Unveiled Wedding Dresses

Unveiled: Wedding Wear in 19th-century New York

November 18, 2021 to December 31, 2023
New York Metropolis Hall

In choosing their wedding clothes, brides and grooms are influenced by fashion, economics, technology, religion, geography, celebrity, personal taste, and their role in society. This was as much the case in 19th and 20th centuries New York as it is today. 

Wedding clothing holds memories, and pieces—dresses, shoes, suits, and head wear—are often preserved and passed to subsequent generations. A couple’s choices reveal historical information about both the individuals who wore them and those who made them. Some garments find their way to museum collections. This exhibition will unveil stories of select New Yorkers.

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