Exhibit details:
OHA's "Come In From The Cold" exhibit launches Thursday, Feb. 23 from 4:30-6 p.m. at the museum's downtown location.
In a city notorious for blustering winter winds and blizzards galore, fashion can take a back seat to the heavy clothing layers necessary for warmth.
However, Central New Yorkers have a rich history rooted in the assembly of ornate winter outfits. Whether they sported luxurious fur coats made from horse hides or poofy statement earmuffs, local residents of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries strutted the (hopefully salted) Salt City streets in style.
Onondaga Historical Association is celebrating the glamorous side of CNY’s cold weather with its “Come In From The Cold” Exhibit Opening. The museum event will feature winter clothing, accessories and recreation artifacts from over a century, with pieces on display spanning from 1860 to 1970.
The exhibit will also include archival photos and artwork detailing the winter landscape in Onondaga County to complement the featured attire.
According to OHA’s Museum Collection Curator Tom Hunter, there will be 35 total garments and accessories chronologically placed throughout the gallery. Some of the notable pieces include a horse hide winter coat made to commemorate a pet horse that passed away during the winter, another winter coat created from a 1941 Chrysler station wagon’s fabric and the coat of a former Hotel Onondaga doorman.
“Come In From The Cold” opening festivities will be held on Thursday, Feb. 23 from 4:30-6 p.m. at OHA.
The reception will begin with a Curator Talk, and refreshments will be provided for guests to enjoy at the after-hours event. Attendees of the opening reception will also have access to a voucher for a glass of house wine — on the house —if they buy dinner from the neighboring restaurant 317 @ Montgomery Street.
Admission to the exhibit’s opening is free, but RSVPs can be made via email.
