The James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library, located at 908 Charles Street, will showcase its entire costume collection in a new exhibit when the refurbished museum holds its grand reopening for the public on Sunday, October 18 from 1 to 5 p.m.
“Our Face to the World: The Clothing of James and Elizabeth Monroe” includes 42 pieces, making the display one of the largest complete presidential costume collections in the country.
Highlights of the exhibit include Elizabeth Monroe’s wedding dress and two vests James Monroe wore as a soldier during the Revolutionary War. Suits, hats, shoes and other accessories are also part of the display.
The exhibit will be on display through April 2010.
In 2007, the museum was awarded a prestigious Save America’s Treasures grant through the National Park Service and the National Endowment for the Arts to restore the artifacts to their original appearance from the late 1700s and early 1800s. The pieces came to the museum through Monroe’s direct descendants.
Beginning October 18, the museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
The museum, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Virginia and is administered by the University of Mary Washington, closed in February for major interior renovations.
For more information about the museum, visit www.umw.edu/jamesmonroemuseum or call (540) 654-1043.