Each week during the Here Comes the Bride exhibit, the history of one of the dresses will be featured on the website and social media. Visit these dresses and more in person from June 2 through August 12, 2023, at the David L. Pierce Art & History Center. Exhibit hours will be listed below the article.
This dress was worn by Margaret “Maggie” Olinger (1873-1962) at her wedding to Nicholas Hankes (1868-1923) on September 6, 1893. The couple, both children of Luxembourg immigrants, had a morning marriage at St. Nicholas Church and departed at once for a western wedding tour.
Maggie’s father, Barney Olinger, was in the dry goods (textiles and clothing) business and his new son-in-law, Nicholas, was up-and-coming in the same trade. Nicholas Hankes and his brother-in-law Nicholas Olinger took over the old Olinger shop at Broadway & New York and it became Olinger & Hankes clothing store.
Maggie’s two-piece ivory satin dress features puffy “mutton-chop” sleeves, the height of style in the 1890s. The dress, featuring a long train, is decorated with crystal bead embroidery and layers of lace overlay. It was donated to the Aurora Historical Society collections by the couple’s grandson, Charles Weiland, an Aurora attorney, in 1995.
