The Lucille Little Fine Arts Library at the University of Kentucky will feature a special exhibit March 31-April 21, 2008. Belle Brezing clothing items from the Betty D. Eastin Historic Costume Collection will be displayed along with educational materials about the Belle Brezing collection. Avery Malone and Molly Kessinger, Merchandising, Apparel & Textiles graduate students, will be curators for the exhibit. Belle Brezing was a nationally known madam who operated brothels in Lexington in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The stories of Ms. Brezing's business activity served as the model for Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind character Belle Watling. The University of Kentucky Audio/Visual Archives includes a short biography of Belle Brezing. At the time of her death in 1940, her obituary appeared in Time magazine.
The exhibit will be located near the reference desk on the first floor of the Lucille Little Fine Arts Library. Library hours are as follows:- Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
- Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Sunday, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
The library is located at 160 Patterson Drive on the University of Kentucky campus. Funding for this exhibit has been provided by the Betty D. Eastin Endowment.