Editor's note: The "Going Vegas" report from Athony Curtis' Las Vegas Advisor was not available this week.

LAS VEGAS — A place that rarely preserves its past is now trying to preserve its pasties.

Make that pasties and crystal bras, feathered head pieces, fans and thongs — anything that documents the existence of an increasingly rare bird: the showgirl.

"We were the original Las Vegas," said Lou Anne Harrison Chessik, the former showgirl behind a new exhibit that memorializes the garb and glamour of the Vegas showgirl. "It's important to me that we understand this history."

There are just two large-scale showgirl revues left on the Las Vegas Strip. Their bloodlines may trace back to the French cancan girls of the 19th century, but it took the one-upmanship of Las Vegas to make them icons.

Chessik has created the annual Showgirl Art Competition, an exhibit in its second year on display until August at the Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas. It is likely the only state museum to display a G-string a spin and a twirl away from 225 million-year-old Ichthyosaur fossils.The costumes on display include glittering skivvies designed by Cher's costume designer Bob Mackie, a cherry-colored feathered flurry called "Red Heat Wave" and other high art of the genre.

But the exhibit's focus is artwork depicting the bare-chested performers themselves. It includes the work of Terry Ritter, a dancer-turned-artist who set up her easel backstage at the shows to create dreamy portraits.

The cost of such spectacles grew untenable as casinos suffered through slow economic times in the '80s. Headliners became a more popular and more affordable way to draw crowds. A push to make Las Vegas "family friendly" didn't help.

And so the parades of topless ladies eventually were replaced by even more lavish, outlandish acrobats and contortionists. In an effort to compete, "Jubilee!" has recently offered a new "not topless" show open to ages 13 and up.

"The show is not just about girls, it's about song and dance. It's a tribute to Hollywood. It's something kids can't see anywhere else," said the show's 85-year-old company manager Fluff LeCoque.