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Historic Waco Foundation owns, curates, preserves and exhibits over 3500 garments, flat textiles and accessories. This is the Heritage Collection, and it spans over a century, from early Texas settlement through WWII. Many pieces belonged to early Wacoans. |
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Just as Historic Waco Foundation’s landmark Victorian homes and their furnishings tell the story of early Waco, the Heritage Collection reveals much about the personal lives of the inhabitants. All the rites of life’s passage are represented: maternity dresses, christening gowns, baby clothes, party dresses, coming-out gowns, wedding gowns, gentlemen’s suits, military uniforms and finally, mourning clothes of widowhood.
Many of the temporary exhibits and vignettes use this collection. The exhibits are featured at Fort House Museum. Seasonal vignettes can also be seen in the other three house museums.
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A Mission to Preserve: Museums in Action
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Today, the constantly growing Heritage Collection is completely catalogued and stored in acid and lignin free tissue and boxes to minimize the agents of deterioration. The management of the collection follows appropriate museum standards and procedures. This collection has a very ardent advocate in its volunteer curator, Claire Masters. Mrs. Masters has a life-long love of fashion history and has studied the subject for many years. Upon her return to Waco she found much of the textile collection distributed throughout the house museums, and stored in less than ideal locations. Mrs. Masters recognized the importance of the collection and the need for appropriate collections management. She set about organizing it, and developing exhibitions from this remarkable resource. Mrs. Masters has created 25 exhibits while working with The Heritage Collection over the past 15 years. She is a member of the Costume Society of America and attends many of its annual symposia.
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"Every
time I turn a garment inside
out to inspect it I always
learn something new about
the past."
--Claire Masters
Curator Emeritus of the Heritage Collection
For
Claire, "it has
been a labor of love
and sacrifice that generated
interest in and commitment
to this collection. I
have always been impressed
with her dedication."
--Calvin B. Smith
Former Director of the Strecker Museum Complex, Waco, Texas
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Examples from
the Heritage Collection |
Garments
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Flat Textiles |
Accessories |
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A
dressy linen apron,
handmade by student
at the Methodist
Orphanage
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A
trim, beautifully
crafted wedding
suit, 1910, made
by one of Waco's
most talented dressmakers
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A
boy's suit of ecru
linen, 1890, with
lace collar and
a kilted skirt
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A
Paris label evening
wrap worn by a
flapper of the
1920s
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An
entire WWI uniform
of a Waco doctor
who served in the
U.S. Army at Camp
MacArthur, Waco
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A silk
crazy quilt trimmed
with lace made
from flax grown,
harvested, processed,
spun and crocheted
by a Waco woman
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An
intricately worked
cotton quilt made
by slaves on a
19th century plantation
presented as a
wedding gift to
their young mistress
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19th and early 20th
century fans collected
by a Waco world-traveler
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A dainty
lace and satin
brassiere, 1920,
appropriately labeled
FLAMING YOUTH
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Date: Circa 1925
Type of fabrication: This pale green, silk crepe, overdress has a halter style sleeveless bodice. It fastens around the neck by a continuous lap of six snap closures. The dress is open from the waist on the sides and in front and back creating four panels that make up the bottom half of the dress.
Ornamentation: The dress has five different types of beads that vary in shapes and colors.
Pearls form flower petals detail on the halter bodice. Different types of beading add variety and texture to this dress.
Demographic: Young women in their 20s with disposable income. These young women were “flappers.”
Today’s Trends: The “flapper” style has been reinterpreted in the Spring 2005 collection of designer Pegah Anvarian.
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