A Blog from the Museum of Boulder Collections
Inspired by the variety of tasks undertaken by the collection’s staff at the Museum to safeguard our permanent collection, this blog focuses on both the objects in that collection and what it takes to care for them.
Phyllis Plehaty and the Museum of Boulder’s Costume Collection:
By Olivia Allaire
Phyllis Plehaty served as Curator of Costumes* for the Museum of Boulder (then, the Boulder Museum of History), from the 1980s to 2010s, and saw numerous migrations of our collection facility and changes in local history throughout her tenure. Plehaty was an artist, fashion designer, and seamstress from New York City. There, she earned her degree from the Parsons School of Design. She was an avid collector and dealer of antiques in Connecticut before moving to Boulder and leading the curation of the over 11,000 costumes in our care. The collection, which comprises 25% of the Museum’s overall collection, was named in her honor as the: “Phyllis Plehaty Costume Collection at the Boulder Museum of History.” It was also named an American Treasure in 2000 by the White House Millennium Council, and partially displayed in the Dress by Decade Exhibit in 2000, which you can browse on the Boulder Carnegie Library’s online archive here.
In 2021, the Museum received an IMLS grant resulting in a survey of 15% or 1,650 pieces of this special subcollection. The grant is entitled as: “Preservation Study of Phyllis Plehaty Costume Collection” and would not be possible without Plehaty’s leadership in collecting these exciting pieces!
*Costumes is the general museum term for worn garments, footwear and accessories, as pieces are made of varying materials and are not all textiles. So, if you were envisioning fairy wings and clown suits, those were not the focus of her collection!
