Ball gowns of Nevada’s first ladies star in museum exhibit

Kimberley McGee

Monday, Aug. 14, 2000 | 9:57 a.m.

They say clothes make the man -- or in this case, the woman.

The "Silver Ladies in Golden Splendor" exhibit, at the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of Nevada's first ladies over the past 100 years. Inaugural gowns from 10 governors' wives are on display along with dozens of photographs and newspaper clippings.

The gowns are usually housed at the Marjorie Russell Clothing and Textile Research Center in Carson City, where they are regularly on display. The Las Vegas exhibit ends Sept. 10, and the gowns will return to the Carson City facility after a one-day exhibit Sept. 24 at the Governor's Mansion.

The inaugural gowns are special, said Thomas Dyer, director of the Nevada History Museum and Historical Society, because they are glamorous mementos of memorable events in Nevada history -- and in the lives of the women who wore them.

"It's sort of a touchpoint in history," Dyer said. "It's (the women's) time of happiness (from a) very exciting evening."

The clothing in the exhibit portrays the eras and gives a sense of who the wearers were, along with the dresses they chose for what was one of the most elegant evenings of their lives.

The oldest piece, Julia Scrugham's dress from her 1904 wedding to Governor James Scrugham (1923-26), is in stark contrast to the flowing silks of the later part of last century.

Scrugham wore the dress at parties in honor of her newly elected husband. The high-necked, full-bodiced gown is covered in intricate lace work, which was popular at the time. The dress is a living example of the heavy-layered, demure clothing of women's fashions from the early 1900's.

"One of the reasons people come to the museum is to get in touch with the past and, whether they know it or not, (to) put themselves within the context of the past," Dyer said. "They want to imagine what it was like to live in that time, to feel the satin and lace against their skin or imagine (wearing) them."

The museum has fashioned a board with the different textures and colors of the gowns' varied fabrics, so that visitors won't disturb the clothes which could possibly ruin them.

The style, fabric and colors used to make the elaborate gowns give a sense of each period, he said.

Some of the more recent inaugural gowns on display may bring back memories -- either fond or funny -- of styles that were popular over the past three decades.

"It does seem to be very timely," Dyer said "You look at each dress as modern for its time and then to look over all the dresses over time, and you get a snapshot of history because they are so different."

Gov. Mike O'Callaghan's wife, Carolyn, carefully chose her cream-and- copper colored dress for the 1971 inaugural ball.

Carolyn O'Callaghan recalls that it was an elegant and exciting evening, but the full-skirted gown was not the focus of attention.

It was her hair.

"The hair design, I think, is more memorable than the dress. I had it in the style of a curl that came down over the shoulder," she said. "And for several years after, I would see more women with their hair in that style. That was the funniest thing that I remember."

Sandy Miller's dress from the 1990 inaugural ball of her husband, Gov. Bob Miller (1989-98), reflects the state's official colors, silver and blue. The floor-length gown has a full, midnight-blue satin skirt with a rhinestone encrusted front and matching cape. She chose a Las Vegas designer, Dr. Parvin Madeber Jacobs, to create the inaugural gown.

"It's our heritage," Dyer said. "As a museum, one of our primary functions is to preserve and present and interpret the cultural heritage of the state and (gowns are) a really good way to show part of Nevada's heritage."

Current first lady Dema Guinn's two-piece gown with matching embroidered jacket, from the 1999 inaugural ball, tops off the collection.

Guinn's beaded silk gown is the most recent addition to the exhibit. She chose the gown for its shimmery gold fabric and silver accents. As with most of the first ladies, Guinn wanted to use colors that reflected the state of Nevada.

"If you look back in history a lot of the ladies used blue," Guinn said. "I was so fortunate to find a combination of gold and silver." Each bead was dipped in silver to give the gown an antique look.

Guinn remembers most of the dresses in the collection from past inaugural balls -- and the women who wore them.

"Kathy List had the most beautiful chiffon Halston (gown) that was just breathtaking," Guinn said of the wife of Gov. Bob List (1979-82). "I'll never forget her dancing on the floor with the governor, at that time."

The gowns are a small, but interesting and even educational, part of Nevada's history, Guinn said.

"We are all curious about how people lived and what the style was at the time," she said.

Aside from the gowns, Guinn displays other historical Nevada artifacts such as silver from the Comstock Lode and photographs of state treasures. "I found when I got involved there was very, very little history of anything (from the state) in the mansion," she said.

Photographs of former first ladies adorn the walls of the Nevada room in the Governor's Mansion, but the gowns will be displayed on the wide staircase that leads to the upstairs rooms of the governor's home.

By viewing the personal effects of the women who have lived in the mansion since 1909, visitors can get a better sense of who they were.

"It was just such a different time," Guinn said. "And it is a part of history that's interesting."