“Unspun: Stories of Silk,” through Jan. 28, 2024, Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, Moravian Museum and National Museum of Industrial History, Bethlehem, traces the history of Lehigh Valley silk production, clothing and products from the Colonial Era through the 20th Century.

“This dress belonged to Delores Barthold,” says “Unspun: Stories of Silk” Co-Curator Brett Peters about a circa 1942 wedding gown made with unbleached parachute silk. “She acquired the parachute from her boyfriend who was an airman during World War II.” He was later killed in action.

Peters and Lindsey Jancay, Historic Bethlehem Museum & Sites. Director of Collections & Engagement, curated the Kemerer exhibit.

“Eventually, it was used to make this dress when she married her husband,” says Peters.

Barthold had served as a battlefield nurse during World War II, attaining the rank of second lieutenant.

“She passed away at the age of 101 and has a connection to Bethlehem and the Moravians, as well,” Peters says. Her daughter donated the gown to the Kemerer Museum.

It’s one of two parachute wedding gowns in the exhibit. Silk kimonos, kurtas (loose collarless shirts or tunics), dresses, jumpsuits and undergarments from the Annie Kemerer and the Laros Collections are on display. A black mourning gown worn by Annie Kemerer stands among ceremonial silk garments.

Parachutes, torahs, maps, needlework, artwork, fans, purses, ribbons and housewares show how silk was more than just a fashion statement.

Several marionettes made from the versatile textile can be viewed upstairs at the Kemerer Museum. They were created by Los Angeles-based puppeteer Robin Walsh.

Visitors will learn how during 1752 the Moravians experimented with silk in the attic of the Brethren’s House with a replica of a 1750s’ coccoonery at the Moravian Museum. Tales of Moravian women working with silk include how the Single Sisters’ presented “secret gifts” to notable historical figures.

The “Mulberry Tree Scam,” a bubble and bust cycle in 1830s, along with a blight that wiped out mulberry trees in the 1840s, ended silk cultivation for the Moravians.

The National Museum of Industrial History (NMIH) continues the stories of how silk production became a major industry in the Lehigh Valley during the late 19th century, with Bethlehem becoming one of the world’s leading producers. The Laros Silk Mills are featured, as well as the women who worked in the factories that mass produced the numerous products of the silk industry.

This era of silk production stretched from the 1880s until the 1950s when mills closed or switched to synthetic fabrics.

The show includes an art installation, featuring silk scarves created by Lehigh Valley-based artist Barbara Schulman and students from Kutztown University’s textile and weaving club.

Interactive workshops and activities are planned.

Combo tickets to all three exhibition sites are available.

Several nonprofit museums and individuals contributed pieces to the exhibition.

The exhibition is made possible, in part, through presenting sponsor, The Helen & R. K. Laros Foundation.

“Unspun: Stories of Silk,” through Jan. 28, 2024, The Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts Gallery, 427 N. New St., Bethlehem; Moravian Museum, 66 W. Church St., Bethlehem; National Museum of Industrial History, 602 E. Second St., Bethlehem. Hours: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Thursday - Sunday, and by appointment, Closed Monday - Wednesday. 1-800-360-TOUR; https://historicbethlehem.org/

“Gallery View” is a column about artists, exhibitions and galleries. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com