March 11, 2011- October 30, 2011

 What were 18^th century Pennsylvania residents wearing and where did they get it?  Starting March 11, visit Carlisle, PA to find out in the Cumberland County Historical Society’s upcoming exhibit: From Fiber to Fashion:  The Fabric of Early Cumberland County.  Biographies of a local spinner, weaver, tailor, and merchant illustrate interactions with fellow county residents from 1750 - 1820 as well as with merchants from Pennsylvania and Europe.  Based on the popular book Cloth and Costume 1750 to 1800 by Tandy and Charles Hersh, the exhibit features textiles referenced in this publication, as well as artifacts from the CCHS collection, other museums, and private collectors.  The exhibit, funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, is open free to the public from March 11, 2011 through October 29, 2011.  

Associated events with this exhibit include a free demonstration and hands-on day for families on Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 10 a.m. – 12 noon.  On Tuesday, September 27, 2011, at 7 p.m.,  CCHS will host a free lecture by Dr. Karin Bohleke, director of the Shippensburg University Fashion Archives.  In an entertaining yet scholarly presentation, she will discuss and demonstrate the workings of early American clothing.  This exhibit and associated events have been supported in part by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, the Federal-State Partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Guest-curated by local author and historian Merri Lou Schaumann, this exhibit encompasses the colorful world of plank bottom chairs from their creation in the workshop to their home in the parlor. Showcased in 19th century room settings, you will see how the trends of the day affected the styles and decoration of plank bottom chairs, and you will come away from the exhibit with a new appreciation for these chairs and the men who made them.  
 

1820s vignette in the Miller Gallery