36 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | FEBRUAR Y 2020 Debbie Hansen was dressed to represent Frances Willard Munds from the historic Arizona family. “She was the first female member of the Arizona senate in 1915,” Mary Miller explained. Hansen’s outfit was comprised of a 1920s military- style walking suit. Under it, Hansen wore long stockings, period shoes and a chemise. “Then I am wearing a handmade corset, which I was able to drive in,” she said. “Can you imagine what it would be like to be laced up into a whalebone straitjacket and have to function?” Some of the clothes were authentic, and some were vintage. Several outfits had suffered from cloth disintegration, but the form and stitching were intact. The Questers said restoring items with historical significance has made them learn what it was like to have lived in the past. “Touching the vintage clothing, like touching any antique, connects you to the people who wore them. It makes you think about them as real human beings — and the passion that drove them,” Hansen said. Accordingly, working on the Centennial project has offered the women a closer understanding of history. But it’s not just clothing they collect; their collections include buttons, hats, glassware, flatware, dolls, vases, shoes, parasols and purses. Toni Lowden collects crystal inkwells while Mary Miller amasses cameos. “Some people collect antique commodes!” Diana Magers said. Throughout 2020, the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Project will take its traveling exhibits to Arizona libraries, historic sites, schools and businesses, as well as provide presentations on the women’s suffrage movement through a speaker’s bureau. All told, the Questers expect it will reach more than 200,000 people. And Questers members will periodically dress the part. “We are planning to dress as suffragists for our state meeting and private reception at the Arizona Capitol Museum, as well as for an open house at the Museum on April 25,” Hansen said. The exhibit is now on display at the Arizona Capitol Museum and will remain so throughout 2020. To learn more, go to azquesters.org . To learn about the traveling exhibit, visit Questers’ Women’s Suffrage Centennial Project on Facebook. Location: Rosson House Special thanks to David Miller for loaning his 1929 Mercedes Gazelle SSK for the shoot. The Questers restore items that have historical significance so that future generations can learn from and appreciate them.

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