Exhibition "The Three Ages of the Shawl"

About exhibition

The Orenburg downy shawl is a true family talisman; it has absorbed the traditions of several generations and has witnessed all joys and sorrows. Remarkably resilient and in demand throughout a woman’s life! The exhibition presents documentary evidence — photographs — amateur images from home albums and family archives. Visitors will be shown a whole series of 20th-century photographs of cute bundled-up babies wrapped in their grandmother’s downy shawl over a hat, tied crosswise over a child’s coat. Visitors will also be able to see delicate cobweb shawls from the museum collection and a wedding dress incorporating elements of a downy shawl, created by designer Anna Sovetova especially for the exhibition. A special place in the display is occupied by white and two-tone cobwebs by the famous down-shawl knitter O. A. Fedorova. The exhibition is complemented by paintings by Orenburg artists from the museum collection.