One of the reasons for our trip to the Biltmore Estate in November 2019 was to see the newest traveling exhibit about Downton Abbey. David and I had visited the Downton Abbey Costume Exhibit at the Winterthur Decorative Arts Museum in Delaware many years ago and that exhibit was phenomenal…even though at that time it only covered the first three seasons of the popular PBS production. So we were excited to see this latest exhibit which was to encompass all six seasons plus the Downton Abbey Movie.
Biltmore Estate staged this Downton Abbey Exhibit in two locations on the Estate. In the one location, exact replicas of the downstairs kitchen, formal main dining room, and Mary’s bedroom were staged in their full size. In another location, costumes from the series and movie were on display.
The costume exhibit at the Biltmore was a modest version of the one we saw at the Winterthur Museum and it lacked the pizazz of that exhibit as well. But it is always a thrill to see the show’s beautiful costumes in person, seeing the exquisite details of each garment, and thinking about the characters who wore them.
Here are a few pictures of the Downton Abbey Exhibit at the Biltmore Estate…
Downstairs Kitchen (replica)
Dining Room (replica)
Lady Mary’s Bedroom (replica)
Costumes from the Downton Abbey Movie
Costumes from the early years of Downton Abbey
Day dresses for the Downton Abbey women
Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson’s wedding attire
Wedding gown worn by Lady Edith
Various wedding attire from Downton Abbey
Presentation gown of Lady Rose
Gowns worn by (left to right) Lady Edith, Lady Mary, Lady Sybil
Blue gown with exquisite embroidered lace
Pink gown with diamond beaded design on bodice
White gown with intricate beaded design on lower tier
Wow, how fun to see all of those costumes from Downton Abbey! I would love to see them as I loved the show and have visited Highclere Castle. I didn’t make it to the exhibit when it was in Chicago. I love the clothing of the 20’s and 30’s. That was a great all-around visit with the Christmas tour, the Tea, and the Downton Abbey Exhibit.
Connie, her sister-in-law, her niece, and I enjoyed our time at Sweet Shalom on Sunday. The niece lives in Sylvania. The food was good, the ambiance was lovely, the guitar player was lovely, and the tea soothing. I really liked the Cranberry Autumn tea…I went to buy some and she had sold the last one earlier. It was good for Connie to get out and have a nice outing. I hope you and your friends had a nice time also. Boy, was the wind ever strong driving to and fro. Happy Thanksgiving to you and Connie and I say “hello and greetings” to your mother.