Chicago History MuseumLincoln Park / Old Town

Threads of a Nation: Preserving Presidential Clothing

Now showing24 October 2026 – 18 July 2027$24

Garments and accessories worn by George and Martha Washington, John Adams and Abraham and Mary Lincoln, shown alongside the conservation work that keeps them intact.

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On now All of November 2026

Mary Lincoln's black velvet opera cape carries splatters that may be blood from the night her husband was shot at Ford's Theatre. The museum won't find out for sure: a DNA test would destroy part of the garment, and collections manager Jessica Pushor's job is to stop these clothes falling apart.

On the second floor, you walk past suits reportedly worn by John Adams, Washington's original velvet coat ("maybe not in the best condition, and that's putting it lightly," says mount maker Michael Hall) beside a 1958 replica, and the first US patent certificate, signed by Washington in 1790. The show is as much about the care as the clothes. Light wears down old fibres, so halfway through the run Washington's coat goes back to rest and his vest comes out, and Adams's brown velvet suit gives way to a butter-yellow one.

No critic has reviewed it yet. Entry is included with museum admission ($24 for adults, free for children 12 and under).

Editor's pick

Clothes worn by George and Martha Washington, John Adams and Abraham and Mary Lincoln, shown with the conservation work that keeps them intact. Anyone who has lost a jumper to moths will appreciate the second half.

Look for

Mary Lincoln's opera cape
Look for the black velvet cape with splatters that may be blood from the night of the assassination, left untested because a DNA test would cut into it.
The 1861 wedding dress fragment
A piece of white silk with purple dots and a multicolour floral brocade from a dress Mary Lincoln wore to an 1861 wedding, saved by Elizabeth Keckly.
Washington's coat and its replica
Washington's fragile original velvet coat stands beside a 1958 copy; at the midpoint his vest and a new replica by Michael Hall take their place.
John Adams's suits
A brown velvet suit reportedly worn by Adams, swapped halfway through the run for a butter-yellow one.
Washington's spyglass
A spyglass Washington reportedly used during the Revolutionary War, c. 1778.