Inside the Inaugural Party Scene

Inauguration Day. The ceremony that brought William Jefferson Clinton to power last month resonates for most Americans as the essence of a political structure: the peaceful transference of power.

But it’s the parties afterward that really capture the public interest.

At least, that’s what the Whittier Historical Society is hoping.

With its newest exhibit at its museum, “The Nixon Collection: Inaugural Gowns and Memorabilia from Four Administrations,” the society takes its guests back to January, 1969: the inaugural ball of Richard M. Nixon. Or back further, to 1953: the Dwight D. Eisenhower inauguration when Nixon was a young vice president.

Now there were some parties. And the museum is trying to keep their memories alive with dresses, photographs and souvenirs.

The museum has a collection of gowns worn by Whittier women to four inaugural balls--including three dresses worn by Nixon’s sister-in-law, Clara Jane Nixon.

Also on display will be tickets to the balls, programs, matchbooks and license plate holders, all commemorating the ascent of Richard Nixon to power.

“This exhibit has kind of a hometown feeling, like ‘Whittier Goes to the Ball,’ ” said Susan Doniger, the museum’s acting executive director.

The centerpieces of the exhibit are the 18 ball gowns donated or loaned by Whittier women. With Nixon’s inaugural parties spanning two decades, the gowns offer a quick overview of fashion from the 1950s into the ‘70s, Doniger said.

“We’ve got everything from brocade to polyester out there,” Doniger said. “It’s really an amazing collection.”

The exhibit includes a bit of inaugural history, as well. It includes the story of Andrew (Old Hickory) Jackson’s inaugural ball in 1829. The populist President invited the entire nation to his party. He learned that if you put your faith in the people, they will trash your house. He woke the next morning to find draperies destroyed, carpet burned and furniture overturned.

And Abraham Lincoln, Doniger said, overcame a positively gloomy first inauguration on the eve of the Civil War to have a second ball in 1865 that rivaled Jackson’s.

In a photograph of Nixon’s 1973 party, the ballroom appears just as packed as Jackson’s or Lincoln’s parties at the White House, but the crowd was better behaved, Doniger said.

The exhibit, which runs through March, is open Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. in the museum’s upstairs gallery. Admission is $2 for adults, $1.50 for students and 50 cents for children.

The museum is at 6755 Newlin Ave., Whittier. Information: (310) 945-3871.