Left: Evening dress worn by Elise Francis Wilmer, ca. 1926 V.35.12, Gift of Miss Elise Wilmer, Middle: Evening dress worn by Susan “Sadie” Spilberg, ca. 1922 V.94.72, Right: Bridesmaid dress worn by Elizabeth Bland Brockenbrough, 1927 V.64.03.01

Ain’t Misbehavin’: 1920s Richmond

Jul 21, 2020 - Mar 28, 2021

In celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the Roaring Twenties, the Valentine presents Ain’t Misbehavin’: 1920s Richmond, an exhibition of costume, textiles, art and artifacts in the Nathalie L. Klaus and Reynolds Family Galleries. The 1920s are remembered in America as a decade that “roared” with change, including urban expansion, equal suffrage, social integration, jazz music, fast dancing and short hemlines. In Richmond, the decade’s seismic social shifts unfolded against a backdrop of conservative values. Like the popular 1929 tune of the same name, Ain’t Misbehavin’: 1920s Richmond presents a playful commentary on Richmond’s mixed reaction to the Roaring Twenties amid a sparkling display of some of the 1920s fashions worn in the city.