VALDOSTA – A South Georgia model is part of a state collection.

Latoya Walthour of Valdosta is part of a rare exhibition, The Perfume Bottles of Paris Collection (1830-1990), which made its debut appearance at the Thomaston-Upson Archives, located in Thomaston, in July, and is scheduled to remain on display until the end of August, according to organizers. 

The collection is free of charge, belongs to Lewis Hales, a Lamar County resident and chief executive officer of the Celtic Collection Program and is a nonprofit multicultural living history program based in Lamar County. 

To observe the historical significance of the French display, all Celtic Collection models wore Lubin’s Black Jade perfume, which was originally made for French Queen Marie Antoinette.

Walthour was introduced as a new member of the 15-year Celtic Collection program modeling team, according to organizers. She is a potential candidate for receiving the corporation’s most prestigious yearly commendation, the Celtic Collection Model of the Year Award, according to organizers.

Walthour, a 16 year resident of Valdosta, has taught pre-K in Valdosta for three years. For the past six years, she has walked as a couture runway fashion model in the Atlanta area, according to organizers.

On July 9, she became a Celtic Collection model and educational representative and represents artifacts and artifact collections at yearly events at the Thomaston-Upson Archives until the modeling program is retired in 2020, according to organizers. 

“Latoya brings new ideas and enthusiasm to her representations and has remarkable versatility in special featuring artifacts in an educational setting as well as she does with fashion designs on the runway. She is a valued team player with a passion for both modeling and education,” Hales said.

There are a few major differences that Walthour will encounter as an educational historical model, although both fashion and educational share similar goals designed to promote each type of product to the audience, according to organizers. 

“I love being an educational model and I enjoy interacting face to face with others. I particularly enjoy combining both my special interests of modeling and education,” Walthour said.

She brings “experience, elegance and editorial poses” to the endeavor, organizers said. 

“She is enthusiastic about her work and enjoys meeting people and learning better ways of improving her modeling skills,” according to organizers. “She is a veteran model who takes her work seriously and is committed to maintaining the same high modeling standards in the historical educational program as she does in design fashion.”