About This Exhibition:
Step into the vibrant world of the Jazz Age with An Age of Excess: Art, Technology and Style of the 1920s. Celebrating the infamous decade where hair and skirts got shorter, radio and silent movies captivated the masses, and automobiles brought energy to the streets, this exhibition explores the dynamic intersection of culture, innovation and design during one of the most transformative decades in American history. As author F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “It was an age of miracles, it was an age of art, it was an age of excess.”
Organized in celebration of the 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby, this exhibition draws from the University of Delaware Library’s Special Collections to showcase a dazzling array of books, fashion plates, trade catalogs, illustrations and advertisements. Together, these materials capture the iconic spirit and style that defined the Jazz Age—an era of glamour, rapid change and enduring cultural impact.
An Age of Excess is on view from August 26 through December 19, 2025, in the Morris Library Information Room. The exhibition is free and open to the public during the Library’s regular hours.
Credits
This exhibition is curated by Petra Clark, Assistant Librarian and Instruction Librarian for Special Collections; Hillary Kativa, Associate Librarian and Department Head, Special Collections; and Caroline Liebel, a doctoral candidate from UD's Department of English.
