The Adventurous Life of Isabel Anderson

Exhibition Website

Mar 24 2016 - Sep 18 2016

Anderson House

Washington, DC

Exhibition features nearly fifty paintings, photographs, documents, and other artifacts that illuminate the full life of Isabel Anderson. 

Philanthropist. War nurse. Political commentator. World traveler. Patriot. Author. Arts patron. Isabel Anderson filled her life — spanning the centennial of the American Revolution and World War II — with pursuits that both fulfilled and challenged the expectations for a woman of her generation. She valued history and tradition, but refused to follow what she considered outdated customs. She embraced the duties of a society wife and hostess, but sought more meaningful work outside the home. And while she maintained that women's suffrage was not necessary, she supported other Progressive causes, including public health and prison reform.

Highlights include portraits depicting Isabel Anderson from the age of nineteen to forty-nine, her wedding gown made by the venerable House of Worth in Paris in 1897, the scrapbook she kept of her participation in the 1912 presidential campaign and Republican National Convention, medals and mementos documenting her service with the American Red Cross in Western Europe during World War I, and selections of the books she wrote. 

Exhibition overview from museum website








  • American
  • 20th Century
  • Culture / Lifestyle

Exhibition Venues & Dates