Ladies in Red

September 11, 2018 – January 17, 2019

The color red evokes strong emotions. From the red power suits worn by First Lady Nancy Reagan to designer gowns worn by first ladies and celebrities, red clothing signifies confidence and the desire to stand out from the crowd.

In Ladies in Red, the Museum of Texas Tech University draws on its superb clothing and textiles collection to create an exhibit featuring red clothing from former first lady Laura Bush and local fashion leaders Margaret Talkington, Louise Underwood, and Carol Krueger Layne.

Ladies in Red, is a complementary exhibit to the exhibition The Red That Colored the World, that explores the history and widespread use in art and textiles of cochineal, an insect-based dye source for the color red whose origins and use date to the pre-Columbian America.

Featured in Ladies in Red is the red dress worn by Laura Bush for a Dec. 7, 2003 portrait with President George W. Bush in front of the White House Christmas Tree.

Texas Tech's use of the bright crimson red as its school color is also represented in Ladies in Red in the red suit Marsha Sharp, former basketball head coach, wore when the Lady Raider's won the NCAA national basketball championship, shown at right, and in past Texas Tech cheerleader uniforms.

The Red That Colored the World, organized by the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, NM and circulating through GuestCurator Traveling Exhibitions, has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.