Renovated Rosecliff space to explore South’s ties to Newport

ROSECLIFF, one of Newport's Gilded Age mansions, will host an exhibit that explores the connections between the American South and the City by the Sea from the Colonial period into the early 20th century. / COURTESY PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF NEWPORT COUNTY
ROSECLIFF, one of Newport's Gilded Age mansions, will host an exhibit that explores the connections between the American South and the City by the Sea from the Colonial period into the early 20th century. / COURTESY PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF NEWPORT COUNTY

NEWPORT – An exhibition running from Sept. 5 through Jan. 3 at the Rosecliff mansion will focus on ties between Newport and the American South.

Curated by the Preservation Society of Newport County, the display will include never-before-seen ball gowns, portraits, silver and furniture. The exhibition represents a 300-year span from the Colonial period to the early 20th century.

“The close bond between Newport and the South – through trade, tourism and marriage – didn’t stop with the Civil War. In fact, Southerners like Alva Vanderbilt and Ward McAllister helped define Newport as the crown jewel of Gilded Age society,” said Laurie Ossman, museum affairs director of the Preservation Society.

Ossman would like the exhibition – titled “Newport and her Southern Sisters” – to promote discussion about “these complex and influential economic, cultural, artistic and social relationships,” she said.

- Advertisement -

The exhibition at Rosecliff is the first one to occupy newly-renovated gallery space on the second floor of the 1902 mansion. The exhibition explores Newport connections to New Orleans, Charleston, Baltimore, Virginia’s plantations and resorts, and Palm Beach.

This is the first of many museum exhibitions to come in the new location at Rosecliff, said Preservation Society CEO and Executive Director Trudy Coxe.

“We will now be able to expand and enhance our interpretation of Newport’s architecture, landscapes, and social history, because we will have space to show objects not just from our own collections, but also loans from other museums that relate to the Newport story,” she said.

Admission to the exhibition will be included as part of the Rosecliff house tour. For details or to purchase tickets, visit NewportMansions.org.

No posts to display