisite deep burgundy velvet suit, c. 1883. It was selected as a companion to Silhouette: An Intimate History of Undergarments because it features a great deal of superstructure in order to create the outline. This would have been considered a visiting costume and would have been worn by a wealthy […]

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Curator’s Cache: Jet Black

Black silk dress c. 1913. Ornamented with embroidery, chiffon and jet beads. Found in collection. First in a series of Curator’s Cache objects, this exquisite black silk dress dates from the early nineteen-teens, probably about 1913. It is both as ornate as a Victorian dress with embroidery and chiffon embellishments; and as simple as an […]