US Army Women's Museum - Fort Lee, Virginia 

The Army Women's Museum
Costume Collection

"Serving with Pride and Dignity"

It is somewhat unusual for an Army Museum to have a costume collection and you may ask "why".  What does that have to do with the Army?  These are legitimate questions.  There is one very good reason.  The costumes were used by the Army in recruitment shows from 1963 until 1969.  In 1963, the Army Exhibit Unit at Cameron Station, Virginia, built a mobile exhibit to show Americans how and where Army women served and how effectively the Army utilized women in a variety of jobs.  While other Army exhibits toured the country for six months or a year, this exhibit was on tour for six and a half years.   Lieutenant Colonel Mildred I. C. Bailey (later Brigadier General and from 1971-75, eighth director of the Women's Army Corps) was chosen to head the team which consisted of herself and six enlisted women.  Take a look at the collection!

Click on the images below to learn about an unusual collection!  

Egyptian to Early 1800's	The 1800's	The 1900's	1929-1950

Return To:  Army Women's Museum Webpage

Last updated on 10/13/06