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Description
On March 28, 2026, nationally renowned textile expert Lynne Bassett will present “Federalist Fathers and Republican Mothers: The Fashions of John and Abigail Adams. ” Using letters, garments, portraits, fashion plates, and satirical cartoons from the period to keep things buoyant, Bassett will demonstrate how both early and contemporary Americans have expressed their national and personal character through their clothing choices. The free event will be held at 2 p.m. and preceded by a reception at 1:30 p.m.
Bassett maintains that fashion isn’t frivolous. “It’s an important document manifesting a period’s culture, economy and labor,” she says, “and a valuable means of examining women’s history.” She notes that John and Abigail both expressed their personal and national character through their choice of clothing. Their judgment of others’ choices in fashion, though, brings some levity to the subject. One example includes a letter in which Abagail quips, “Most of [the Ladies]…wear their Cloaths too Scant, upon the body & too full upon the Bosom for my fancy; not content with the Show Which nature bestows, they borrow from art, and literally looke like Nursing Mothers.”
Date & Time
Sat, Mar 28, 2026 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Venue Details
New Haven Museum
114 Whitney AvenueNew Haven, Connecticut 06510
