The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame – the only museum in the world dedicated to honoring women of the American West who have displayed extraordinary courage in their trailblazing efforts– will be the second stop on the Lonesome Dove Reunion and Trail with “Bullets and Bustles: Costumes of Lonesome Dove,” opening February 19 and running through April 17, 2016.
The exhibition will feature the costumes of Captain Augustus “Gus” McCrae, Captain Woodrow F. Call, Joshua Deets, and Clara Allen. All costumes were carefully conceived by Emmy award-winning costume designer, Van Ramsey, and crafted for the filming of the TV miniseries, Lonesome Dove. Each costume is on loan from the Lonesome Dove Collection in the Wittliff Collections, located in the Albert B. Alkek Library at Texas State University, San Marcos.
Photographs taken by Bill Witliff, the screenwriter, who had the foresight to not only document the miniseries as it was being made through photography, but also to collect costumes, props and sketches, will also be on display in the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame’s exhibition.
“Movies and television shows and characters about the West have come and gone since the dawn of home entertainment. But, few characters have struck a chord with generations of audiences like Gus and Call,” said Dr. Diana Vela, National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame Associate Executive Director, Exhibits and Education. “We are thrilled to have this exhibition at the National Cowgirl Museum and especially proud to have a costume of Clara Allen’s. We claim her as one of our own.”
Lonesome Dove, the miniseries, aired in 1989 and was subsequently nominated for almost every Emmy category that was available at that time. It is a four part adaption of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, by Larry McMurtry. Credited with revitalizing the miniseries as a format and Westerns as a viable genre, Lonesome Dove captivated audiences in its initial showing over four nights in February of 1989. At its most basic, the show follows two retired Texas Ranger Captains who go on a final journey – pushing two thousand head of cattle north from the Rio Grande to Montana territory.
The Lonesome Dove Reunion and Trail kicked off January 15, 2016, and will make stops at multiple locations in Fort Worth, Texas, and one venue in Albany, Texas, through July 23, 2016. Exhibitions will feature costumes, props, photographs and other items on loan from the extensive Lonesome Dove Production Archive, which is permanently held at the Wittliff Collections. Activities along the Lonesome Dove Trail are open to the public. For more information, visit www.LonesomeDoveReunion.com. To receive regular updates on related events and activities, follow Lonesome Dove Reunion and Trail on Facebook and #lonesomedovereunion on Twitter.
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