Filson provides rare look at historic garments in upcoming exhibit
LOUISVILLE, KY – The Filson Historical Society will display portions of its rarely seen garment collection in the upcoming exhibit, “Bustles to Blue Jeans: Highlights from the Filson’s Fashion Archive.” Curated by Brooks Vessels and Hannah Costelle, the exhibit opens Friday, April 25, 2025, and runs through August 15, 2025.
The Filson’s museum collection contains over 5,000 garments from as early as the 1810s worn for every occasion—Victorian weddings and roaring ‘20s parties, baseball games and cycling trips. In the past year, the collection has grown with a huge influx of new pieces recently transferred from the Kentucky Science Center. While the manuscript and photograph collections are seen often in social media posts, publications, and reading rooms, the public has only been able to view a tiny fraction of the Filson’s fashion archive over the years. This April, the Filson is providing a rare peek into this extensive collection, showing off some of the most unusual, storied, and beautiful garments—from ball gowns to bathing costumes, bustles to blue jeans.
“We preserve so many beautiful historic garments in our museum collection, but we rarely get the chance to show them off. It’s been so exciting to take these pieces out of their boxes and display them as they would’ve originally been worn. Some of the garments you’ll see haven’t been worn for 150 years,” said Hannah Costelle, co-curator of “Bustles to Blue Jeans.”
The opening reception for the exhibit will be held on Friday, April 25, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. The opening will feature refreshments from CULTURED and Hip Hop Sweet Shop with short remarks from the curators and sponsors at 5:45 p.m. All participants are encouraged to register in advance. To register for this event, please visit www.filsonhistorical.org. This event is free and open to the public, however, registration is requested.
“Bustles to Blue Jeans” will be open for viewing Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm through August 15, 2025, at the Filson Historical Society, 1310 S. 3rd Street, Louisville. Tours of the exhibit and grounds are free, but reservations are strongly encouraged.
For more information on Filson events, please visit filsonhistorical.org.