King and Queen Museum to feature Speaker on Caring and Preserving Family Textile Treasures on September 19th. (September 2010)

Colleen Callahan, a noted costume and textile historian and curator with experience in conservation will deliver an enlightening program on the care and preservation of family treasures such as grandmother’s wedding dress, a family christening dress, or a beloved quilt at the King and Queen Courthouse Tavern Museum on Sunday, September 19th at 3 pm. Ms. Callahan will cover topics regarding the storage, packing, cleaning, repair and display of heirloom textiles, and do a demonstration of packing a wedding dress and quilt for storage. The lecture is being presented in conjunction with the Museum’s current exhibit on ladies’ vintage clothes from King and Queen County which will also be open for viewing.

The lecture will be open to the public at no charge. Ms. Callahan will be available after the lecture for brief consultations with participants on identifying, dating, and preserving their own family textiles. The cost for the consultation (no appraisals) is $5 per item as a donation to the Museum and is limited to two items per person. Ms. Callahan served as curator of costumes and textiles at the Valentine Richmond History Center for 18 years and holds degrees from Smith College, New York University and the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She was formerly president of the Costume Society of America.