The University of Georgia
Cancel

UGA Special Collections exhibit unveils the career of bridal designer Anne Barge

—

By

Wide view of the “Fashioning the Classic Bride” exhibit at UGA Special Collections, featuring bridal gowns displayed on mannequins alongside archival photographs and documents in gallery cases.

Exhibit explores how UGA alumna’s sketches grew into an influential bridal fashion career

With hundreds of yards of white tulle, lace and satin on display, one University of Georgia Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries gallery might look more like a wedding dress boutique than a history exhibit at first glance. Yet among the 33 dresses, the new display spotlights a businesswoman, an industry and even a few pop culture moments.

The exhibit, entitled “Fashioning the Classic Bride: The Life and Career of Anne Barge,” illustrates the story of Anne Barge Clegg, a UGA alumna whose childhood sketches would later lead to New York fashion runways and international wedding markets.

Close-up view of embroidered and lace bridal gowns on mannequins, showcasing fabric textures and craftsmanship.
Wedding dresses featured in a new University of Georgia Richard B. Russell Special Collections Libraries exhibit titled “Fashioning the Classic Bride: The Life and Career of Anne Barge,” were donated to the College of Family and Consumer Sciences’ Anne Barge Historic Clothing and Textile Collection in 2024. (Photo by Camie Williams/UGA)

At the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library Gallery entrance, visitors are greeted by a white gown chosen in a 2003 national contest for a wedding performed live on NBC’s “The Today Show.” Inside, the exhibit features an off-the-shoulder satin ballgown that is a sample of the design worn by Kerry Washington for a wedding scene in the television series “Scandal”in 2017.

Memorabilia in the exhibit trace back nearly 200 years with an illustration of Queen Victoria’s wedding, where the trend of brides wearing white dresses began. Glass cases hold antique lace bobbins, pearled tulle veils, white satin shoes and early and mid-20th century celebrity bridal photographs that served as inspiration to Clegg in her youth.

Then the display picks up on the story of the young girl from Cordele, Georgia, who would attend weddings where her mother served as pianist and would sketch designs for every member of the bridal party. Through newspaper articles, sketches, patterns and other pieces, the exhibit frames modern bridal fashion history with Clegg’s career both in art and in business. 

All 33 dresses in the exhibit are a part of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences’ Anne Barge Historic Clothing and Textile Collection, donated in 2024, and will remain preserved in the Russell Special Collections Building after the exhibit closes in July.

Glass display case showing photographs of Anne Barge bridal designs alongside mannequins dressed in white wedding gowns.
More than 30 wedding dresses are on display at the University of Georgia Richard B. Russell Buildings Special Collections Libraries as part of the new exhibit entitled “Fashioning the Classic Bride: The Life and Career of Anne Barge,” illustrating the life of the UGA alumna from her childhood in south Georgia to fashion runways in New York and beyond. (Photo by Camie Williams/UGA)

Clegg will visit the Russell Building, located on UGA’s Athens campus, on Feb. 24 for a conversation about her life and work. The event, co-sponsored by the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences, is free and open to the public but registration is required. Following the 6 p.m. Signature Lecture, a reception and exhibition tour will be held.

Visitors are also invited to celebrate the opening of the “Fashioning the Modern Bride” exhibit during a happy hour reception on Thursday, Feb. 12. The free event, which also celebrates the opening of a new exhibit on the 30th anniversary of the Olympics in Atlanta, will begin at 5 p.m.

Galleries at the Russell Building are open to visitors for free from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, with extended evening hours until 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For more information or to schedule a tour, visit libs.uga.edu/scl.