Vintage Lucite Handbags from the Caryn Scheidt Collection at Dixon Gallery Museum

Written by Eric Bork Saturday, 24 October 2009 20:58

MEMPHIS, TN.- Dixon Gallery and Gardens museum is presenting Carry Me! Lucite® Handbags from the Caryn Scheidt Collection, an original exhibition on view through January 17, 2010. Carry Me! brings together over 150 vintage Lucite® handbags in the first comprehensive museum presentation of this intriguing fashion form. Through the vast collection of Memphis resident Caryn Scheidt, the exhibition transforms these handbags into individual works of art and reveals the infinite forms, colors, and textures they possess.

Lucite®, a hard acrylic plastic, emerged in the fashion world in the form of ladies’ handbags after World War II. Progressive designers began experimenting with the futuristic medium’s versatility, and soon reinvented the traditional handbag with unusual colors and representative forms such as the butterfly, guitar and bird cage. Almost overnight, the handbags became irresistible novelties and status symbols du jour for celebrities and style mavens. Fifty years later, these artful objects remain treasured for their innovation and allure.

Ms. Scheidt’s encyclopedic collection, built over 20 years, includes examples by all of the major Lucite® handbag designers. The catalogue, Carry Me! 1950s Lucite® Handbags: An American Fashion, written by Janice Berkson, will accompany the exhibition.

The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, one of Memphis' premier art museums since 1976, specializes in impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings and decorative arts. Throughout its history, the museum has endeavored to ensure a rich cultural experience for visitors by creating unique educational programs featuring exhibitions highlighting the Dixon's strengths: the fine art collection, decorative art collection, and beautiful thriving gardens.

Over the years, and through generous gifts, bequests, and museum purchases, the collection has grown to over 2000 paintings, works on paper, sculptures, and decorative arts objects. With the addition of the Warda Stevens Stout Collection of 18th century German Porcelain, The Adler Pewter Collection, The Armand Hammer Collection of Daumier Prints, The Noufflard Collection, The Forain Acquisition, The Ritchie Collection, and the Millennium Gift of Sara Lee Corporation, the Dixon's Permanent Collection has expanded to include related schools, American art, and a fine collection of decorative art. Visit : http://www.dixon.org/

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