Contact: Keri O’Keefe, Wisconsin Historical Society
(608)-261-9597
keri.okeefe@wisconsinhistory.org
Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin – Villa Louis will open its 2017 season with a new exhibit that will be displaying fifty years of Wisconsin fashion as seen through wedding dresses. The exhibit, “And the Bride Wore: 50 Years of Wisconsin Wedding Fashion,” showcases the changing styles of Wisconsin Brides through twelve wedding dresses and one groom’s suit dating from the years 1857 – 1907. The exhibit was designed to focus on the era of women who lived in the Villa Louis Mansion. This era, the Victorian and Edwardian time periods, holds unique fashion trends that will be showcased as they appeared in Wisconsin at the time. The change of fashion through this time period is representative of the real women who made choices of what to wear based on socioeconomic status, location in Wisconsin, and the time period in which they were married. Of the many styles to be represented will be the wedding dress worn by Villa Louis resident, Virginia Dousman, when she was married at Villa Louis in 1904. Taken together these dresses represent the fashions, trends, and fads the Dousman women would have known, experienced, and worn in Villa Louis.
“The exhibit is designed to showcase not only the wedding dresses but it will also bring to life each bride’s wedding story through historic wedding gowns and family photographs,” said Susan Caya-Slusser, site director for Villa Louis. “These treasured garments are more than just beautiful gowns as they reveal stories of the past.” In addition to the gowns, Caya-Slusser said they will also have shoes, veils, bonnets, underwear, and other accessories on display.
Curated by Leslie Bellais, curator of social history at the Wisconsin Historical Society, this beautiful exhibit of wedding dresses will give viewers an opportunity to learn about each of the women’s lives at the time of their wedding. Through the wedding dresses, each woman will have the opportunity to have their story told. The dresses have long been preserved and range in materials from silk, to lace, and even wool. During this time, brides used a wide variety of colors for their dresses which is represented in the collection including a brown, blue, copper, and the now traditional white dress.
During opening weekend (May 13, 2017) and weekends in June, Villa Louis will expand the exhibit even further by letting visitors taste historically baked replica weddings cakes and punch.
Set-up throughout the mansion, the exhibit will be on display through September 10, 2017 and will coincide with the Villa Louis Mansion tour. Villa Louis is open daily from May 13 – Nov. 12. For more details visit villalouis.org or call 608-326-2721.
About Villa Louis: The historic Villa Louis mansion is the centerpiece of a grand Victorian estate built by the family of Hercules Dousman, a frontier entrepreneur who amassed a fortune in the fur trade and other frontier investments. The mansion has just undergone a top-to-bottom documentary restoration that has returned the Dousman home to the splendor of its 1890s heyday, using British Arts and Crafts interior designs inspired by famed designer William Morris.
About Wisconsin Historical Society: The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit wisconsinhistory.org.
