Madelyn Shaw, retired Curator of Textiles at the Smithsonian, will discuss Blithewold Mansion’s significant collection of late 19th- and early 20th-century fine women’s clothing and accessories – all belonging to Bessie and Marjorie Van Wickle. Afterward, guests can enjoy afternoon tea in the dining room and be the first to view the new exhibit, “Summer Fashion!” There will also be two behind the scenes tours available to add on to the ticket.

One talk, scheduled for Saturday, March 22, has already sold out. Another date has been added for Friday, March 21. The talk begins at 2 p.m.

One of the wonders of Blithewold, beyond its beauty, is the sheer size of its collections. These are items that the family loved, including a very fine costume collection. They have more than 100 pieces of clothing, as well as boxes and boxes of hats, gloves, purses, shoes, and other accessories that were worn by the Van Wickle McKee family from the 1880s to the 1930s. Every year, two costume exhibitions are held.

Preserving a collection like this is exacting work requiring great skill, and those efforts are expensive. All proceeds from this talk and tea support the Costume Collection conservation.

• Tea and Talk: $80
• Add on a Behind the Scenes Costume Storage Tour: $30

• For tickets, go to: https://www.blithewold.org/event/blithewold-costume-collection-tea-and-talk/