Discuss “Inside the lives of the Presidents’ wives”

“Dolley Madison,” Edith Mayo quickly replies when asked who her favorite first lady is. Mayo is the curator of First Ladies: Political Role & Public Image, an exhibit currently showing at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. “I love Dolley Madison because she is such a larger-than-life figure,” Mayo said. Judging by the petite size of Madison’s peach silk brocade dress on display, however, one might beg to differ. First Ladies displays several striking, delicate dresses worn by the likes of Jackie O., Mamie Eisenhower, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

In addition to the glamor of the dresses, the exhibit shows that first ladies are much more than fashion icons. “There’s a real person behind the gown, and the gowns are...