Just finished reading all the posts from the Cincinnati exhibit (poor Laura!). I had posted earlier asking about "religious items" since my Orthodox Church choir was going, and there was a beautiful response from Kay (thank you!).
It was amazing to find out afterwards that some of my fellow church members went through the entire exhibit in less than ONE hour! I stayed for TWO, and still didn't feel like I saw everything -- so I went back a few weeks later with my Mom and it was even better the second time around.
The "Dream of the Mother of God" that Kay mentioned (that hung in Alexandra's mauve room) was magnificent! It took up a huge space on one wall and was hung so you were practically "eye-level" with it. (If it hadn't been so big, I would have tried to sneak it out -- ha!).
Yes, there were a number of other religious items BUT the things that took MY breath away (and reduced me to tears) were their personal items -- Tatiana's Husser's uniform, the girls' porcelain doll, Nicholas's uniform (the size of the tunic made you realize that he was not a very big man!).
I was DISAPPOINTED in the glass cases (that contained the reproduction of some of the IF's rooms) because only ONE book was available that identified each of the items. The lighting was low, and it was hard to read (and if there was a crowd, you had to wait for a turn). I would hope in future exhibits that they identify the items via signs posted on the walls or glass case (like they did in some of the other settings).
Yes, the gift shop was VERY disappointing. When I first went in late March, there was a HUGE selection of books, but when I went back in mid-April, they had sold out of most of the books and just had all the knick-knacks (scarfs, porcelain items, dolls, etc.).
For those who DIDN'T get to attend, you might want to try calling the Cincinnati Museum and see if they have any additional souvenir books (it's worth a shot).
E--
