Mrs. Isaac Bird Ball Gown with Accessories, c. 1800 Cotton Gift of the Pierson Family

February 16 - July 10, 2005

Recent Acquisitions reflects the Morris Museum’s focus on the arts, sciences and history. Of special historical significance, the exhibition features a long, cotton muslin gown, reported to have been worn to a reception given in honor of General Lafayette. The reception took place in July 1825 at the Sansay House on DeHart Street in Morristown, where French Dancing Master Monsieur Louis Sansay conducted dancing lessons.

According to documents given to the museum along with the dress, the gown was made and worn by Mrs. Isaac Bird. The gown has a high waist, full skirt and train and is embellished with embroidered vines and sunflowers. The dress, as well as an array of accessories including a cap, stockings and sleeves, was given to the museum in 2003 by a family descended from the museum’s founders, Mr. and Mrs. Aldus Pierson. The generosity of several Morris Museum trustees enabled the museum to have the dress cleaned and restored by the Textile Conservation Workshop of South Salem, New York.

In addition to the gown, Recent Acquisitions features fine and decorative art, costumes and accessories, ethnographic items, toys and games, and historic memorabilia. Some highlights of these categories include:

Reynolds Beal Penang, 1935 Watercolor on paper 15" x 21" Gift of the Ryneveld Family

Fine Art

Watercolors by Reynolds Beal, an oil painting by Philip Pearlstein, and works by New Jersey artists W. Carl Burger and Serena Bocchino

Decorative Art

Silver plate jewelry box, woman’s pistol and a pickle caster

Costumes and Accessories

Wedding dresses, fans and hats

Ethnographic Items

Lenape arrowheads, an Egyptian sarcophagus fragment and a Tibetan dance hat

Toys and Games

Early 20th century Louisville Slugger bat, Howdy Doody marionette and a collection of candy containers

Historic Memorabilia

World War II artifacts such as a helmet, uniform, hats, belts, a 48-star flag and a collection of medals including a Purple Heart