Museum displays history of underwear

All Allison Lendman has seen for the past few weeks are corsets, slips and nightgowns. And none of them even belong to her. \nLendman, volunteer and curator, has worked on the temporary exhibit "Honey, Your Slip is Showing," at the Monroe County Historical Center, a collection featuring lingerie dating back to the late 1800s. The idea for a historical lingerie exhibit stemmed from a similar one highlighted by the Kinsey Institute, and by various pieces in the Historical Society's collection.\n"We had observed over time how many pieces we had and knew that we had enough to do an exhibit," Lendman said.\nThe exhibit will run up to March 20 at the center, 202 E. Sixth St. Until then, students can see how underwear has changed through 200 years through the various pieces of clothing. Students interested in visiting the center can call 332-2517 for hours. The center is also open to student volunteers and internships. \nThe exhibit also features advertisements from the time period of the particular item to help visitors understand how the clothing was supposed to look. \n"It just gives people a glimpse that life is a continuum, how these things change," Executive Director Kari Price said.\nWhile Price is not sure, she has hypothesized how much of the lingerie has stayed in such good condition.\n"A lot of the things are lovely ... just pristine," Price said. "We think (the donors) got them as a wedding gift."\nLendman has also observed how much the underwear related to the types of bodies society thought women should have. \n"People are interested in clothing through the years and how it changed," Lendman said. "The function of underwear was to mold the woman's body. The underwear shaped the woman's body to be what fashion wanted it to be." \nHertz agrees.\n"You get an idea of how women's bodies have changed," she said.\nPutting the exhibit together began with donations from the community who are looking to clean out their closets or have a special item showcased, Price said . \n"We have an idea, and then we go to the community," Price said. "It's a great way to get the community involved."\nIU graduate student Carrie Hertz, who works part-time at the center, also helps with incoming pieces and artifacts.\n"Once I know what their topics (of the exhibit) are, I just keep my eyes open," Hertz said.\nHertz does much of the behind-the-scenes work, including cataloging new items, dealing with legalities and handling storage, which is partly how the idea for a lingerie exhibit came along.\n"We're always looking for new topics," Price said. "Usually we just wander through storage." \n-- Contact Staff Writer Catherine Hageman at chageman@indiana.edu.