A number of elegant gowns and capes from the late 1800s and early 1900s were donated by Winifred Carryl Harris and belonged to her grandmother, Martha Kingsland Carryl (1851-1929). In 2022, Jenise Sileo (a graduate of the NYU Costume Studies program) generously volunteered to research, display, and document four of the garments. Her documentation, along with pictures of the gowns, can be found here. In 2023, Rachel Bellis (a student in the same graduate program, who worked as our fall-semester intern) photographed and properly stored many other items in the collection and undertook in-depth research, documentation, and display of a stunning mourning gown. During a spring 2024 internship with the White House Historical Association, Rachel continued to research mourning clothing and created a digital exhibit called “Black Cloth: Mourning Dress and Drapery at the White House.”

Jenise and Rachel co-presented their research to the history of fashion classes at Nutley High School in November 2023 and at a tea held at the Manor in March 2023.

The collection also includes 1920s beaded bags, other accessories, and lingerie that belonged to Lulu Hartman (“Bus” McGinnity’s wife) and were donated by her daughter, Lorraine McGinnity. We also have a unique collection of 1920s garments, including a bathing suit, on loan from one of our former highschool docents, Amanda Weischedel. The items belonged to her great-grandmother, an artist and sewer. We are planning a second clothing internship in spring of 2025 to research the 1920s collection.