Graddy is curator of the new “A First Lady’s Debut” at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The exhibit opened last week and features inaugural dresses worn by various first ladies, with a recent contribution by Michelle Obama.
What inspired the new exhibit?
We wanted to do a second gallery so the space opened up and the idea was to show the inaugural gowns — more modern gowns — from Mamie Eisenhower to obviously Mrs. Obama. So I liked the idea of the “First Lady’s Debut.” We knew that we wanted to talk about a small, contained topic that could be showcased by the inaugural gowns, so we went with the idea of that. In just those few weeks between the election and the inauguration, we have our first introduction to the first lady.
What is the significance of the inaugural gown?
It’s your first official appearance, really. You know, you’ve been through the parade, you’ve been through the ceremony but this is your first official ceremonial appearance as first lady.
How difficult is it to move the dresses?
It usually takes about three people depending on the size of the dress. There’s someone supporting the mannequin base and doing the lifting, and people supporting from different areas holding the train. When we put it down, it’s a little like installing the dress before a wedding to get the bride ready to go down the aisle.
And how does Michelle Obama’s dress compare to the others?
It’s obviously different from a lot of the other dresses, although there have been white dresses before. Nancy Reagan wore a white one-shouldered and Jacqueline Kennedy’s dress is really a sleeveless white dress, but [Obama’s] train is new. We had not seen a train in many, many years, so it’s actually fuller than a lot of the gowns had been for decades.”
– Kaitlin Schluter
