<

From the Mantuamaker to the Bicentennial: The Use & Reuse of 18th Century Gowns

  • August 18, 2026 6:30 PM

  • Historic Rock Ford

    881 Rockford Road
    Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17602
Ticket Price $5.72-$11.54 Register Now
Description

Historic Rock Ford's Fashion of the 18th and 19th Century Lecture Series presents "From the Mantuamaker to the Bicentennial: The Use & Reuse of 18th Century Gowns.” Before the Industrial Revolution, expensive handwoven textiles and the handsewn gown made from them were used, altered and mended. Textile Conservator, Margaret O’Neil of Costume and Conservation, will discuss the many lives of these pre-industrial garments from their beginnings in the mantuamaker shop to their reuse in liturgical vestments, Victorian fancy dress, Colonial Revival home furnishings, and museum objects through her past conservation treatments and archival research.

This presentation will begin at 6:30 PM in the Langmuir Education Room located on the first floor of the Rock Ford Barn. The presentation will be approximately two hours in length. Please note that admission is for the lecture only and does not include the Snyder Gallery.  

About the Presenter:  Margaret O’Neil is a textile conservator working in the Philadelphia area. She graduated from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation in 2023. She has worked at a variety of museums and cultural institutions including the Philadelphia Art Museum, The Minnesota Historical Society, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Textile Conservation Lab at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and the National Museum of the American Indian. She is interested in historical dress from the 17th through 20th centuries.

Date & Time

Tue, Aug 18, 2026 6:30 PM

Venue Details

Historic Rock Ford

881 Rockford Road
Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17602 Historic Rock Ford
Rock Ford Foundation

Historic Rock Ford is comprised of the circa 1794 General Edward Hand Mansion and the John J. Snyder, Jr. Gallery of Early Lancaster County Decorative Arts. Our historic site is situated on 33 acres of gardens, woods and grounds surrounded by Lancaster County Central Park located in the southeast corner of Lancaster City.  This remarkable estate offers visitors the opportunity to encounter the outstanding original late-Georgian style architecture of the Hand Mansion, to experience its rooms furnished in exquisite period style while, in the Snyder Gallery, to explore a nationally recognized collection of Lancaster County decorative arts dating from circa 1760 to 1820 including furniture, portraiture, long rifles, tall case clocks, silver, and much more. 


Find more Rock Ford Foundation Events