Queen Victoria “Reigns” at The Connecticut Historical Society’s New Exhibit

Queen Victoria is synonymous with fashion and culture – inspiring and influencing fashion and daily life around England, Europe and even Connecticut during her 60-year reign. The Connecticut Historical Society’snew exhibit, “Victorian Fashion Crosses the Pond, 1840-1900,” will take a closer look at ways the Victorian era affected American culture including elaborate mourning customs and attire, courting rituals and leisure practices, and how these ideas translated into what women wore. The exhibit, which runs from August 10 – September 30, 2017, will be housed in the first-floor gallery at the CHS and will feature choice examples from the CHS costume collection that illustrate the dramatic shift in women’s fashion over the last half of the nineteenth century.

The CHS is also hosting “Reigning Fashion: Victoria and the Queen, 1837 – 1901,” a presentation by Lynne Z. Bassett, renowned costume and textile historian, writer and lecturer. This talk will focus on Queen Victoria as a fashion leader, and will assess the historical accuracy of the costumes used in the first season of the PBS drama Victoria. This event will be held on Thursday, September 14, 5:30-7:00 p.m. and reservations can be made at rsvp@chs.org or 860-236-5621 x238.

“Queen Victoria never seems to go out of style, and she continues to have an impact on our culture as expressed through television, movies, art and fashion,” said Jody Blankenship, CEO of the CHS. “This exhibit shows the link between the Queen and the clothing of Connecticut’s middle- and upper-class women. We also delve into the Victorian effect on our use and enjoyment of flowers, our rituals of mourning, and even women’s sports. All these elements are combined into a wonderful exhibit we hope is enjoyed by many.”