Ann Lowe designed Jacqueline Kennedy's wedding dress, but her name was never mentioned in the society pages that gushed over the event. Throughout her extraordinary career, Lowe created designs for major stars and helped shape American couture. Come explore this new exhibit at Winterthur which helps to make sure her impact is properly remembered.
Born in Clayton, Alabama, into a family of African American dressmakers, Ann Lowe (ca. 1898–1981) learned the skill of dressmaking from her mother and grandmother. She developed her own distinctive style-feminine, elegant, and often incorporating her signature hand-made floral elements. Her accomplishments place her among America’s significant fashion designers, and her life illustrates a legacy of Black women’s knowledge and skills that began as enslaved labor. Lowe modernized this legacy and expanded it to international visibility, positioning herself as a creative designer, and a vital insider and contributor to American fashion. Winterthur is an internationally-acclaimed museum of American decorative arts and a magnificent 175-room mansion (much as it was when the family of founder Henry Francis du Pont called it home). You will take the shuttle or Garden Tram up to the Museum for our private, half-hour guided tour of the Ann Lowe exhibit (with plenty of time to explore the exhibit on your own). You are then welcome to enjoy the glorious treasures throughout the Museum (don't miss the display of soup tureens!), go on a self-guided mansion tour, and have lunch at the Visitor Center Cafe. Winterthur is located about an hour from Center City Philadelphia. We will make every effort to assist with car pools, as needed. Please be sure to send Anne Marie Gold (amg@goldorg.net) an email if you are willing to take passengers and where you are coming from. For those needing a ride, please send Anne Marie an email noting where you live. Please note that cancellations are accepted through 10/24/23 (no refunds will be issued after that date). In the event that you need to cancel before that date, a credit will be applied to your TTN account for future use.