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Show Sund.A. February rn 1 sfh rB im C "f Y&y i is I , 4 - - ir W,i ;t.U-'- - ;r" ' . ty ' Mary Todd Lincoln, left, wife of Abraham Lincoln (term 1861-65- ) was the most criticized of our First Ladies. Martha Dandridge (Custis) 45 lu ..; iff - Page I'tah. IP features and social issues concerning the culture. u i THK HF.KALD. I'rovo. Timely news, columns, ? ftlf 15. 1VST first First Lady in the Executive Mansions of national capitals New York and Philadelphia. Dresses are authentic to the time period. Washington, wife of George WashHe had courtington (term 1789-97ed the Widow Custis in her own "White House," but she was our ). Louisa Johnson Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams (term 1825-29against picture of the original mannequin in the Smithsonian. ), oJe Presidents' So when By ONEITA SUMSION Herald Staff Writer Marie Whiting of Springville walked into the Smithsonian Institution some 40 years ago and walked out with a lifetime project. That project has taken her 18,000 miles to a dozen states and nearly every to county in Utah scores of meetings, museums, clubs, and gatherand ings of every sort to the limelight in numerous magazine and newspaper articles. Day calls to mind the Presidents' First Ladies, those who know Marie just naturally think of her the early 1900s with Mrs. Julian James of Washington, D. C. The collection was born under the sponsorship of the Smithsonian Institut- project. that visit to the ion. In Smithsonian, Marie became intrigued with one At a Dolly Madison breakfast in Washington Mrs. William Howard of the most popular and Taft, reigning First Lady famous costume collec- of the White House, and the descendants of five other tions in America gowns worn by wives of the Presidents at Inauguration proceedings. The idea of a period-costum- e collection for the United States National Museum had originated in Presidents ginning the collection. Others soon followed. The idea of a similar S1 , V V" j fV ' ' - ' " V. . " '' ' n J in additional Smithsonian before she finally took needle and thread in visits hand and began to do something about it. manneLike the life-siz- e quins wearing the original inaugural gowns, Marie's First Lady inaugural gowns are plaster mannequins. The faces are all sculptured from the same model, but the coiffure of each lady has been copied from a picture or portrait to give exhibited on .' ' nz- 'in q , 1 ' ' fy I J J I 7 si f " ; xv V . ... .. , .J Iht Afa. ofos by Steve Osen Is. shaped the arms and hair. In this way she could pose the arms differently, fashion the hair in various styles, and also differentiate the faces. After finishing the scaled-to-siz- e dolls in this way, she baked them in her own Marie took it from there. She made sketches, took extensive notes, corresponded with merchandise buyers, and shopped for weeks in order to match the colors and textures to duplicate the rare silks and satins, lace, ribbon and beads to authentically recreate in minia- ture the original First Institution, in a dress actually worn by the First Lady or in a dress authentic to the lady and the period. The renowned doll maker Gertrude Florine remarked that Marie's First Ladies are unique in that they look like the originals, a look that very few others- have achieved. - Most of the other reproductions "look like dolls dressed up," she said, admonishing Marie never to change her style. "When I think of all the people I have met through this project, I look upon it as one of the most rewarding experiences of my lifetime," Marie says. ( week. She has even received invitations to inaugurals and attended the first Nixon inaugural ball. She's had letters from First Ladies back to Mamie Eisenhower, and a note from Eleanor Roosevelt, which she prizes ; ! ( highly. Sne has an autograph of Edith Boiling Wilson, second wife to . . with which she Technology, Smithsonian Eisenhower's Inaugural : . from several of the most recent First Ladies. Because not all Presidents believed in inauguration festivities, not all First Ladies had inauguration gowns. But each First Lady is represented in the F'irst Ladies Hall in the Museum of History and ment store in Detroit during President Dwight D. r V.i.-.- basic mold, and then added more clay to the green-war- e Her project caught nationwide attention almost immediately and she was invited to display her First Ladies in the J. L. Hudson Company depart- V .f h mannequins. She used one Lady gowns. - ! individuality to the figures. The late Zina Johnson who taught art in high school for 30 years, then Marie's next door neighbor, created the eight-inc- kiln. ' , ' - . promised gowns for the collection. Mrs. Taft presented her inaugural gown in 1912 be- in miniature burned Marie's mind tor five years and two collection 4 l President Woodrow son, and Mrs. Calvin WilCool-idg- e, as well as autoMrs. Marie Whiting holds miniature likeness of Martha Washington, wife of President George Washington, in front of glass display case at her home in Springville. graphed photographs and signed personal notes Nancy Reagan |