[Inaugural Gown] Frances Folsom married Grover Cleveland in the White House on June 2, 1886. During the vicious 1884 campaign, Cleveland had been accused of fathering a child out of wedlock, and the marriage improved his tarnished image.

Mrs. Cleveland's popularity led the Democrats to use her image on campaign materials during the 1888 and 1892 presidential campaigns. By the time Cleveland won in 1892, she had become a potent campaign symbol in her own right.

Courtesy of the National Museum of American History, gift of the heirs under the estates of Richard F. and Jessie B. Cleveland, 1979
Wedding Dress worn by Frances Folsom (1864-1947), on her marriage to President Grover Cleveland, 1886, ivory satin, India muslin, white mull

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