For those who have always wanted to step back in time and view historical clothing from Salem’s roots, the Peabody Essex Museum’s (PEM) latest exhibition, Salem Gets Dressed, will surely hit the mark.
Salem Gets Dressed features 30 works and ensembles selected from PEM’s historical collection. Clothing spans from the early 1700s through the present.
In honor of Salem’s 400+ anniversary, Petra Slinkard, the chief curator and fashion and textiles curator, said the exhibition was an opportunity to engage the public with the city’s history and notable New England figures.
“The exhibit celebrates stories of everyday people who have evolved Salem over time,” said Slinkard, who lives in Salem.
Fashion has occupied a more prominent spot at the Peabody Essex Museum since 2019, when PEM opened its Fashion & Design gallery as part of the museum’s major expansion. Anchored by the collection of fashion icon Iris Apfel, the gallery brought clothing and textiles together to expand the museum’s collection of furniture, decorative arts and other designed objects.
Slinkard said the gallery’s main goal is to explore how fashion exists in people’s lives.
“Fashion is a portal to look back,” Slinkard said.
And it’s true. The Fashion & Design gallery’s exhibits have gone beyond style and craftsmanship and into identity, history and culture. Made It: The Women Who Revolutionized Fashion examined the often-overlooked contributions of women designers across 250 years, while Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love explored the groundbreaking career of the Black American designer who found success in Paris. A 2023 reinstallation highlighted Boston fashion entrepreneur Yolanda Cellucci.
Slinkard and Curator Paula Richtor spent two years creating Salem Gets Dressed, from research to determining which clothing had compelling stories to the city’s history. She said they had to limit it to 30 pieces from 100, and every object selected comes from PEM’s own permanent collection.
Their main focus was on how individual narratives informed each piece, Slinkard said. The exhibition touches on Salem’s maritime heritage, abolitionist history, and pivotal moments in history.
For instance, one historical item includes a Salem Fire Department dress uniform from 1914 worn by Chief Edward Webster Hay during the Great Salem Fire. According to Slinkard, the uniform was donated to the museum in 1921.
The exhibition also looks at Salem’s history as a center of global commerce and fashion. Before the city’s modern identity became associated with tourism, Slinkard said Salem’s Essex Street was associated with financial successes in trade and local “merchanteers” whose ships circled the globe and brought exotic products— silks, Indian cotton textiles, ivory, porcelain, tea, spices and other luxury products—back home.
“Essex Street was a hub for high fashion,” Slinkard said.
Other pieces in the gallery illuminate the city’s Quaker and abolitionist histories. Slinkard said that two Quaker ensembles demonstrate the community’s emphasis on simplicity. She added that they showcase the craftsmanship of making clothing.
“The time, ingenuity, and purpose of making these works are fundamentals among Quakers,” Slinkard said.
The exhibit includes a display with four half-scale dolls representing Le Petite Dame de Mode. Slinkard said John Burbidge, a fashion designer for Priscilla of Boston, handcrafted the dolls.
The oldest work dates back to the 1700s, with a wedding gown worn by Jane Highland Campbell of Amherst, New Hampshire. It sits next to a modern dress, representing identity, as Slinkard said.
“We wanted to offer a broad and diverse selection of the city,” Slinkard said.
In their research, Slinkard said that she and Richtor made exciting and surprising discoveries. They found a peach dress worn by a Salem woman who wore it to the White House.
One article of clothing has made its debut: a suit that John Robinson wore to the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876.
Slinkard and Richtor also included a costume piece worn by actress Vanessa Redgrave in the film, “Three Sovereigns for Sarah” (1985).
This exhibition is a first for a couple of rare items: Children’s wear and house dresses. Slinkard said these items haven’t been seen on display for 30 years.
To create an ambiance in the gallery, Slinkard and Richtor worked with a sound historian in England to create a sound-scope of moments throughout history. They also collected images of everyday Salem for a montage.
“PEM is essentially a museum that celebrates everyday people, objects, extraordinary works of art and craftsmanship,” Slinkard said.
Since opening in August, Slinkard said the exhibit has received a positive reception among visitors. She said her goal is to create a new outlook of Salem that people never thought of before.
“They spend time with the objects and share stories with one another about what they remember from a moment of time,” said Slinkard.
Salem Gets Dressed is open now until January 2028 at the Peabody Essex Museum.
Visitors are welcome to explore the gallery and learn the history behind Salem’s roots.
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