Explore Gilded Age Fashion at Newport’s Latest Exhibit

Salve Regina University’s Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery is hosting a captivating new exhibition, Fashion and Longing: Gilded Age Dress in New England, running from October 10 to November 24. This showcase transports visitors to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time of extravagant fashion and booming industrialism, especially in cities like Newport and New York.

“This was a period of affluence and aspiration,” says Ernest Jolicoeur, co-curator and professor of art and art history at Salve Regina. Jolicoeur, along with co-curator Anthony F. Mangieri, emphasizes how middle-class New Englanders aspired to emulate the opulence of families like the Astors and Vanderbilts. The garments featured in the exhibit reflect this drive for social elevation through style.

Visitors can explore a wide range of clothing, from intricate evening gowns to casual sportswear. Items like a bathing costume, mourning dresses, and hand-stitched accessories provide a vivid glimpse into the era's fashion choices. “The collection shows how people dressed for different occasions, seasons, and levels of formality,” explains Jolicoeur. Each garment has been carefully curated in collaboration with Rebecca Kelly, a textile conservator and dress historian from the University of Rhode Island. 

What sets this exhibit apart is the contribution from Salve Regina students, who served as assistant curators and developed a digital humanities project to deepen the understanding of the garments on display. The exhibit offers a rare opportunity to experience Gilded Age fashion up close while exploring the broader social and cultural transformations of the era. The public is invited to an opening reception on October 10 from 5-7pm at the gallery. For more information, visit Salve.edu.