44 and 56 Lawrence Ave, Newport , RI 02840

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"Fashion and Longing: Gilded Age Dress in New England" explores a transformative period in Newport's social and cultural history through a critical analysis of dress and adornment.

The exhibition is on display in the Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery through Sunday, Nov. 24. Located in the Antone Academic Center, the gallery is handicap accessible with parking along Lawrence and Leroy avenues. Its exhibits are open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The gallery is closed on Mondays.

"Fashion and Longing" transports viewers to a time of booming industrialism and transatlantic exchange - a period of affluence and aspiration in cities like New York and Newport. The exhibition presents fashions from the late 19th and early 20th centuries on loan from the University of Rhode Island's Historic Textile and Costume Collection. Highlights include a range of different garments including afternoon and evening wear, a mourning dress, a bathing costume and a wool coat. From sportswear to formal wear, from hand-stitched items to hats and fans, this one-of-a-kind exhibition features articles of clothing for different occasions and times of the year, offering insight into the lives of Gilded Age New Englanders.

The exhibition was made possible through a partnership with Rebecca Kelly, a textile conservator and dress historian from the University of Rhode Island’s Department of Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design. Kelly curated the selection of historic garments in collaboration with the show’s co-curators, Ernest Jolicoeur and Anthony F. Mangieri of Salve Regina's Department of Art and Art History. Students in Jolicoeur and Mangieri’s advanced art history class served as assistant curators on this exhibition and are currently working on a digital humanities project to advance our understanding of these garments.

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