Mary Lincoln dress now on display at Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum 

First time to see the famed ‘strawberry dress’ in 15 years

SPRINGFIELD – One of the few surviving dresses worn by Mary Lincoln is now on display at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, offering visitors their first chance to see the fragile garment in 15 years.

Known as the “strawberry dress” for its decorative pattern of berries and leaves, the dress can be seen in the special exhibit “Lincoln: A Life and Legacy that Defined a Nation.” The exhibit gathers the ALPLM’s most treasured artifacts and documents to explore Lincoln’s life, the impact he had on others, and the ways they in turn influenced him.

Few of Mary Lincoln’s dresses have survived. Even fewer remain that Mrs. Lincoln wore in photographs. But the strawberry dress was preserved by Mrs. Lincoln’s relatives for generations until they donated it to the state of Illinois in 1963.

The dress is extremely fragile, so the ALPLM rarely puts it on public display. This is the first time since 2011. The last time before that was in 1985. Still, if handled carefully and kept in dim lighting, the dress can be displayed safely. Museum officials decided it was time for people to see this treasured object again.

“Clothing is so personal. It connects us to people of the past in a way few other objects can, and it reveals so much about the wearer’s taste and personality,” said Christina Shutt, executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “Mary Lincoln was a fascinating and complex person, and I hope seeing this dress helps people take a few minutes to learn more about her.”

Historian Ian Hunt, the ALPLM’s head of acquisitions, said Mrs. Lincoln knew that she and her husband would face intense scrutiny from the nation’s elite when they arrived in Washington from what was then considered the rough, rural state of Illinois. She tried to counter that by dressing impeccably, including being photographed in the strawberry dress. “It is a remarkable item that really connects us to a woman who helped to see our nation through its darkest hour, who saw a lot of tragedy both for the country and her own family and never really recovered from those tragedies,” Hunt said.

The dress will be displayed through April 26, when “Lincoln: A Life and Legacy that Defined a Nation” closes.

The mission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is to inspire civic engagement through the diverse lens of Illinois history and share with the world the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. We pursue this mission through a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship built on the bedrock of the ALPLM’s unparalleled collection of historical materials – roughly 13 million items from all eras of Illinois history.

For more information, visit www.PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov. You can follow the ALPLM on Facebook, X/Twitter and Instagram.