The White House Historical Association, a private non-profit organization founded by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961, has announced a new academic partnership with the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University. The Association will sponsor a semester-long internship that will support the work of NYU Costume Studies graduate student Maegan Jenkins – the Association’s inaugural Digital Exhibition intern.
Jenkins will create a digital exhibit, Glamour and Innovation: The Women Behind the Seams of Fashion at the White House, that will highlight the storied careers of eight independent and lesser-known female designers, seamstresses, and couturiers who created designs for several first ladies.
Through a mix of archival photography, portraits, and press clippings, Jenkins’ exhibit will cover over a hundred years in fashion history, beginning with Elizabeth Keckley, Mary Lincoln’s dressmaker who was born enslaved.
The internship project aligns with the Association’s focus for 2022 on “White House Tastemakers and Trendsetters,” which encompasses a closer look at the cuisine, fashion, social traditions, and individuals who lived, visited, or worked in the White House and inspired or influenced American culture.
For more information on the White House Historical Association, please visit whitehousehistory.org.
