The Chicago History Museum is preparing to open a new exhibition titled “Threads of a Nation: Preserving Presidential Clothing,” featuring an array of garments worn by early U.S. presidents, including items with direct ties to figures such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The exhibition is scheduled to launch on October 24 and is the latest project showcasing the museum’s longstanding relationship with presidential artifacts, many of which originated from a significant early 20th-century donation known as the Charles F. Gunther Collection.

Charles Gunther, a German immigrant who became a prominent Chicago businessman and politician, assembled the collection in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Known primarily as a successful candymaker and former 2nd Ward alderman and city treasurer, Gunther was also an avid collector of presidential memorabilia. His acquisitions included fragile historical garments and documents, some of which have proven challenging to authenticate.

Olivia “Libby” Mahoney, a former senior curator at the Chicago History Museum who retired in 2018, returned to oversee the new exhibition as a freelance curator. Over her nearly four decades at the museum, Mahoney developed extensive expertise in the Gunther Collection, noting the complexities of verifying the authenticity of items due to the presence of forgeries in Gunther’s assemblage. “You can’t take the affidavits for granted,” Mahoney said, emphasizing the necessity of thorough provenance research.

Despite these challenges, Mahoney confirmed that the marquee pieces for “Threads of a Nation” have credible histories. Among the notable artifacts are the cape and bonnet worn by Mary Todd Lincoln on the night of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination—items originally given by the First Lady to Elizabeth Keckley, her dressmaker and confidante, who later sold them to Gunther. Also featured is George Washington’s coat from his second inauguration, which passed through several hands before acquisition by Gunther, as well as two suits worn by John Adams that were donated separately by descendants in Lake Forest.

The exhibition aims to provide visitors with insight not only into the clothing itself but also into the preservation work necessary to maintain such delicate textiles. Accompanying displays include photographs and explanations of conservation techniques, highlighting how museum practices have shifted over time from restoration-focused methods to approaches that prioritize stabilization and the prevention of further damage. Some garments, such as Washington’s coat and a top hat owned by Lincoln, are so fragile that they will be rotated out of view during the exhibition to avoid deterioration.

In addition to clothing, the exhibition presents contextual artifacts to offer a broader historical perspective. For example, a spyglass owned by Washington and carried by his enslaved valet during the Revolutionary War is on display, alongside a 1754 document detailing the distribution of enslaved people owned by Washington’s family members. Mahoney acknowledges the importance of addressing difficult aspects of history, including Washington’s and his wife’s ownership of enslaved people and the displacement of Native Americans, underscoring that such issues are integral to understanding the full historical narrative.

One of the exhibition’s rare documents is a note from Abraham Lincoln to Secretary of State William Henry Seward, instructing the embellishment of the Emancipation Proclamation with the presidential seal. This item was acquired in 2002 by former museum president Lonnie G. Bunch III, now head of the Smithsonian Institution, and is particularly valuable as Lincoln’s original handwritten draft of the proclamation was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

While the museum’s recent collecting priorities have shifted to focus more closely on Chicago-specific history, the legacy of Gunther’s national presidential collection remains significant. Mahoney hinted at the enduring fascination with presidential artifacts, noting that the elusive tan suit once worn by Barack Obama, believed to be lost, would be an enticing item should it ever be recovered. For now, the Chicago History Museum continues to concentrate its efforts on preserving and interpreting the complex history encapsulated in its collections.