Margaret Brown Klapthor

Margaret Brown Klapthor (January 16, 1922, Henderson, Kentucky – September 26, 1994, Washington, D.C., USA) was a curator of the Smithsonian Institution's First Ladies collection

Klapthor developed collections and exhibitions including the First Ladies' Gowns Collection. Her published books include The First Ladies cook book (1965), First Ladies (1975), and Official White House china (1975), all of which have been republished, some in multiple editions.

Family and education Margaret Washington Brown was born January 16, 1922, in Henderson, Kentucky,

She attended the University of Maryland, graduating with a B.A. in 1943. She then joined the Smithsonian Institution as a scientific aide, working in the Civil Section of the Division of History at the United States National Museum.

In 1956, Margaret Washington Brown married Frank Edward Klapthor (1914–1994).

Klapthor worked on restoration of the collection of First Ladies gowns from the White House. She located Dolley Madison's inauguration gown, and arranged for its indefinite loan to the Smithsonian from the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. Klapthor's work formed the basis of the First Ladies Hall created at the Museum of History and Technology in 1964. Margaret died of stomach cancer on September 26, 1994. She was survived by her children, Paul Edward Klapthor, Carlson Brown Klapthor, and Frances Andrews. She is buried in Saint Ignatius Cemetery, Port Tobacco, Charles County, Maryland.

Selected publications

Republished 1999. First of multiple editions.

First of multiple editions. Republished 1995.