First ladies exhibit travels to U.S. museums

DALLAS -- From Martha Washington's tea tray to the signature black pantsuit Hillary Clinton wore during her Senate campaign, a traveling Smithsonian exhibit chronicles not only the changing wardrobe of America's first lady, but also her evolving role in politics.

For the first time, the Smithsonian Institution's popular exhibit dedicated to American first ladies has been adapted for travel outside Washington, D.C., making its debut at The Women's Museum in Dallas before moving to several other cities across the country.

"First Ladies: Political Role and Public Image" opened Saturday and runs through Feb. 13 in Dallas before touring other cities through 2006.

Its 150 artifacts illustrate how American first ladies have brought their own personalities, style and ambition to their roles as wife or social partner of the president. Some were preservationists and campaigners while others were advocates of social causes.

The Dallas exhibit also features a special attraction: Laura Bush's red evening gown worn for a state dinner with Mexican President Vicente Fox. The gown, never before displayed, is on loan from the White House and will only be displayed in Dallas, organizers said.

It's one of several stunning gowns, worn for inaugural balls and other formal events, that span centuries of the nation's history. Besides the pretty items, there are odd ones: Abigail Adams imitation pearls, really glass beads covered in fish scales to give an iridescent appearance; and Lucy Hayes' whimsical flora and fauna china, said to be either loved or hated by White House dining guests.

"It's not just a look at the gowns or the White House china," said Lawrence Hyman, project director for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. "It's a look at the role of the first lady ... a woman who's unpaid, unelected and yet, she finds herself in a position of great public consequence."

The exhibit highlights interesting juxtapositions: While Washington defined her role as hostess and ceremonial partner to the nation's first president, Abigail Adams was later nicknamed "Mrs. President" for her outspoken approach as adviser to her husband, John Adams.

Sarah Polk edited her husband's speeches and Rosalynn Carter attended cabinet meetings. But Mamie Eisenhower didn't comment on public affairs and Bess Truman flat out declared, "I have nothing to say to the public."

While Mary Lincoln kept her grief private after President Lincoln's assassination, Jacqueline Kennedy was a public symbol of the nation's sorrow, choosing to oversee funeral arrangements after President Kennedy was gunned down in Dallas.

In some cases, first ladies gradually emerged from the shadows of presidential politics to the celebrity of political campaigns: The 1952 and 1956 Eisenhower-Nixon campaigns touted their wives as well as themselves. Celluloid buttons featured pictures of wives Mamie Eisenhower and Pat Nixon and slogans included, "I like Mamie" and "We want Mamie."

While some first ladies used their positions to influence social issues -- Lady Bird Johnson's environmental initiatives and Laura Bush's literacy efforts -- the exhibit shows how several first ladies turned their prominence into power: Eleanor Roosevelt's syndicated columns, radio addresses and leadership in the civil rights and women's movements and Clinton's efforts to reform health care and finally, win her own seat in the U.S. Senate.

It's fitting for the exhibit to start in Texas, organizers said, not only because it is the current first lady's home state but because The Women's Museum is the nation's only comprehensive women's history museum that chronicles the lives of American women through interactive exhibits.