It all started with fans — not the kind that cheer or the kind you plug in. Rather, hand fans, the accessories mandatory for all good 19th and early 20th century ladies, seemed like a great idea for an exhibit, according to Samantha Bynum, assistant director and curator of exhibits at the Rogers Historical Museum.
But the breadth of the topic of what to wear demanded more attention, she said. “We decided to expand the display to showcase more of the museum’s large accessory collection.
“Out of 65,000 objects, “it can take a while to sort through and decide what to exhibit,” she added.
“Once we know the topic, the collections manager, Jen Kick, provides a list and photographs of things that are relevant to the exhibit,” Bynum explained. “I then go through and pick what to display. A couple of things I consider while choosing objects is the size — space is usually limited in the museum’s smaller Collections Gallery — and condition: some things are just too fragile to display. For exhibits, we usually sort through a few hundred pieces. The whole process is a team effort.”
The result of the most recent selection process is “Fashion Accessories: Adornments Through History,” on show through Aug. 1.
“For this exhibit,” Bynum said, “we defined ‘adornments’ as anything that was chosen to complete or complement an outfit. We chose jewelry, gloves, parasols, stoles, muffs, ties, handbags, and hats. We left out things like jackets and shoes because those items seemed more like necessary objects of clothing rather than adornments.
“Fashion has been a part of Rogers since the city’s founding in 1881,” Bynum continued. “There are some wonderful pieces in this exhibit that really showcase the stylish people of Rogers’ past,” she added, whether that be with “a colorful hat bought at a local hat shop, a simple beaded bracelet made to show pride in your city, or a snazzy silk tie bought a one of the city’s clothing stores.”
Bynum said while researching objects, museum staffers often find interesting information that helps them better interpret items.
“We discover more about the object itself and can put them in context of the exhibit,” she explained. “For example, one of the hats on display was simply listed as ‘hat’ in the collections database. Turns out it is a Schiaparelli, who was a famous Italian designer that created innovative fashions between 1927 and 1954. So not just a normal hat, but one created by a popular mid-century fashion designer.”
Bynum said she has a couple of favorite artifacts, one a feather hat (circa 1910) that belonged to Vera Key, a Rogers native, one of the founders of the museum, and the Museum Commission’s first chair. The other, she said, is an eccentric alligator purse that belonged to the wife of a local grocery store owner.
“Of course we didn’t leave out the gentlemen,” she added. “We have some men’s hats, watches, jewelry, ties, and wallets.” And, she said, “a lot of the same adornments from the past are still popular.
“Jewelry, purses and bags, hair ornaments, and neckties are still common accessories,” she said. “Of course, items have continued to evolve with technology. Personally, when I think of 21st century adornments, I think of cell phones with an eye-catching case, souvenir totes bags from a favorite museum, smart watches with watch bands to match different outfits, and maybe some costume jewelry passed down from a grandmother.
“Based on what we displayed, the citizens of Rogers have always been making a statement.”
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FAQ
‘Fashion Accessories’
WHEN — Through Aug. 1; hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday
WHERE — Rogers Historical Museum, 313 S. Second St. in Rogers
COST — Free
INFO — rogershistoricalmuseum.org
(Courtesy Photo)
(Courtesy Photo)
(Courtesy Photo)
(Courtesy Photo)
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