Frankie Welch collection, 1969-1989

Summary

Creator:

Welch, Frankie, 1923-

Date:

1969-1989

Extent:

52 item(s)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Frankie Welch collection, HCTC014, Anne Barge Historic Clothing and Textile Collection, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Georgia.

Background

Biographical / historical:

Frankie Welch (Mary Frances Barnett), a noted 20th century Washington, D.C. area textile designer who hails from Rome, GA, designed and created scarves that were the height of fashion from the early 1960s to the late 1980s and beyond. Frankie Welch was honored by Betty Ford who chose her to design her Inaugural gown. It is now displayed in the First Ladies' Hall at the Smithsonian Institution. Working mainly out of Alexandria, Virgina, Welch designed more than 4,000 scarves for business, colleges, cities and individuals. Among those were the Cherokee Alphabet scarves for U.S. embassies overseas, and scarves for Time Life Books, the University of Georgia, National Geographic, McCormick Spice Company, and McDonald's first franchise outside the United States. Welch began her custom scarf designing in 1966 when Virginia Rusk, wife of then Secretary of State Dean Rusk asked Mrs. Welch to make a gift for visiting foreign dignitaries from the State Department.

Custodial history:

This collection is a teaching collection that belongs to the College of Family and Consumer Science.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Dress accessories
Clothing
Clothing and dress -- 20th century.
Handkerchiefs.
Fashion design.
Scarves (costume accessories)

Preferred citation:

Frankie Welch collection, HCTC014, Anne Barge Historic Clothing and Textile Collection, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Georgia.