Sedona Heritage Museum
Clothing is measured and catalogued for preservation by Sedona museum volunteers
The Sedona Heritage Museum was recently given two extensive clothing collections for preservation. First, after the passing of Anne Jordan Jackson, her family donated almost 150 pieces of clothing from multiple generations of the Woolf, Jordan and Bristow families. The age of the pieces range from the 1890s to the 1970s.
Of special interest is the formal dress and handmade crown Anne Jordan Jackson wore when she was Homecoming Queen at Cottonwood High School in the 1940s, and her wedding dress and veil. The collection illustrates the evolving fashion trends and fabric and sewing notion changes over time. The choices, repairs and remodeling of the pieces also help to illuminate the tastes and economic conditions of the wearers and the times they lived in.
To clean, catalog and properly store the collection, the Museum’s Collections Committee called for assistance from professionals with the appropriate background. Dr. Vicki L. Berger, ret. Curator of Costume and Textiles and Collections Management, North Carolina Museum of History, and currently a Board Member and Secretary of the Costume Committee of the International Council of Museums, and Board Member and Treasurer of the Costume Society of America, Southwest Region, answered that call.
Accompanied by two colleagues, Bethany Baker and Faith Oberstein, the team spent a day in December assisting Museum volunteer Janeen Trevillyan and staffer Ann Rasor in cataloging the first few items and helping to assemble a materials order for storage products. Since Ms. Berger teaches Collections Care Workshops for AASLH, she began the day with a tutorial and case study.
Anne Jackson’s family dedicated the proceeds from her memorial fund toward the purchase of archival supplies. “The family has been very generous to the Museum with these donations.” said Collections Committee Chair Janeen Trevillyan. “Before the project is complete, we will be needing another $1000 or so in supplies and many hours of volunteer time to process, catalog and store.” she continued.
The second collection is being termed “Mary’s Closet” and is the remains of Mary Hancock’s wardrobe, a Sedona area pioneer. A life-long seamstress, when Mary reached a certain age, she sewed a closet full of dresses and nightgowns – enough to last her the rest of her life. Many examples of this wardrobe along with earlier clothing of hers are now part of the Museum’s permanent Collection and also need to be cleaned, cataloged and stored in archival materials.
To learn more or donate to the Sedona Heritage Museum Collections projects fund, call 928-282-7038 or email sedonamuseum@esedona.net. The Sedona Heritage Museum is located at 735 Jordan Rd within the City’s Jordan Historical Park and open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Visit the Sedona Museum web site at www.sedonamuseum.org today.
