Katherine Hepburn at the Frick

Katherine Hepburn is known for her acting talent, distinctive voice and daring fashion sense. She’s also one of my favorite film stars.

There’s a traveling exhibit dedicated to her fashion and career and it is currently living at the Frick in Pittsburgh.

The exhibit does a nice job using movie posters, photographs and scripts to tell the story of the costumes. Some costumes are from popular films while others are from her early career and films a bit more obscure.

They also have a selection of her famed trousers which she wore long before it was socially acceptable for women to wear pants.

Check out the quote on the wall. I like her spunk.

As an aside, these pieces are on loan from a large collection at Kent State here in Ohio.

It’s available at the Frick in Pittsburgh for a limited times it will wrap up on January 12 and admission is $15. There’s a lot to see at the Frick and I wrote about that a few days ago. Read more here. It’s a wonderful way to pass a day and I would highly recommend a visit to the Frick of you enjoy art and. history.

Plan your visit here.

At Home with the Frick Family

Imagine being so wealthy that your child’s playhouse is a full size home with a bowling alley addition.

When you buy a Rolls Royce, you have your monogram added to the door. You buy one, not just for yourself, but for your wife and daughter at the same time.

Your art collection is museum worthy and your homes are decadently furnished with the most expensive decor of the day.

As a contemporary of industrialists like Andrew Carnegie, you dabble in manufacturing and financing and build an empire the envy of businessmen everywhere.

This is the story of Pittsburgh industrialist Henry Clay Frick. His family’s story is fascinating and it’s told every day thanks to the forethought, planning and generosity of his daughter Helen who saw to it that the family’s Pittsburgh home and art collection would be accessible to all.

Today, it’s simply known as The Frick. You can walk the grounds, enjoy the hot house flowers, marvel over their car collection and be inspired by their art collection for free. For just a few dollars you can tour the family home as well as whatever special exhibition they have at the time.

When I was there, it was decorated for the holidays and the docent related stories of how the family celebrated Christmas as well as stories of their everyday life.

They also had the traveling Katherine Hepburn exhibition for which there is an additional fee.

I benefited from the generosity of my friend Nichola who purchased a membership for her family, gaining me free access to everything.

If I lived in a city like Pittsburgh, I would have memberships to the Frick and many of the museums I love. Alas, I live in the sticks where museums are rare.

If you go, allow plenty of time to enjoy everything. House tours sell out pretty quickly so it’s best to arrive early to schedule your tour. There’s plenty to do including a cafe and gift shop. However, we had lunch in nearby Shadyside which I wrote about earlier this week. Check it out!

I’ll soon tell you more about the Katherine Hepburn exhibit as well as my friend’s happy place – the Phipps. Come back tomorrow for more!