First Ladies’ Gowns May Hit Road: Dallas Seeks Exhibit

The First Ladies’ gowns--scheduled to go off exhibit in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History after Labor Day--may go to Dallas for a year.

The gowns, together with the Hope diamond and Charles Lindbergh’s airplane, Spirit of St. Louis, have been the most visited objects in the Smithsonian Institution. Meanwhile, protests about closing the popular attraction and especially about transporting the fragile, historic gowns are beginning.

“It’s like prostituting the First Ladies’ gowns, sending them out on the street to raise money,” said Margaret Klapthor, curator emeritus of the National Museum of American History. “The Smithsonian has always turned down requests for the dresses to travel. They’re far too fragile. Why, it takes half a day just to undress one, and twice as long to dress it. I don’t think the dresses should be taken off the mannequins at all.”

Roger Kennedy, director of the history museum, said: “I don’t know if there will be a tour of First Ladies’ gowns.” But he added it’s “a suggestion which logically could be made.”

John Crain, director of the Dallas Historical Society, said: “We understand that a loan is a possibility. Though we can’t anticipate what the Smithsonian will do. I hope to hear something by October.” The Dallas society is hoping to borrow (and pay a considerable fee for the privilege) at least some of the gowns for an exhibition to open its new Hall of State in 1988-89.

Kennedy said he’s trying to get a large donation to reinstall the First Ladies Hall. “The precise date depends on the arrival of good news. We are trying for a large donation of money from a private source to help pay for the conservation of the dresses.

“The cost could go to $500,000. We won’t know how much until we get the costumes off the mannequins and look at the undersides.”

He would not say where the money was expected to come from. But he did say he hopes to reinstall the First Ladies’ gowns eventually “in a new setting. They’ll be a part of a complete redo of the presidential collections, including the gowns, the White House china and furniture. It will be installed on the second floor of the museum in as large and handsome a space as they now occupy. The First Ladies won’t be cramped as long as I’m around.”

The new hall could cost at least $1 million dollars, Kennedy said.

“If we had to wait for a congressional appropriation and the Office of Management and Budget, or to be fitted into the Smithsonian’s overall budget, it would take longer than I want to wait. That’s why we’re looking for private funding.”

“The Texas loan is only a preliminary proposal at this time. We’re exploring ways to pay for the conservation,” said Marilyn Lyons, American History Museum director of external affairs. “I have sent out letters to a select group of corporations asking for donations but I haven’t called them yet.”

An exhibit area is to be built for the 44 dresses and the 750 or so furnishings.

Meanwhile, the oldest dresses will be taken off exhibit for a yet unknown length of time to be conserved. The dresses of the six living first ladies will remain in their Red Room setting for now.