In July the Kent Historical Museum will host a reception to celebrate the opening of its two new exhibits, a permanent period room display that depicts a child’s bedroom circa 1900 and a rotating display titled “A History of Fashion.”
The reception will be held during the Museum’s open hours from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 9 with admission a $5 donation. Complimentary refreshments will be served.
The children’s room display was developed especially with children in mind, giving young visitors a glimpse of what home life was like for children their own age a century ago, though adults will find interest in it as well.
The concept for the room was inspired by the family that first lived in the house the Museum is located in, the Bereiters, who built the house in 1908. The family had two young boys, but the display room is reflective of any child’s bedroom between the years of 1900 and 1910, girl or boy.
The Museum acquired two period brass beds, a twin size and a crib-like “child size,” or toddler bed, for the room, as well as authentic linens, drawing from its extensive toy and antique book collections to furnish the finishing touches. The exhibit has been complete since late May, finished in time for the field trips of several Kent elementary school classes in June.
The rotating display, “A History of Fashion,” is in a way a counterpart to the museum’s previous featured exhibit, “100 Years of Women’s Suffrage,” which celebrated the centennial of women’s right to vote in the state of Washington with a focus on women in the workplace over the past century.
In addition to representing an aspect of women’s history, “A History of Fashion” is also a piece of local heritage. Most of the clothing, shoes and accessories on display once belonged to residents of the Kent area, from the late 19th century through the 1920s. One such artifact is a circa-1890s beaded “chatelaine,” a small bag with a chain that can clasp onto a belt, owned by a relative of early Kent mayor M. M. Morrill. Other items include dresses, fans, gloves, hats, shoes, children’s clothing and a turn-of-the-century parasol.
The exhibit opening reception is sponsored by the Greater Kent Historical Society. For more information contact the museum at (253) 854-4330 or visit online at kenthistoricalmuseum.org.
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