Keeler Tavern is raising money to restore an ensemble worn by Julia Finch Gilbert in 1925 when she and her husband Cass Gilbert were presented to King George V of England.
For the many who are enthralled by PBS’s Downton Abbey, it will take little effort to imagine the following real-life scene: In 1925, Ridgefield resident and renowned architect Cass Gilbert and his wife, Julia Finch Gilbert, were presented to England’s King George V. Months of preparation were likely involved, from securing invitations via mail and telegram with the right people abroad to reviewing court etiquette to arranging for fittings for court apparel.
Keeler Tavern Museum is privileged to own Mrs. Gilbert’s court ensemble, which includes a mid-calf length mauve silk brocade dress, a 75-inch-long train, and a headdress and fan made with ostrich feathers. The dress, recently examined by the Textile Conservation Workshop in South Salem, N.Y., has lace inserts and silk linings and is decorated with clusters and cascades of beads and rhinestones. Like many couture garments, the ensemble is mostly sewn by hand. And like most 90-year-old garments, it needs repair and conservation.
The museum would like to exhibit the gown, and doing so requires not only that the gown be restored professionally but also that a custom mannequin be provided on which it can be safely displayed — a project that will cost $5,000. It is the focus of the museum’s participation in FCGives on Friday, March 7, a 24-hour online giving day sponsored by the Fairfield County Community Foundation and Bank of America. Donors’ gifts to Keeler Tavern Preservation Society will go to the Court Gown Project — with the first $1,000 raised to be matched by the museum’s board.