The Bowes Museum will open a new exhibition titled ‘Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion’ on March 22, 2025, showcasing the remarkable fashion interests and textile collection of Joséphine Bowes.
A new exhibition entitled “Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion” is set to open on March 22, 2025, at The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, County Durham. This event will run until March 2026 and aims to celebrate the remarkable collecting and fashion interests of Joséphine Bowes, a prominent figure in the history of textile curation.
The exhibition will be located within the museum’s Fashion and Textile Gallery and will complement a larger exhibition titled “From Joséphine Bowes: Trendsetters and Trailblazers,” which commenced on February 8, 2025. Together, these exhibitions will provide a comprehensive insight into Joséphine’s innovative approach to collecting, which blended various genres of fashion and textiles.
Visitors can anticipate a rich and diverse display of textiles, featuring pieces that exemplify the breadth of Joséphine’s collection. Notable items include evening shoes believed to have belonged to Empress Eugenie, as well as an evening bodice that Joséphine Bowes wore around 1855. The museum plans to showcase an array of floor-to-ceiling textiles, including woven and embroidered chair covers, ecclesiastical textiles, lace, and items procured for the museum during the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1867.
For the first time in several years, surviving clothing and accessories belonging to Joséphine Bowes will also be on display alongside other examples of historic dress from the 1850s and 1860s. The exhibition will include archival materials that provide personal insights into her acquisitions and her relationship with fashion.
In addition to historical garments, the exhibition will feature modern examples of French haute couture, including pieces purchased with the Art Fund’s New Collecting Award in 2015 and contributions from the Friends of The Bowes Museum. Visitors will see works from iconic 20th-century designers such as Elsa Schiaparelli and Yves Saint Laurent, as well as items by Jacques Fath, Jeanne Paquin, and Madeleine Vionnet, reflecting what Joséphine might have worn had she lived in the later centuries.
The exhibition will also highlight the introduction of French fashions to the North East of England shortly after Joséphine Bowes’ death in 1874, notably through John James Fenwick, who began to import couture pieces to his Newcastle department store in the mid-1880s.
To enhance the experience, The Bowes Museum has organized a series of events coinciding with the exhibition. These will include monthly Spotlight Tours led by Rachel Whitworth, the curator of fashion and textiles, who will provide a brief introduction to the exhibition and its key highlights. Furthermore, a themed talk series will delve into Joséphine Bowes’ passion for fashion, her textile acquisitions, and the history of French fashion.
Rachel Whitworth emphasized the significance of the upcoming exhibition, stating, “This exciting exhibition, entirely drawn from The Bowes Museum’s permanent collection, is an opportunity to celebrate Joséphine Bowes as a woman both of and ahead of her time. She was a discerning collector of textiles and purchased clothes from the most fashionable couturiers and dressmakers of her time.” This exhibition aims to shine a light on items that have not been displayed before, providing fresh insights into the museum’s formation and Joséphine’s legacy.
“Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion” will officially open at 10 AM on March 22, 2025, and admission to the exhibition is included in the general entry fee or membership to The Bowes Museum.
Source: Noah Wire Services
