The Riffe Gallery Explores Ohio's Fashionable Past
by Lacey Luce
The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery explores Ohio’s couture past with Fashion on the Ohio Frontier: 1790 – 1840. Portraiture and original articles of period clothing and accessories that tell a unique story of life in Ohio will be on exhibit from November 9, 2006 to January 13, 2007.
Despite its frontier status in the early days of American expansion, Ohio had many citizens whose wardrobe was in keeping with the changing fashion trends in Europe and the more settled cities of America. Ohio was a fast-growing territory in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, but most of the records about Ohio’s growth at this time focus on agriculture. Through the study of surviving articles of clothing and period portraits of early Ohioans, viewers will gain new insights into the history and culture of Ohio during these early years of development.
“This exhibition shows that contrary to the homespun frontier stereotype, many Ohioans had fashionable garments of sophisticated cut, construction and material,” said Curator Anne Bissonnette. “From Greek-inspired dresses of imported sheer muslins to skin-tight pantaloons made of deerskins, fashions of the early 1800s were daring, minimalist and much sought after.”
As it does now, fashion in the late 18th and early 19th centuries conveyed social status. Looking at the fashions worn by early Ohioans provides a surprisingly complex picture of the people who settled and lived in this state.
Fashion on the Ohio Frontier: 1790 – 1840 is curated by Anne Bissonnette, Ph.D., Kent State University Museum. This exhibition is made possible by the following lenders: Cincinnati Museum Center; Clinton County Historical Society; The Connecticut Historical Society Museum; Cornell University; The Bruce and Susan Greene Collection; Kent State University Museum; Massillon Museum; The National Society of Colonial Dames; Ohio Historical Society; The Ohio State University Historic Costume & Textiles Collection; Ontario County Historical Society; Pioneer and Historical Society of Muskingum County, Ohio; The Ross County Historical Society; Salem Historical Society and Museum; Summit County Historical Society; The Warren County Historical Society and The Western Reserve Historical Society.
Fashion on the Ohio Frontier: 1790 – 1840 opens Thursday, November 9 at 5 p.m. with a free guided tour with Curator Anne Bissonnette followed by a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. The curator will provide a second public tour from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, November 17.
The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery is located on the first floor of the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, 77 S. High St., Columbus, OH.
Gallery hours are Tuesday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. –8 p.m., Saturday noon–8 p.m. and Sunday noon–4 p.m. The gallery is closed on Monday and state holidays. Admission is free.
Visit www.riffegallery.org or call 614/644-9624 for more information about additional exhibition events.
Image seen here is a portrait of Franklin Henry Reed and his dog, oil on canvas, Ohio, ca. 1837-1841, courtesy of the Massillon Museum .
The Riffe Gallery is supported by the Ohio Building Authority. Media sponsors include Alive, CityScene, Ohio Magazine and Time Warner.
The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery showcases the work of Ohio’s artists and curators, exhibitions produced by the Ohio Arts Council’s International Program and the collections of the region’s museums and galleries. The Riffe Gallery’s Education Program seeks to increase public appreciation and understanding of those exhibitions The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.
[top]