Fashions Collection Rehousing Project

FAIN: PG-52402-15

Molly Brown House Museum (Denver, CO 80203-2417)
Nicole Roush (Project Director: May 2014 to August 2016)

The purchase of supplies to rehouse clothing and accessories in the collections of the Molly Brown House Museum, which interprets the life of socialite and activist Molly Brown (1867-1932). The 2,800-item fashion collection includes Brown’s own clothing and accessories as well as infant wear, boy’s and girl’s wear, jewelry, hats, hair adornments, and other accessories. The collections are used in exhibitions and educational programming that examine the changing roles of women in the early 20th century and Brown’s interests in philanthropy, women's rights, and social reform.

The Molly Brown House Museum holds a fashions collection of 2,800 pieces. These items are from 1867-1932, the years of Mrs. Brown’s life. This collection is an important tool in achieving the Museum’s mission as it reflects the social, cultural and political trends of the time. The Museum is one of very few historic sites dedicated to the story of a woman, and in the Victorian era women’s fashions reflected the quickly evolving role of women as they sought suffrage and a greater role in the public sphere. Current efforts to provide a controlled environment and archival housing are not considered up to best standards due to space available. While best care has been taken under these constraints, comprehensive measures have not been implemented as they are outside of the Museum’s budget. By archivally re-housing this collection, the Museum will further the longevity of a collection important to the Museum’s humanities themes in order to safe guard it for future generations.