The Belle Époque Today: The Finishing Touch, Women’s Accessories, 1830-1940 at The Lady Lever art Gallery, Liverpool

"Nothing is so vulgar as an incongruous glaring coloured glove."

- Etiquette for Ladies, 1843

The Lady Lever Art Gallery

The Lady Lever Art Gallery in Liverpool has just opened an impressive new exhibition which runs through December of 2011. An exciting assortment of women’s accessories from 1830 to 1940, the exhibition demonstrates those items which allowed a lady to elevate her outfit from the pattern book to the ballroom. Hats, gloves, shoes, and fans and other specialty items were some of the few ways in which a woman could confidently express herself. As the roles and lives of women began to change, so did their attire. This unusual exhibition allows us to see the transition of women as told by their wardrobes.

The Lady Lever Art Gallery

The Lady Lever Art Gallery has assembled a gorgeous assortment of accessories ranging from before Victoria was Queen to the first rumblings of the Second World War. Sixty items in all have been assembled, many of which have never been displayed before. Of special note are: a pair of shoes worn by Queen Victoria, jewel-heeled “flapper” shoes from the 1920s, a swan’s feather hat from the Nineteenth Century, and an exquisite painted hand fan with mother of pearl guards and sticks. To learn more about “The Finishing Touch,” visit the Lady Lever Art Gallery Web site, and for a special video about the exhibition, click here.