Pasadena Museum of History E-Calendar
April 2013

In This Issue
Featured Object
Featured Event
Current Exhibition
Upcoming Events
Featured Object

 
 
Image: Bride Margaret Mortenson with her attendants. June 26, 1920. Main Photo Collection (People-M).

 

Chicago lumber heiress Margeret Mortenson married a young banker, Ernest Crawford May (1889-1974) in the garden of her parent's winter residence at 184 South Orange Grove. The Tudor Revival house and grounds were later purchased by Ambassador College and converted to a girls' dormitory.


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Special Offer for Members & Patrons

 

A Noise Within is offering a special discount to PMH Members and Patrons to see their current play,
Eurydice (running now through May 19).

 

To redeem this offer and get $10 off, use code: PMH10 at online checkout.  Tickets can be purchased at www.anoisewithin.org.  

About the Museum

 

Founded in 1924 to preserve and share the rich history, art, and culture of Pasadena and neighboring communities, Pasadena Museum of History has developed into one of the country's premiere institutions of its size.   

 

PMH is an independent nonprofit cultural institution funded by generous gifts from foundations, corporations, businesses, individuals, and our members.

 

The Mission of the Museum is to promote an appreciation of history, culture, arts, and sciences relevant to Pasadena and adjoining communities.

 

Our e-calendar, available to Members and Non-Members alike, is designed to keep our supporters informed about happenings and upcoming events at Pasadena Museum of History. 
Featured Event

So You Think You Know Everything About Wedding Traditions. . . Do You?
 

Sunday, April 7, 2:00 pm

 

Join I Do! I Do! co-curator Janet Kadin as she discusses how the wedding ceremony has reflected the role of women in society since biblical times. She'll answer such questions as why does the bride's father lead her down the aisle, while her mother sits among the guests? Kadin will also unveil the hidden meaning behind wedding accompaniments such as the bride's veil and ring.  

 

Tickets: Members $10; Non-Members $15. Reservations and prepayment required. Purchase tickets online or by calling 1.800.838.3006, ext. 1.

 

Current Exhibition
 

I Do! I Do! Pasadena Ties the Knot 

1850 to 1950 

Open Now through July 14 

 

PMH presents I Do! I Do! Pasadena Ties the Knot,a two-part exhibition showcasing the wedding dress as an icon of social customs through the decades from the mid-nineteenth century to present day. Part I of the exhibition, which runs through July 14, displays historic wedding dresses from the Museum's Costume and Textile Collection and presents the local narratives associated with the gowns. Exhibition donors include: Elizabeth Smalley, M.D., Donald Bergmann, Suzanne Ehrmann, Sheryl and Ed Peters, Roberta and Larry Dumas, and PMH's Textile Arts Council.

 

Pasadenans have been walking down the aisle following age-old traditions since the arrival of the first settlers of the Indiana Colony. Part I of I Do! I Do! exhibits more than forty bridal gowns illustrating the evolution of the wedding dress from a woman's best dress worn in weddings of the 1860s, to the lace and high waists of the 1900s, the long silk trains of the 1930s, and finally the hourglass silhouettes of the 1950s.

 

I Do! I Do! Part I was curated by PMH Trustee Elizabeth Smalley, M.D.; collections volunteer Suzanne Ehrmann; Trustee Janet Kadin; and collections volunteer Sheryl Peters.  Smalley and Ehrmann spent over two years preparing for the exhibition, reviewing, researching, and photographing over seventy gowns before selecting forty-two for display. The exhibition text and the section covering the Fenyes-Curtin-Paloheimo weddings were developed by Kadin. Peters lent her extensive knowledge of vintage textiles and costumes to the exhibition dressing the complicated and delicate early gowns as well as overseeing the shaping of the more contemporary dresses. She also introduced the text and illustrations on corsetry to the exhibition. The co-curators worked closely with staff to include photographs, ephemera, and objects from the Museum's collections.

  
 
Image:  Wedding dress. Silk satin, faux pearls, lace, chiffon, and netting. Worn by Margaret Whitney Collins in 1915 and Julia Collins Haselton in 1964. Gift of Julia Collins (Costume & Textile Collection, 2009.012.01.). Photo by Aaron Gil, www.fotonuova.com.

Upcoming Events

      

Woven Treaures: Textiles in the Fenyes Collection

Saturday, April 13, 11:00 am

 

Please join us for a brief - 30 minute - look at the variety of textiles found in the Fenyes Mansion: from bed coverings and quilts to clothing.  

 

Tickets:  Free.  Reservations are limited and available online or by calling 1.800.838.3006, ext. 1.


Image:  Skullcap, c. 1894.  Velvet, silk, and thread.  Made by Leonora Scott Muse Curtin (1879-1972) for Leonard Franklin Scott (1810-1895).  (FCP Collection, 2000.019.0462)


Lecture & Book Signing with Elizabeth Pomeroy: In Search of San Marino History
Thursday, April 18, 7:30 pm 
   

What makes San Marino, San Marino? Author and historian Elizabeth Pomeroy pursues theories on this question, tracing the arc of history starting with the land and its promises. From the rare topography to the arrival of Henry Huntington and the aura of his estate, this small city has followed a singular path - and managed its own identity all along the way. Books will be available for purchase.  

 

Tickets: Members $10: Non-Members $15 (includes reception, lecture & gallery entrance); Reservations are required and available online or by calling 1.800.838.3006, ext. 1.  Limited tickets may be available at the door for an extra $5 charge.

 

 

Image: A young military cadet, George S. Patton, left (standing), with his family in 1903.

 

 

Other April Events:

Sunny Tales from Around the World (4/10) - a children's story time event
Textile Arts Council Fundraiser (4/13 & 4/14) - sale of 20th and 21st century traditional & contemporary African textiles & art
Room to Room: Interior Details & Discoveries (4/26) - spotlight tour focusing on five subjects in five different locations in the Fenyes Mansion

 


Vroman's Gives Back Program

 

Vroman's logo If you shop at Vroman's Bookstore, please sign up for their Gives Back program.  The program is very simple. When signing up for the program, you choose a charitable organization within the community to receive a rebate on every purchase you make.  PMH is one of a number of worthy organizations that benefit from Vroman's generosity.  Signing up is quick and easy. Register online, or in person when you check out at either of Vroman's Pasadena locations.  To date, Vroman's has given back more than $595,658 to our community.  As you can see, every little bit helps.  Please sign up today!