History in every stitch: Westport Historical Society presents 'Wedding Dress Retrospective'

Kristina Fontes, The Herald News
·2 min read

WESTPORT — Say yes to the dress.

Well, the dress retrospective, that is.

The Westport Historical Society presents a new exhibit at the Handy House: “A Wedding Dress Retrospective,” now on display through Sept. 24.

This is “an exhibition of wedding gown style and elegance through the decades,” the Westport Historical Society said in a press release.

Featuring 14 bridal gowns from the late 19th century to 1950, Westport Historical Society Executive Director Jenny O’Neill told The Herald News that these gowns have been loaned for the exhibit by members of the Westport community.

The dresses “illustrate a wide variety of styles, such as a simple hand-sewn 1920s bridal gown, to a practical late 1800s brown silk dress that could be worn for other occasions,” O’Neill said.

“Many women dream of their ideal wedding dress,” said Blair Walker, exhibition curator. “Each dress is a realization of one of those dreams.”

Some of the wedding dresses on display at the "Wedding Dress Retrospective" exhibit at the Handy House in Westport.
Some of the wedding dresses on display at the "Wedding Dress Retrospective" exhibit at the Handy House in Westport.

Those wedding-day dreams also tell the stories of local families; there’s history in every stitch.

“Several dresses have been worn by multiple generations of one family,” O’Neill said. “The silk wedding dress worn by Harriet Marvel Davol in 1879 was also worn by Harriet’s great-granddaughter in 1967.”

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Dresses for the display were provided by: Susan Bailey, Deborah Crossley, Jane Zembo Dufault, Tracy Greenwood, Florence Lees, Nancy MacEachern, Susan Montgomery, Susanne Carter Peck, Lisa Moody Reed, Terry Somerson and Mary Ellen White.

There are special curator-led tours of the exhibition scheduled throughout the summer.

The exhibit is free, and open every Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Handy House, 202 Hix Bridge Rd.

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For more information, contact the Westport Historical Society at 508-636-6011, or visit their website: www.wpthistory.org.

Herald News/Taunton Daily Gazette copy editor and digital producer Kristina Fontes can be reached at kfontes@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Wedding Dress Retrospective on display at Westport's Handy House