The FIDM Museum is in the final months of a major fundraising campaign to purchase the Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection, a private collection of 1,400 historic garments and accessories from four centuries. Each Friday, this blog will present exquisite pieces from the Larson Collection.
Evening Shoes
Velvet with gold embroidery
1890s
Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection
Move over, Cinderella–these shoes are fit for a real princess, Louise of Prussia (1838-1923). They are among 10 items of dress belonging to the princess that Helen Larson bought at an auction in London in 1967. It is unlikely that such famous footwear would be allowed to leave Europe today, due to modern laws preventing the export of objects of cultural heritage. But, in the mid-20th century, Larson's insatiable penchant for royal relics allowed her to acquire dozens of items from the wardrobes of Queen Victoria and her children, Princess Alexandra of Wales, Princess Mary, Queen Elisabeth of Romania, Queen Louise of Denmark, and many other crowned heads.
Evening Shoes
Silk satin with grosgrain ruffles
c. 1870
Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection
The FIDM Museum has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire these rare and beautiful artifacts before they are dispersed forever or absorbed into a private collection, inaccessible to students, researchers, and the general public. But we need your help to save the Larson Collection. We have raised more than twenty percent of the necessary funds, but we still have a long way to go, and time is running out! Please make a contribution online or by mail, or join our #4for400 social media campaign to donate $4 (or more) by texting "Museum" to 243725. Donations are tax deductible; if your company or organization has a matching gift program, your support will go even further. You can also help by spreading the word on social media, using the #4for400 hashtag. The FIDM Museum as until the end of 2015 to finish raising the necessary funds, so please join the campaign and help save 400 years of fashion history!
