The Sag Harbor Historical Museum, Sag Harbor New York
2025 Summer Exhibition - Wedding Dresses 1840 to 1925 From Victorian Fashion to the Roaring 20s
A celebration of bridal fashion and the women of Sag Harbor and the East End who wore and donated these remarkable garments. Before the 1840s, practicality and budget often dictated a bride’s choice of dress, which could be of any color—including black. It was Queen Victoria’s 1840 wedding to Prince Albert that helped popularize the white wedding gown, setting a precedent that continues to the present.
The exhibition opens with a striking black wedding gown from the 1840s, on loan from the Shelter Island History Museum, offering a rare glimpse into pre-Victorian bridal fashion. Also on view is a unique 1861 gown made from pineapple fiber, worn by the daughter of a Shelter Island whaling captain, and a photograph of Mary Gardiner Horsford’s 1877 Victorian wedding dress, courtesy of Sylvester Manor. The exhibit continues through the decades with an elegant Edwardian gown from 1912, and culminates in the sleek silhouette of a 1920s flapper wedding dress once worn by Sag Harbor resident Mary Matles.
The centerpiece of the show is a recreation of Annie Cooper Boyd’s late Victorian 1895 white silk wedding gown, meticulously crafted and recreated by Nancy’s Tailoring of Noyac. The Sag Harbor Historical Museum’s home is Annie Cooper Boyd’s house, which preserves Annie’s personal papers, paintings, and clothing. Annie, born in 1864 in Sag Harbor, married John Boyd of Brooklyn in 1895. Her recreated gown, with its extravagant late-Victorian sleeves, stands alongside her original wedding shoes, honeymoon photographs, letters, and diary entries—offering a deeply personal window into her life and times.
A celebration of bridal fashion and the women of Sag Harbor and the East End who wore and donated these remarkable garments. Before the 1840s, practicality and budget often dictated a bride’s choice of dress, which could be of any color—including black. It was Queen Victoria’s 1840 wedding to Prince Albert that helped popularize the white wedding gown, setting a precedent that continues to the present.
The exhibition opens with a striking black wedding gown from the 1840s, on loan from the Shelter Island History Museum, offering a rare glimpse into pre-Victorian bridal fashion. Also on view is a unique 1861 gown made from pineapple fiber, worn by the daughter of a Shelter Island whaling captain, and a photograph of Mary Gardiner Horsford’s 1877 Victorian wedding dress, courtesy of Sylvester Manor. The exhibit continues through the decades with an elegant Edwardian gown from 1912, and culminates in the sleek silhouette of a 1920s flapper wedding dress once worn by Sag Harbor resident Mary Matles.
The centerpiece of the show is a recreation of Annie Cooper Boyd’s late Victorian 1895 white silk wedding gown, meticulously crafted and recreated by Nancy’s Tailoring of Noyac. The Sag Harbor Historical Museum’s home is Annie Cooper Boyd’s house, which preserves Annie’s personal papers, paintings, and clothing. Annie, born in 1864 in Sag Harbor, married John Boyd of Brooklyn in 1895. Her recreated gown, with its extravagant late-Victorian sleeves, stands alongside her original wedding shoes, honeymoon photographs, letters, and diary entries—offering a deeply personal window into her life and times.
In 2024 Marcasiano undertook an archival project of the 400 plus collection of garments at the Sag Harbor Historical Museum . The project took over 9 months and consisted of sorting, analyzing, cataloging, giving acquisition numbers, and labeling the garments using museum PastPerfect software. The process of revealing and organizing the collection, along with researching Annie Cooper Boyd's diaries and photographs, led to the exhibition"Sag Harbor Summers 1882-1907" co-curated with Alexandra McNear.
For Curatorial or Archival Services contact MARCASIANO INC - [email protected]
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