Storks in the Period Rooms: Babies and baptism in the Netherlands

To celebrate the birth of Princess Catharina-Amalia, the Gemeentemuseum is holding an exhibition of clothing and other objects relating to the period between childbirth and christening. All the items on show in the museum’s Period Rooms will come from the museum’s own collections. The presentation will feature magnificent 18th-century christening gowns of ivory silk, fashionable white cotton christening gowns dating from the 19th century, embroidered christening dresses and baby cushions, brightly coloured wrap-around garments and a highly unusual evening gown (ca. 1879) designed by the famous couturier Charles Frederick Worth to be worn by a fashionable mother-to-be.

The exhibition will also include objects connected with new babies, such as silver christening gifts, baby-linen baskets and cradles. The exhibition is a sequel to the one held in 1968 by the former Netherlands Costume Museum (now the costume collection of the Gemeentemuseum) following the birth of Prince Willem-Alexander in 1967.