Everything can be tied to a memory — sights, sounds, smells, tastes, colors, music and even clothes. One aspect can help tell the story of an experience.

Discover the story of Gabrielle Allard Raszewska, a member of the YMCA during World War I whose uniform is on display in the Old College Gallery exhibition “Fashion on All Fronts: Stories from the Wardobe, 1914-1918,” during “Stories from the Wardrobe: A Conversation” on Tuesday, Oct. 31.

During the talk, Gabrielle Griswold, Raszewska’s daughter, will discuss her mother’s wartime experiences in a conversation with Margaret Stetz, Mae and Robert Carter Professor of Women’s Studies at UD.

Born in 1891, Raszewska, an educated woman and teacher who served with the YMCA from 1917 to 1919 at its headquarters in Paris, experienced firsthand the fighting at Château-Thierry and was present when the Armistice was declared and the war ended.

While the uniform on display speaks to certain elements of Raszewska’s experience through its insignia — ID bracelet, chevrons, stick pins, patches and more — Griswold will shed additional light on her mother’s experience, providing a sense of the wartime lifestyle through a personal lens.

Throughout the conversation, Griswold and Stetz will lead a discussion that explores why Raszewska joined the YMCA, what types of work she did, how close to danger she got and the impact her service made in her life as well as the lives of others.

The event will be held in the Class of 1941 Lecture Room in Morris Library at 4:30 p.m.

The “Fashion on All Fronts: Stories from the Wardrobe, 1914-1918” exhibition showcases collections of World War I-era garments and military uniforms from the Historic Costume and Textiles Collection in the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies and generous private lenders to highlight the Great War and the innovations it brought to life. Through a variety of mediums, viewers get a glimpse into the WWI lifestyle — both on the frontlines and on the home front. It is on view through Dec. 8.

Old College Gallery will have special hours on Oct. 31 for those who would like to see the exhibition before or after the discussion. The Gallery will be open from 2:30-7 p.m. The Mineralogical Museum in Penny Hall and Mechanical Hall Gallery will remain closed.

Special Collections and Museums

Special Collections and Museums is part of the University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press. An interdisciplinary collection of rare and unique materials can be accessed for study and research, and is also featured in exhibitions in the Special Collections Gallery in Morris Library, Old College Gallery, Mechanical Hall Gallery and the Mineralogical Museum in Penny Hall. All Special Collections and Museums events and exhibitions are free and open to the public.

The collection has particular strengths in the subjects of history and Delawareana; science and technology; art and literature; primary source material such as political papers and ships’ logs; American art of the 20th century, especially prints, photographs and work by African American artists; European prints; Inuit art; Pre-Columbian art; and minerals. In addition, the Mark Samuels Lasner Collection, gifted to UD in 2016, strengthens the collection’s focus on British literature of the 19th and early 20th centuries.