Introducing Caramoor’s 2025 Summer Research Fellow: Annalise Gall

The best way to describe Annalise Gall’s fellowship at Caramoor? “Tailor-made.” You might also say “serendipitous.” 

As she nears the final stretch of her graduate studies in Fashion and Textile Studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Annalise is stepping into a role that feels custom-fit: spending her summer immersed in the wardrobe of Lucie Bigelow Rosen as Caramoor’s 2025 Rosen House Summer Research Fellow.   

"We had several strong candidates for our second annual Summer Research Fellowship. Annalise stood out because of her experience on different projects,” says Jessa Krick, Caramoor’s Director of Interpretation, Collection, and Archives, “especially when she talked about her hands-on work." 

This year’s fellowship invites Annalise to explore a rare and storied collection of garments and accessories, totaling around 160 pieces. Among them are works by Mariano Fortuny, Ethel Wallace, and couture from Henri Bendel and other legendary designers of New York and Europe. Annalise will assess the condition of each item, enrich catalog records, and dive deep into the histories behind these designs and their makers. Drawing from the Rosen House archives and a wealth of outside sources, her research will support future conservation efforts and lay the groundwork for an upcoming special-focus tour. 

For someone whose passion lies at the intersection of textiles, fashion history, and storytelling, this fellowship isn’t just a good fit — it’s a dream come true. 

But Annalise’s path to Caramoor wasn’t always obvious. Raised as the middle child in a small town in Minnesota, she rarely encountered role models working in arts or cultural fields. After earning dual degrees in English and Sociology from the University of Minnesota, she moved to Denver, Colorado, and found herself working at a law firm. It was a secure job, but one that left her longing for something more creative, more meaningful. 

That longing turned into a life-changing conversation with a colleague, who prompted her to consider a career in fashion and textile history. Inspired and determined, Annalise packed her bags in 2018 and moved to New York City, where her passion could find a true home. 

Now she’s wrapping up her graduate program with a résumé that tells its own story of growth and dedication. Her experience includes internships at institutions such as the New York Public Library, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the St. Louis Art Museum, and the New York State Bureau of Historic Sites — where she served in roles ranging from Collection Technician to Textile Conservator. 

 Her graduate thesis? The meticulous restoration of a World War II nurse’s jacket, badly damaged in a 2008 fire at Sampson Military Museum in Romulus, NY. But Annalise wasn’t just repairing an old uniform — she was honoring a piece of history. Her goal was to return the jacket to the condition it would have been in when it was originally worn, so that when it’s eventually displayed (on a museum mannequin, perhaps), it evokes not just a time period but the life and legacy of the woman who wore it. 

Because that’s what textile conservation is all about: preserving not just objects, but the human stories woven into every stitch. 

With that same care, reverence, and scholarly precision, Annalise will spend this summer uncovering the style, spirit, and substance of Lucie Rosen, a woman whose wardrobe offers a window into a fascinating life shaped by music, art, and culture. 

We believe that if there’s anyone Lucie Rosen would entrust with her most personal garments, it’s Annalise Gall. We can’t wait to see what she discovers — and to share those discoveries with you.