Editor's Note: NCA President Pam Markel came across this article while digging through the NCA archives. It's pertinent today because we are gathering memories and memorabilia for the 100th Birthday Bash in August. If you have something to share, send it to Pam, docmarkel@aol.com
By Virginia Gersney (1968)
At our 1968 convention I was elected Curator of a non-existent NCA museum. Feeling a trifle like Pat Paulson running for President I have assumed that any office is better than none…and hope we can make some strides towards getting a museum for me to curate.
The whole situation began in 1867 when William Krause began Krause Costume Company. When Mel bought the business in 1950, there was almost a century of hoarding to wade through. As we made new wardrobe, we discarded old, just as many of you who have bought old businesses are doing. Luckily, we couldn’t bring ourselves to part with some items and packed them away. When we moved in 1967 saved a cubbyhole of a room for a museum and now have some of those items on display. Innocently enough in Pittsburg I appealed to my worthy colleagues not to destroy this little bit of Americana which belongs to us and which only we can preserve. Three minutes later I was officially elected Curator of the NCA museum.
As there is yet no Board of Directors for this project and certainly no definite policies have been set, the following thoughts have developed among those of us who have discussed the matter.
Please think seriously about any items you would like to contribute to this project. Krause Costume Company has room to store them -even display them until such time that the NCA has its own museum. We are looking for costumes of any date of construction, but COSTUMES, not clothing worn on the street. The costumes can be either theatrical or masquerade, but please not old clothes. The items must be in museum condition, cleaned and whole. Many things we discarded from Krause were fascinating but in ribbons. We simply cannot make an attractive display if the garments are distinguished by decay. Many could be mended and reinforced into museum condition, and these are most acceptable IF you have done the mending and reinforcing. You can realize with a museum budget of $0 it is rather difficult to obtain adequate help for mending purposes.
We are interested in garments, accessories, display furniture such as period mannequins, showcases, hanging devices etc. office equipment, shop equipment, old sewing machines, laundry equipment, old advertising, mailings….anything to do with the business. Personally, I hope we can reconstruct a shop of 1929 era with the selling and display area, dressing rooms, office space, workshop area and laundry, completely authentic. Within this make-believe shop we would show costumes of every era. Some part of the display would show the organization and development of the NCA and while this may not be of national interest, certainly the museum would be an appropriate place for our archives.
Therefore, anything you wise to send us to help the project will be greatly appreciated…except furniture and large machines. Such big objects will probably have to wait for our permanent site but do let us know what you are saving for us, and better still take a picture of it for us.
If you are at all interested in the antiquarian view of the world, please hunt for pictures of costume shop as they really were. We cannot really build a restoration if we do not know what we are building. We will try to make a composite shop from all the pictures you send in.
We have absolutely nothing definite to suggest on the final site of the museum. Chloe Nehrbas is checking on a museum being a part of the Fashion Institute display in New York. Indianapolis, Indiana since the NCA was founded there, has been suggested as a possibility. Merle and Mel think it should be self-supporting, even a source of revenue located in its own building near a tourist center. Any suggestions along this line?
At our convention in August there will be a most informal discussion for all those interested in the Museum. We will show slides of the article we have, hear from those with information about permanent sites and thank all of you who are going to send me YOUR contributions to the Museum. This list of names will begin with Elfriede Northrup, who has already donated a group of two dimensional 1920’s mannequins and a little boy mannequin actually constructed with iron high button shoes! Let you name be second, send your contributions now.
Thank you,
Ginny Gersney.