Last month’s little side trip through Oregon along the mighty Columbia River brought us to the bridge that connects Washington State to Oregon via Highway # 97. A faded brown and beige sign pointing north announced Maryhill Museum. A second sign informed us that the museum was five miles away. With no particular deadline to meet at our destination we pointed the car north and followed the road. Friends had briefly mentioned the Maryhill Museum but we were surprised to find a stately manor house in such an isolated area. When we spotted the building we thought we had somehow been transported to Europe. The license plates on cars in the parking lot quickly brought us back to reality, confirming we were in southern Washington State overlooking the Columbia River Valley.
We toured the museum and grounds for well over two hours and felt culturally enriched. Collections of rare gilded furniture from Rumania, paintings and sculptures alongside temporary exhibits of photography and ceramics made time fly. One of the exhibitions I was drawn to and spent an extended period of time with was the “Théâtre de la Mode: Born of Innovation and Necessity”, the Fashion Theater on the top floor.
Let’s set the mood: The lights dimmed, making this the only area in the museum where flash photography was permitted. I immediately felt I had discovered a secret treasure trove – an exhibition hall filled with small scale mannequins dressed in the most exquisite post war clothes I had previously only seen in pictures.
One of the wall plaques informed me that Théâtre de la Mode was created in Paris in the devastating aftermath of the German occupation of World War II. During a bitterly cold winter, the Theater of Fashion was a fascinating component of France’s postwar effort. France was determined to regain its position as leading fashion center in the world and the fashion houses and designers were enthusiastic about assisting the country’s economic recovery.
It was soon realized that the severe shortages of every type of fashion supply made it impossible to design a life-size high fashion collection for 1945. This lack of supplies resulted in the innovative rebirth of a custom dating back to the Middle Ages, that of using dolls to present the latest French fashions. The goal was to have the design collection, scaled to one-third full size, displayed against a backdrop of dramatic theatrical sets.
The two primary sculptors, Eliane Bonabel and Jean Saint-Martin, created the usual wire-body mannequins; a third, Joan Rebull, created the plaster of Paris heads. Each was topped with an individual hair style, and the dolls were sent off to the leading couture houses to be costumed as well as fitted with meticulously designed accessories.
The Théâtre de la Mode was produced by many of the 20th century’s most illustrious fashion and set designers and artists. It was first opened in Paris in 1945 and later traveled to major cities in Europe and the United States. Its spirit of artistic collaboration represented a sense of hope and expectation that the effects of war could be overcome.
I hope you have enjoyed today’s stroll down memory lane. I love fashion and I know there are a few of you out there who do as well… right, Gillian?
(The images are a little dark because I decided to aid in the preservation of the historical artifacts. I used my 50 mm f1.4 lens in manual mode without a flash.)
Anna Hergert, Art & Design 
I am with Leona on this one! How I would love to go this museum with a group of you interested in fashion design and fashion. Thanks so much for taking the photos and posting them Anna. Delightful.
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Glad you enjoyed the post. I highly recommend a visit!
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I guess these costumes would be too big to fit my Barbie dolls but in the pictures they are just the right size. And I would want the matching outfit for me as well. The hats and shoes are what I would need for icing on the cake.
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Yup, costumes are too big for Barbie and a little too small for you! They are 1/3 of adult size clothes.The mannequins measured just a little above my knees. But they were so much fun to examine. I set off the motion sensor alarm several times…
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I believe that is the museum Dale Anne Potter and I went to years ago. It was a bit of an adventure that we had that day (to say the least). Good memories for sure.
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Did you see the Fashion Theater when you were there, Jody?
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The Maryhill Museum is now on my travel list, thanks for this interesting little snippet Anna. Besides the costumes being beautiful the interesting backdrops caught my eye. My recent reading about the time around the world wars fills in the gaps on the intense struggle people would have had to gain some normalicy back in their lives, fashion, dress being one of them.
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Great to hear that you have put the Maryhill Museum on your travel destination list, Hennie! You are so much closer this place. If it wasn’t so far I would return again later this summer. I hope you will send me an email and share your impression of the place after your visit!
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All I can say is “Wow!” I’d love to see this display. As a young girl, I spent hours looking through the Sears catalogue picking out clothing. I especially have a fondness for clothing from the 20s, 40s & 60s.
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How about dressing, undressing and creating clothes for paper dolls? This museum display took me right back to my childhood as well!
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I think that our little design group should take a trip to this area just to see this place, it does sound magical to me. I love things such as clothing, furniture, glassware etc from the past. Maybe I can convince Gillian of this idea, she seems game for lots of different things to do. You could come too, but seeing you have already been ????? and you are also so very busy all the time. Am so looking forward to our next session in August and also in 2014. Leona
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Wouldn’t it be fun to explore the museum and display together? It is definitely a destination to keep in mind!
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