This embroidered dress from the late Victorian era was owned by Margaret Hockenberry (1845-1920), a relative of the modern Bumby family of Ripon.
The Ripon Historical Society, 508 Watson St., invites the public to view its new exhibit, titled “Remembrance, Temperance, and Suffrage: What Women of Ripon Made, Wore, Drank and Thought”.
The museum is open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is free to the public.
The exhibit was curated by three summer interns from Ripon College – Sarah Nakis, Aftyn Reinwand and Bailey Zanck – and their professor Travis Nygard, a member of the historical society’s board of directors.
The new exhibit includes underwear, dresses, and shoes that Ripon women wore in the 1920s.
The interns worked for 10 weeks in the Summer Opportunities for Advanced Research (SOAR) program at Ripon College. They were assisted by Caron Sisko, as well as other volunteers from the historical society.
This exhibition focuses on the themes of arts and crafts, fashion, alcohol and feminism from the Victorian period to the Roaring Twenties and how they relate to today.
“I was surprised at the richness of Ripon’s history,” said Nakis, a junior and major in history at Ripon College. “I grew up in Lake in the Hills, Illinois, a fairly large town compared to the small town of Ripon. It’s crazy to think I know more about Ripon than about my hometown.
The poster for the new exhibit at the Ripon Historical Society features a charcoal drawing by artist Ripon Eve Faustman.
“It was fascinating to learn more about the women in Ripon’s history, as they were often overlooked in the town’s older history books. It’s great to learn how important women were in the city’s past, ”noted Nygard.
An 1890s wedding dress, two 1920s dresses, artwork by local Riponite Eve Faustman, quilts, information on the influence of women in temperance movements and prohibition, and much more , are exposed.
“The most interesting discovery I made during my research was that Ripon was a rebellious community when it came to prohibition,” said Reinwand, an art history and museum studies student. “I found newspaper articles from major cities – from Milwaukee to Chicago – featuring stories about the beer raids in Ripon.”
“The Ripon Historical Society has a wealth of information and artefacts, and we really appreciated the opportunity to work with this organization,” added Zanck, senior at Ripon College majoring in art history and studies. museums. “I think the public will appreciate our findings as much as we do. “
The students also worked on other research projects over the summer months. They plan to present their findings during a program open to the public on Thursday, September 16 at 7 p.m. at the historical society.
