Topics, but we hadnt tackled the project of haufringoffering ladies exhibit and luncheon and lecture series all combined. When planning and coordinating the concept we analyzed the need and quickly noted the need for a special guest curator. Carl anthony is one of the nations foremost experts on president ial wives and their families. Hes penned over a dozen books and has had the privilege to interview the clintons, laura bush, as well as the nixon and the fords. His accolades are vast and many. The staff of the Nixon Foundation and the Richard Nixon president ial library has enjoyed a long friendship and professional relationship with carl. In many ways we consider you part of the family, carl. When we called them back in april to propose the idea of a first lady exhibit, lecture and luncheon series carls enthusiasm was contagious. In five months the concept had become a reality. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming carl anthony. [ applause ] thank you for all of you who
The Nixon Library has presented first ladies exhibits before and offered lerk offered lectures topics but we havent offered a first ladies exhibit and luncheon and lecture series all combined. When planning and coordinating the concept we analyzed the needs and quickly noted the need for a specialized guest curator. Carl anthony is one of the nations foremost experts on president ial wives. Hes penned over a dozen of books and has the privilege of interviewing the clintons, laura bush, as well as the nixons and the fords. His accolades are vast and many. The staff have enjoyed a long friendship and professional relationship with carl. In many ways we consider you part of the family, carl. When we called him back in april to propose the idea of a first ladies exhibit, lecture and len luncheon series, his enthusiasm was contagious. Please join me in welcoming carl anthony. Thank you for all of you who are here today. Many of you here for all of the lectures. A special thanks also to chri
Ourselves . I do not believe that being first lady should prevent me from expressing my ideas. Betty ford spoke her mind, pro choice and a supporter of the equal rights amendment, she and president gerald ford openly discussed her experience with Breast Cancer, through much oher familys public life, she struggled with drug and alcohol dependency and confronting it defined her postwhite house years. Welcome to first ladies, influence and image. Tonight, well tell you the story of elizabeth ford, the wife of our 38th president , president gerald ford, and here for the nebs 90 minutes to tell her story is Richard Norton smith, president ial historian. If you have been watching our series, you know him. Hes an academic adviser for the whole project and hes launched a whole number of libraries, among them the gerald r. Ford. Along the way, you developed a relationship with the fords. In the interest of full disclosure, i try to be as objective as possible, but yeah, i was very fortunate to
Well as their individual personalities. Joining the panel is Lisa Kathleen graddy, the curator of the first ladies collection at the National Museum of American History. The National Archives hosted this 90minute event. Hello, everyone. How are you . [ applause ] thank you for being here. Were going to have a rousing evening, i hope. Its certainly an interesting one and an interesting discussion, and i have to say the whole topic of what the first lady wears we know is a frequent topic of discussion, and we have Lisa Kathleen graddy here, who wrote the book on the first ladies collection here at the smithsonian, and Lisa Kathleen, i would speculate that you run the most visited Curatorial Department at the smithsonian. We are told it is the most visited exhibition at the smithsonian and at this point the oldest. We turned 100 years old this year. How fantastic. 100 years old. That is wonderful. I want to ask all of our panelists why do we care so much about what the first lady wears. W
Dolley madison who presided other the first inaugural ball in 1809. What did we think about Dolley Madison and the impact she had . Its taking us back. Way back. Way back. Dolley madison was criticized. People criticized here, didnt they, and thought she was too fancy and too much into fashion and too aristocratic, not democratic enough. Not democratic enough, but you could come to Dolley Madisons parties as long as you were appropriately dressed, so for their time very democratic. They did that in versailles as long as you were properly dressed. When you think Dolley Madison grew up as a quaker, so when she married james madison, she broke from this quaker background, so a woman who had been very demurely dressed suddenly had this ability to really just blazen out in amazing clothes and shes fond of reds and yellows and turbans, maybe a nod to that quaker cap. Shes able to fulfill this dazzling vision you have to wonder if this is what she longed to look like as a little girl. Yeah. A