Maryhill Museum of Art

About a month ago, a friend asked me if I had seen the Théâtre de la Mode fashion dolls at the Maryhill Museum of Art and instantly my interest was piqued because art, fashion, & dolls? Not that I'm a big doll girl, though I do own a couple antique ones that most of my friends find a little creepy, I digress. I do love miniatures. I absolutely delight in them, especially when they're done very, very well. My friend shared a podcast link with me, which was a podcast I was familiar with (Articles of Interest) and had recently discovered but had only binge listened to season 3. This episode was part of Season 2, so I had not gotten to it yet.

Well... it may come to no surprise to you that when I get interested in a specific thing, I will tunnel down into that said thing layers deep. I ended up watching/listening to a documentary on Youtube the following day and spent the next few days googling as many photos as I could of these fascinating little fashion dolls.

This past weekend, we made the two-hour trip to Goldendale to visit the Maryhill Museum (which has a fascinating story of its own that I am absolutely tickled by) and it did not disappoint. Well, ok, I'll be honest, the exhibit I was most excited to see (the dolls darling, the dolls!) was actually the most disappointing bit. I know...whomp-whomp.

I will share with you why--

The Théâtre de la Mode consisted of at least over 100 fashion dolls and the exhibit only showed about 1/4 of them. They are in a permanent exhibit occupying the top floor of the museum and the whole exhibit just felt so lackluster to me. The walls were painted a drab maroon, the lighting was pretty dim, though I do think it may be to help preserve the materials of the garments, however the display/stages themselves were not covered in glass. You could literally reach out and touch the dolls if you wanted to. Not that you were allowed to, but these little girls kept trying to and "the alarm" would set off every time they stuck their hand into the display. It was more of a bell chime really, like a doorbell. Not really alarming, more of a nuisance.

I think the reason I felt so disappointed in the display was the story behind these fashion dolls was one of such resilience, of hope! They were a beacon of light blending art and fashion and involved an immense amount of collaboration amongst so many artisans and makers and craftsmen during a time of such bleak days. (World War II had not ended, though France at the time had been recently liberated).

So, because I knew more of their backstory, seeing them in person made me a bit sad. Because in my mind, they should be displayed in a way that really truly celebrates what they stood for. That even in the darkest of days, people look for hope in beauty. The exhibit was just...well, glum. I ended up getting a book about them in the gift shop which I found much more intriguing! There is a catalog of ALL of the fashion dolls and gorgeous stunning editorial photos of them as if they were actual real-life models.

The museum also has a large collection of works by Auguste Rodin which was really lovely! There was also a small hallway gallery of dancer and performer Loie Fuller, a showcase of gorgeous pottery from Romania, paintings celebrating light from the 17th to 19th century, incredibly gorgeous filigree metalworks from the 1920s as part of Queen Marie of Romania's exhibit, and one of my favorites of the permanent exhibit, art and handicrafts for Indigenous tribes of North America. I probably took the most photos of this exhibit to be honest and just absolutely loved it!

A few miles down the road, there is a life size replica of England's Stonehenge made completely of cement. One of the founders of the museum, Sam Hill, had this built to honor the men from this area of the Columbia River Gorge who had fought in World War I. It is said to be the very first monument built dedicated to this war in America.

Below are several photos I took at the Maryhill Musuem of Art of my favorite things along with some thoughts & captions. I have also added links to the podcast episode and YouTube video!

// Les Photos //

I know this is so picky of me, but if you know the great pains and artistry that went into the making of all of this, those wrinkles in the back would bother you too!

The white organdy dress was one of my very favorites! I quite liked the lace up shoes also!

The basket/tote bag I absolutely coveted. Perhaps at some point I will design straw bags and purses for my line.

I was a little disgusted but mostly fascinated that this parka was made completely of animal intestines.

The musuem is housed inside an early 20th century mansion located practically in the middle of nowhere perched high on a hill overlooking the Columbia River Gorge. It's absolutely stunning!