May 6 through September 2, 2018

Fuller Gallery

During the first half of the 20th century, sports became an increasingly popular pastime for men and women alike. This new passion for athletics revolutionized American fashion and culture in the 1920s and 1930s. Who Wore Sports featured textiles and clothing that reflect this interest in sports as part of a fashionable lifestyle. The printed fabrics on view in this exhibition offered a novel perspective on sports of this era—from croquet to football—and attested to the joy that these activities continue to inspire.

Featured image: American, Flies for Fishing dress fabric, 1936, printed rayon plain weave. Gift of Kate Fowler Merle-Smith, 1978. (1978.26.238)


The exhibition program at the Museum is supported through the generosity of the Harry C. Trexler Trust, Julius and Katheryn Hommer Foundation, The Century Fund, Bernard and Audrey Berman Foundation, Leon C. and June W. Holt Endowment, Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Friends of the Museum.