Zebra Misc
Lee-Fendall House Exhibits the Life of Alexandria’s Earliest Progressive Women
(Photos: Rita Mattia.)
Meet Some of Alexandria’s Earliest Progressive Women
By Rita Mattia
ALEXANDRIA,VA- Women’s History Month may have just ended, but you can still celebrate in style by combining a lunch outing in Old Town with a very engaging new exhibit at the Lee-Fendall House.
A New Woman: Life in Progressive Era Alexandria, 1890-1920 not only tells how local ladies were comporting themselves on their new bicycles — in hilarious detail — the exhibit features a “cycling costume” that includes yards and yards of linen fabric and not much in the way of Spandex.
“We’ve focused on an era in which some very forward-thinking women were living here at the Lee-Fendall House,” says Amanda Roper, Manager of Education and Public Programs. “At this exhibit, you’ll see what a young woman might have pasted in her scrapbooks and what she and her friends were doing to stay fit. These were not women who spent a lot of time sitting around. In fact, one traveled the country as a stage performer!”
The Lee-Fendall House is on Oronoco Street at the corner of North Washington Street. It was built in 1785 to house the family of Revolutionary War hero “Light Horse Harry” Lee, and was home to many other equally interesting families in the centuries to follow. Hours of operation are Wednesday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Sundays. For more information call 703-548-1789 or visit online at leefendallhouse.org
