CINCINNATI.- Following the success of The Cincinnati Wing: The Story of Art in the Queen City, the Cincinnati Art Museum presents today “A Separate Sphere: Dressmakers from Cincinnati’s Golden Age, 1877-1922 , a special exhibition of couture fashions worn by Cincinnati’s most prominent women, on view from Oct. 12, 2003, to Jan. 4, 2004.

"A Separate Sphere tells the story not only of beautiful fashions, but also the previously untold story of a group of independent, enterprising women from Cincinnati’s history who blazed a new trail for women," said Cynthia Amnéus, associate curator of costume and textiles at the Museum.

The exhibition, which spans nearly five decades, features 62 one-of-a-kind garments from 19 Cincinnati dressmakers and three department-store custom salons, who served the most prominent women in Cincinnati society.

"These dressmakers were working class women who used dressmaking as a way to move beyond the boundaries society set for them; they dressed fashionably, mingled with high society, traveled abroad and became financially independent, choosing not to marry at a time when such a choice was uncommon," Amnéus continued.  "A Separate Sphere examines the lives of previously anonymous women who were an important part of Cincinnati history."

Nearly all of the garments in the exhibition-from wedding gowns to tea gowns­-come from the Museum’s extensive permanent collection of costume and textiles.  A Separate Sphere is the Museum’s first special exhibition in six years to focus exclusively on fashions.

"We are proud to showcase even more Cincinnati artists through this extraordinary exhibition of dressmakers," said Amnéus. "In conjunction with this exhibition, we will present an installation of fashions by John Bartlett, a Cincinnati native and contemporary New York fashion designer." John Bartlett: Dreaming in Darkness opens Nov. 15 in The Cincinnati Wing rotating gallery. The presenting sponsor of A Separate Sphere is Lazarus-Macy’s.