tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77042229321204513882024-02-19T11:06:58.419-05:00The Fashion HistorianKatyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06851706805305657658noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-33489779228212006372017-04-21T02:05:00.002-04:002017-04-21T02:05:42.549-04:00Eighteenth-Century Fans at the Chicago History Museum<div style="text-align: left;">
Is anyone a <i>fan</i> of the eighteenth century? Fans have been an important luxury item, status symbol, and practical object throughout history. Fans survive from cultures all over the world, many showcasing incredible artistic virtuosity. While working at the <a href="https://www.chicagohistory.org/" target="_blank">Chicago History Museum</a> in 2014 I was lucky enough to study some of the fans in the collection. This post will highlight two of the eighteenth-century fans in their collection-- just a small sampling of the museum's treasures!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KhirttcEcoLRqnrwwey-6-iOFYeCK1o3HAGjk4Y4AG5JGfd-Z0qmsK7-D-HoPgrT64TajagsFCNJjERL1sdrw9yzYkGy969c6E2-iZ8MSyE2H_6VEYaOVoco4Ek44fnJ8lK23P-NVGZe/s1600/Fan+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KhirttcEcoLRqnrwwey-6-iOFYeCK1o3HAGjk4Y4AG5JGfd-Z0qmsK7-D-HoPgrT64TajagsFCNJjERL1sdrw9yzYkGy969c6E2-iZ8MSyE2H_6VEYaOVoco4Ek44fnJ8lK23P-NVGZe/s400/Fan+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fan, eighteenth century. Painted paper leaf with mother
of pearl sticks inlaid with gold. Gift of Mrs. Robert D. Graff. 1967.46. Chicago History Museum. Photo by Katy Werlin</td></tr>
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"Women are armed with Fans as Men with Swordes, and sometimes do more Execution with them."</div>
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~ <i>The Spectator</i>, 1711</div>
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A fan was one of the most coveted accessories in the eighteenth century. Often incredibly elaborate and extremely expensive, fans were not only a fashion statement but also a show of wealth and status. Fans have two main components: the leaf and the sticks. In the eighteenth century, the leaf could be made from silk, paper, lace, or a delicate type of vellum (skin taken from young animals). The sticks are the skeletal structure of the fan, and higher-quality fans had sticks made of luxurious materials such as ivory or mother-of-pearl. Some of the most expensive fans had sticks inlaid with gold, silver, and precious jewels.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-R3F9nGS-ZdxIRb2MsHqMqMn8rgwE1KwOo9Rakc5K6-rwGSBAATpCvF7iyw21wimqZltxKBhZYYCjwpht1NFwgp-5vDKpA83UbmSiLB7PlnMfhLPRZ9XKzPYHlEvHnKOLvh73v_JtHKg/s1600/Fan+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-R3F9nGS-ZdxIRb2MsHqMqMn8rgwE1KwOo9Rakc5K6-rwGSBAATpCvF7iyw21wimqZltxKBhZYYCjwpht1NFwgp-5vDKpA83UbmSiLB7PlnMfhLPRZ9XKzPYHlEvHnKOLvh73v_JtHKg/s400/Fan+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painted silk fan, late eighteenth century. XA-1221. Chicago History Museum. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
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This fan, attributed to the late eighteenth century, is extremely ornate. The leaf is painted silk decorated with <a href="http://www.thefashionhistorian.com/2014/01/spangles-sequins-and-spangs-oe-my.html" target="_blank">metal spangles</a> and silver-thread embroidery. The sticks are made from ivory overlaid with silver.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfDR59c3BTWzjmZjRdUaHTWaTBeyCxUAwVOGCAnPXmdN8-VljzzijCWCmncG6twY3p5WTVM0JlpoKgtIyurdg6imfjeqqw1syzVARyO6MhO_GkPgtn5soHzbzUmysp1-zrjLAfkW717r-/s1600/Fan+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfDR59c3BTWzjmZjRdUaHTWaTBeyCxUAwVOGCAnPXmdN8-VljzzijCWCmncG6twY3p5WTVM0JlpoKgtIyurdg6imfjeqqw1syzVARyO6MhO_GkPgtn5soHzbzUmysp1-zrjLAfkW717r-/s400/Fan+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of painted silk fan, late eighteenth century. XA-1221. Chicago History Museum. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
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The central scene painted on the leaf shows well-dressed nobility
leisurely playing a flute, a psaltery, and a musette (a type of bagpipe)
in an idyllic natural setting. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AqGozkjONcMBoaq4EzFEDSNc6tJOetLk04QzRgc3qx-i6-5VSyx41i0anjQIm1Op3ONoURsbjxi6l4g6ZuWkaHVidyzCth9NpQGkJxxDbOFjzm-U8KYRH_UGYKa2y0B76jN_4DDFj8zh/s1600/Fan+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AqGozkjONcMBoaq4EzFEDSNc6tJOetLk04QzRgc3qx-i6-5VSyx41i0anjQIm1Op3ONoURsbjxi6l4g6ZuWkaHVidyzCth9NpQGkJxxDbOFjzm-U8KYRH_UGYKa2y0B76jN_4DDFj8zh/s400/Fan+4.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of painted silk fan, late eighteenth century. XA-1221. Chicago History Museum. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
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Flanking the central scene are pedestals surrounded by musical instruments and flowers. On top of each pedestal is a pair of flaming hearts, symbolizing love and desire. Perhaps this fan was a wedding gift or a present from a lover?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCyHraDqf4HY9Bjn7_vwf3tnIGXIjuZO1j_-QBCGgvrV7IbxiqdRr8laxxkzNrTe2rHT3Y2jSPRMQrXq1f8FN6MdIkRlHRc2b0hm-ccRWs3XbM1-p4M2g9B2SDrcEpd-abhaTvJuTcEJi/s1600/Fan+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCyHraDqf4HY9Bjn7_vwf3tnIGXIjuZO1j_-QBCGgvrV7IbxiqdRr8laxxkzNrTe2rHT3Y2jSPRMQrXq1f8FN6MdIkRlHRc2b0hm-ccRWs3XbM1-p4M2g9B2SDrcEpd-abhaTvJuTcEJi/s400/Fan+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of the back of the fan, showing the outlines of the unfinished design. The white tape is from a previous conservation treatment from an unknown date. Painted silk fan, late eighteenth century. XA-1221. Chicago History Museum. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
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The back of this fan tells an equally intriguing story. Fans were often double-sided, featuring beautiful images on both the front and back. The back of this fan has a basic sketch of a design similar to that on the front, but it is left unfinished. This provides excellent insight into the artistic process of fan artists in the eighteenth century-- the back of the fans hows the beginning of the design process while the front shows the finished product. It also raises a few questions: Why did the artist leave the back unfinished? Did he or she run out of time? Was the client unable or unwilling to pay for the extra work? Perhaps the love affair ended halfway through the production of the fan, and the client did not wish for it to be finished? </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyi4jk0TS3uhSGEtxPqPi6mEu2qRcFnv9_vwnVHN1oyVTOr7SL1WHTGNY6w7yseAYbLd3Z1onyeFZKrN5dbcU2pxGJEaGfYNbNrcVktFI7Qudssw4vDVJUtl7L3YqM_TFSibyy5OucNR8e/s1600/Fan+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyi4jk0TS3uhSGEtxPqPi6mEu2qRcFnv9_vwnVHN1oyVTOr7SL1WHTGNY6w7yseAYbLd3Z1onyeFZKrN5dbcU2pxGJEaGfYNbNrcVktFI7Qudssw4vDVJUtl7L3YqM_TFSibyy5OucNR8e/s400/Fan+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Printed fan, c. 1790s. Gift of the estate of Anna P.
Williams. 2380-50H. Chicago History Museum. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
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This printed fan is from the opposite end of the spectrum from the luxurious fan featured above. Due to the time it took to produce fans and the expense of the materials, fans in previous centuries had only been available to the upper classes and were highly valued luxury items. However, in the eighteenth century, fans became available to a much wider market and became an important accessory for all classes. In the 1720s fan makers began printing fan leaves and mounting them on sticks of plain wood. These printed fans could be quickly produced <i>en masse</i> and sold cheaply. Due to the ease and speed of the printing process, printed fans could be made to commemorate important events and serve as souvenirs for travelers.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of printed fan, showing the off-center placing of the central image. Pinted fan, c. 1790s. Gift of the estate of Anna P.
Williams. 2380-50H. Chicago History Museum. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
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This printed fan is much less meticulously crafted than the painted fan above. The main image, of a mother an her two children, is off-center and does not quite fit into the circular blank space left in the background. The sticks are made of wood and painted with a simple design. Silver spangles decorate the leaf.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back detail of the fan, showing the stitches holding the spangles in place. Printed fan, c. 1790s. Gift of the estate of Anna P.
Williams. 2380-50H. Chicago History Museum. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
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As can be seen in this image of the back of the fan, the spangles are sewn through the paper, leavig the stitches visible on the back. Perhaps the owner of this fan added the spangles herself to bring a little sparkle and personality to her mass-produced accessory. Or maybe a merchant bought several printed fans, customized them with spangles, and resold them.</div>
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We will probably never know the full story of these fans. Why was one left unfinished? Who added the spangles on the other? But it is in these intriguing details and questions that we find a connection to the people of the past, allowing us the briefest glimpse into their lives and stories.</div>
Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-71312423149589206002016-02-22T22:59:00.000-05:002017-04-21T13:39:53.089-04:00Book Review: The Dress Detective by Ingrid Mida and Alexandra Kim<br />
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<u>The Dress Detective: A Practical Guide to Object-Based Research in Fashion</u></div>
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by Ingrid Mida and Alexandra Kim</div>
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Bloomsbury</div>
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<i>"Unlocking the personal and cultural narratives hidden in the folds of a garment is a little bit like being Sherlock Holmes. A dress detective looks for and interprets the clues..."</i></div>
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<i>- Ingrid Mida and Alexandra Kim</i></div>
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I love this quote which begins the Introduction to <u>The Dress Detective</u>, a new book focusing on the methodology of object-based fashion research. As a longtime fan of Sherlock Holmes I love that I get to don his mythical deerstalker myself and search for the small details that might reveal a person, a place, a time. Detective work is integral to fashion history research, yet very little has been written on how to go about it. Ingrid Mida and Alexandra Kim fill that gap in the bookshelf with <u>The Dress Detective</u>. This book provides an excellent guide that is sure to be extremely useful for students and professionals alike.</div>
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<u>The Dress Detective</u> has two main sections. The first (chapters 1 through 5) details the steps one should take to read an object. The second (chapters 6 through 12) puts this theory into practice, providing case studies of a wide assortment of different extant garments which utilize the methods laid out in previous chapters. There are also two extremely helpful appendices, providing a "Checklist for Observation" and a "Checklist for Reflection"; two blank forms the researcher can use to guide their study. Each chapter is accompanied by multiple color images to illustrate every step of the process, a must-have for a book like this. The organization of this book is fantastic, providing not only the theory of fashion research but multiple examples of how to actually <i>do it</i>. The case studies cover both men's and women's fashion from the early 19th century to the present, demonstrating how to approach researching a variety of garments. The "Checklist for Observation" and "Checklist for Reflection" are extremely detailed, pointing the researcher in directions they may not have considered.</div>
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I particularly appreciated chapter 1, "A Brief History of Object-based Research with Dress Artifacts". This chapter considers some of the pioneers of the field of fashion history such as Doris Langley Moore, Anne Buck, Janet Arnold, and Jules David Prown, as well as important historians working today such as Valerie Steele, Alexandra Palmer, and Lou Taylor. As a historian I, of course, appreciate the history of historians and was happy to see Mida and Kim acknowledge those who came before. On a practical level, this chapter also directs the curious reader to other sources of methodology and research (I highly recommend Jules David Prown's 1982 article, "Mind in Matter: An Introduction to Material Culture Theory and Method", which is briefly summarized in this chapter).</div>
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There are many boring, jargon-filled texts about history methodology. <u>The Dress Detective</u> is not one of them. This is a concise, well organized, and extremely accessible book that deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone interested in fashion research.</div>
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Many thanks to Bloomsbury for the review copy of this book! </div>
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Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-62965120274264643082015-09-12T17:09:00.001-04:002015-09-19T22:57:27.949-04:00Art Deco Textiles In America Part 2: American History and Modern Life<div style="text-align: left;">
We're finishing up Textile Month after some technical difficulties! This week we bring you the long awaited Part 2 of our Art Deco textiles series. Catch up with Part 1 at the link below, and then read all about how American history and contemporary life influenced new textile design in the 1920s!</div>
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<a href="http://www.thefashionhistorian.com/2015/07/art-deco-textiles-in-america-part-1.html" target="_blank">Part 1: Africana Prints and Non-Western Influences</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sample from the "American National Parks" series, H. R. Mallinson and Company, ca. 1927. <a href="http://metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/487549?=&imgno=0&tabname=related-objects" target="_blank">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 27.151.3.</td></tr>
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Firstly, a quick recap of the background of American textile design. American textile designers had traditionally looked towards France for design inspiration, but after World War I designers began to search for a style that was uniquely American. America was in the midst of an explosion of modernity. Skyscrapers, jazz music, and the rise of Hollywood films were all signifiers of an exciting new American identity. American designers realized their own potential for creativity and uniquely American artistic contributions. As discussed in the previous post, many designers turned towards Non-Western influences, taking inspiration from the art of Africa and the Americas to inspire modern designs symbolic of America's status as a melting pot of different cultures. But other designers instead looked to more local influences, exploring the American past and present through designs that represented the quintessentially American experience.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSH49WP8MGha6e4xZUb3WGLHs32vlnSw1ibV3KEM2wmH89R6dhHkXeIgOBsKTNwUyJmTf96W_FMmOS1VgPTNS_3YudK8eiDvWSKVQHV7io3TbqpWLmnHgMdUfSnH1uOjO3oN-2QVx-E7Q/s1600/1999.43a-b_CP4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSH49WP8MGha6e4xZUb3WGLHs32vlnSw1ibV3KEM2wmH89R6dhHkXeIgOBsKTNwUyJmTf96W_FMmOS1VgPTNS_3YudK8eiDvWSKVQHV7io3TbqpWLmnHgMdUfSnH1uOjO3oN-2QVx-E7Q/s400/1999.43a-b_CP4.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lounging pajamas made from silk from the "Early American" series by H.R. Mallinson and Company, ca. 1930. Textile design attributed to Hazel Burnham Slaughter. <a href="http://metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/157504?rpp=30&pg=1&ft=h.+r.+mallinson&pos=11" target="_blank">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 2009.300.2653a,b.</td></tr>
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There was an enormous expansion of the American silk industry in the 1920s, and the simple cuts and silhouettes of women's fashion allowed a broad canvas to showcase printed fabrics. Two of the major silk manufacturers were H. R. Mallinson and Co. and Stehli Silks Corporation. H. R. Mallinson and Co. was founded by Hiram Royal Mallinson and Moses Charles Migel in 1900, then named M.C. Migel and Co. But by the early 1910s Migel had retired and sold his interest in the company, which officially became H.R. Mallinson and Co. in 1915. Mallinson was the son of Polish immigrants and his company became a key figure in the search for an American aesthetic. In the 1910s Mallinson took advantage of the craze for Non-Western influenced textiles and introduced the "Mexixe" line of printed silks inspired by Aztec, Mexican, and Native American art. But what H.R. Mallinson and Co. is most remembered for are their American history inspired series of silk designs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silk from the "American National Parks" series by H. R. Mallinson and Company depicting Paradise Valley and Mount Rainier, 1927. The Newark Museum, J. Ackerman Cotes Collection.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woman's dress made from silk from the "American Indian" series by H. R. Mallinson and Company. Print titled "Sioux War Bonnet", ca. 1928. <a href="http://risdmuseum.org/art_design/objects/6226_womans_dress" target="_blank">RISD Museum</a>, 2006.6.</td></tr>
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Mallinson produced a "State Flower" range of silks in 1915 and 1929. Silks inspired by Native American motifs were designed in 1916 and 1925, followed by a highly successful "American Indian" series in 1928 (an example of which is pictured above). In 1927, Mallinson produced a "American National Parks" series (an
example of which is pictured above) as a response to the "Americana Prints" from the Stehli Silks Corporation, which celebrated American life. The "American National Parks" prints were an enormous
success and prompted a follow up series, "Wonder Caves of America". In 1929 the "Early American" series celebrated scenes from America's past, such as the textile below which features images of the Liberty Bell and Betsy Ross creating the American flag. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silk from the "Early American" series by H.R. Mallinson and Company. Print titled "Besty Ross-Liberty Bell", 1929. <a href="http://risdmuseum.org/art_design/objects/1092_betsy_ross_liberty_bell" target="_blank">RISD Museum</a>, 57.083.100K.</td></tr>
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Mallinson's textiles celebrate America's past, with scenes of covered wagons, George Washington, and Native American tribes representing the rich cultural history of the country. The textiles also celebrate the present, with the "American National Parks", "Wonder Caves of America", and "State Flower" series showcasing the vast and unique landscapes that make up America. They are a celebration of the traditions of American life.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Americana Print: Metropolis", designed by F.V. Carpenter for Stehli Silks Corporation, ca. 1927. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/487574?rpp=90&pg=1&ft=stehli+silks&pos=11" target="_blank">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 27.243.5.</td></tr>
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The silks produced by the Stehli Silks Corporation, on the other hand, celebrated modernity. Under artistic director Kneeland "Ruzzie" Green, Stehli Silks produced the most avant garde and modern prints, partnering with artists, illustrators, and even celebrities to create vibrantly graphic patterns that represented contemporary America. From 1925 to 1927 Stehli Silks issued it's collection of "Americana Prints". An enormous success in their time and remembered today as some of the finest Art Deco textiles created, the "Americana Prints" were masterminded by Green, who brought in a wealth of contributors to create different designs that represented multiple elements of modern life.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8BLrTHHmemJF6_EKLyhvT5-AzT89rL_Rw1XGqG4B8qqzaAfGXOib9hyavt5Qyr2E6KSuhKmDjXimFNDhzP0KMma_nHAN5EfYs9sMrabogZ-qqLx6SoLB7iPIGp2Kc_Mb6QIlIAypqZyG/s1600/2006AH0920_jpg_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8BLrTHHmemJF6_EKLyhvT5-AzT89rL_Rw1XGqG4B8qqzaAfGXOib9hyavt5Qyr2E6KSuhKmDjXimFNDhzP0KMma_nHAN5EfYs9sMrabogZ-qqLx6SoLB7iPIGp2Kc_Mb6QIlIAypqZyG/s400/2006AH0920_jpg_l.jpg" width="321" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Americana Print: Thrills", designed by Dwight Taylor for Stehli Silks Corporation, 1927. <a href="http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O67177/thrills-dress-fabric-taylor-dwight/" target="_blank">The Victoria & Albert Museum,</a> T.87G-1930.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Americana Print: A Game of Tennis", designed by Helen Wills for Stehli Silks Corporation, 1927. <a href="http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O98307/a-game-of-tennis-dress-fabric-wills-helen/" target="_blank">The Victoria & Albert Museum</a>, T.87F-1930.</td></tr>
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Leisure activities were represented, such as roller coaster riding in "Thrills" (designed by Dwight Taylor, 1927) and "A Game of Tennis" (designed by famous tennis player Helen Wills, 1927). Contemporary life in the big city was portrayed in textiles such as "Manhattan" (designed by Clayton Knight, 1925) and "My New York" (designed by Pierre Mourgue, 1926-28).<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">LEFT: "Americana Print: Manhattan", designed by Clayton Knight for Stehli Silks Corporation, 1925. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/487539?rpp=90&pg=1&ft=stehli+silks&pos=10" target="_blank">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 27.150.3.<br />RIGHT: Photograph of a model wearing a dress made from the "Manhattan" print. Photograph by Kadel & Herbert<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />Commercial Department, 1925. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/497651?rpp=90&pg=1&ft=stehli+silks&pos=7" target="_blank">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 1984.546.5.4.</span></span> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRh7UxwSVx7PEGWjIO7iOliJLJHoWsB7XFU_zF-e4xxIeq6HU9lFrikaCUCGNvoGWC4vCgFiNHXoklc9BdGDAsS2jGh-VDtJWCu9jcIzDgsFd39YJoQWBppEucfTLB8LaFAyyspxA7eYl_/s1600/91806_71c29c7b9427c119_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRh7UxwSVx7PEGWjIO7iOliJLJHoWsB7XFU_zF-e4xxIeq6HU9lFrikaCUCGNvoGWC4vCgFiNHXoklc9BdGDAsS2jGh-VDtJWCu9jcIzDgsFd39YJoQWBppEucfTLB8LaFAyyspxA7eYl_/s400/91806_71c29c7b9427c119_b.jpg" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Americana Print: My New York", designed by Pierre Mourgue for Stehli Silks Corporation, 1926-28. <a href="https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18394399/" target="_blank">The Cooper Hewitt</a>, 1953-108-1.</td></tr>
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Graphic design and the Dada art movement had their influences in 1925, with Ruzzie Green's "message prints" playing on words such as "It" and "Cheerio". The "It" print referred to the idea of the It Girl, the woman who just had "it". Famous movie star Clara Bow was often described as having "it", and in 1927 she starred in a movie simply titled <i>It.</i> In wearing a dress of the "It" print, a woman could gain a part of that illusive quality. The It Girl is a distinctly modern concept, making it a fitting subject for an "Americana Print".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUbgQiJ6fFD0DK6hzxh8t1LbgXKxbzr2LlMGv8AkeLY1eiu8CdRLYl2P9tu1U7_VzluCV9uVFB7zItppyK2KJD97moOH61tluTv0Z93WAmVNmZyWxZyzuFoaYf1_9eTO_oiKmK1Nri-6x/s1600/67421_dd4c89c42bfce547_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUbgQiJ6fFD0DK6hzxh8t1LbgXKxbzr2LlMGv8AkeLY1eiu8CdRLYl2P9tu1U7_VzluCV9uVFB7zItppyK2KJD97moOH61tluTv0Z93WAmVNmZyWxZyzuFoaYf1_9eTO_oiKmK1Nri-6x/s400/67421_dd4c89c42bfce547_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Americana Print: Cheerio", designed by Kneeland "Ruzzie" Green for Stehli Silks Corporation, 1925. <a href="https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18343965/" target="_blank">The Cooper Hewitt</a>, 1937-1-1.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Americana Print: It", designed by Kneeland "Ruzzie" Green for Stehli Silks Corporation, 1925. <a href="https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18343963/" target="_blank">The Cooper Hewitt</a>, 1937-1-7.</td></tr>
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Ordinary objects also provided inspiration for designs such as "Pegs" (designed by Charles B. Falls, ca. 1927) and "Moth Balls and Sugar" (designed by seminal photographer Edward J. Steichen, 1927). These silks used the strong graphic quality of every day objects to create abstract designs. The clean lines and strong shapes featured in these prints spoke clearly to the Art Deco aesthetic.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Americana Print: Pegs", designed by Charles B. Falls for Stehli Silks Corporation, ca. 1927. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/487571?rpp=90&pg=1&ft=stehli+silks&pos=12" target="_blank">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 27.243.2.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwo2FQrg_TumFyUiDfO8nk7nuu8zY8Ep0l8RFfexol8zt4tYlYNdNMsK1v77GHWxxUrnx8JdBi9ghzsgY2hgQaRYfePAPdM51FAuVSeiNvzbf3MZeRohs5E1y5-iRG6lMtzFkzItGdm11/s1600/DP116622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwo2FQrg_TumFyUiDfO8nk7nuu8zY8Ep0l8RFfexol8zt4tYlYNdNMsK1v77GHWxxUrnx8JdBi9ghzsgY2hgQaRYfePAPdM51FAuVSeiNvzbf3MZeRohs5E1y5-iRG6lMtzFkzItGdm11/s400/DP116622.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Americana Print: Moth Balls and Sugar", designed by Edward J. Steichen for Stehli Silks Corporation, 1927. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/487508?rpp=90&pg=1&ft=stehli+silks&pos=20" target="_blank">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 27.149.1.</td></tr>
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American popular culture was also represented in textile design, a throwback to the <a href="http://www.thefashionhistorian.com/2015/07/printed-textiles-in-eighteenth-century.html" target="_blank">figural printed cottons</a> of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. "Rhapsody in Blue" (designed by famed illustrator John Held Jr., ca. 1927) was inspired by George Gershwin's 1924 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynEOo28lsbc" target="_blank">composition of the same name</a>, which combined elements of classical music and jazz to create a uniquely American style of music. And "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (designed by Ralph Barton, 1925) was inspired by the 1925 comic novel by Anita Loos, <i>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Intimate Diary of a Professional Lady.</i> The novel tells the saucy tale of a young woman living a lavish life in the 1920s, a record of the modern American woman.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPGqp3Y5Fgfhd2iKyV2XZGr9b6aRtoQT4QPXpgaFW1Iy9m00v0znp4rw6qhpAQpzYMsgCqUbKtlucq-AJx0qxeCoMs4U-8_dT1NH0RG5-7rvx4hbagjqQQKcTZRhUGmxA2w7gxlcltrek/s1600/2006BF7569_jpg_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPGqp3Y5Fgfhd2iKyV2XZGr9b6aRtoQT4QPXpgaFW1Iy9m00v0znp4rw6qhpAQpzYMsgCqUbKtlucq-AJx0qxeCoMs4U-8_dT1NH0RG5-7rvx4hbagjqQQKcTZRhUGmxA2w7gxlcltrek/s400/2006BF7569_jpg_l.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Americana Print: Rhapsody in Blue", designed by John Held Jr. for Stehli Silks Corporation, ca. 1927. <a href="http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O267083/rhapsody-dress-fabric-held-john-jr/" target="_blank">The Victoria & Albert Museum</a>, T.87O-1930.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5eFpKePriZG9kqBkKvcRCG9NRUWjHjjC6R1bVwsnXyV3n8J67wxnHriB2uUQK_cFxZZeL6VhGSoNXZziEq4AAm3yY2o6M9oxzID8tX87LEPKdCAgnxolOtGQdq-4tZGNgjBU9aXqphoTT/s1600/DP32008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5eFpKePriZG9kqBkKvcRCG9NRUWjHjjC6R1bVwsnXyV3n8J67wxnHriB2uUQK_cFxZZeL6VhGSoNXZziEq4AAm3yY2o6M9oxzID8tX87LEPKdCAgnxolOtGQdq-4tZGNgjBU9aXqphoTT/s400/DP32008.jpg" width="371" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Americana Print: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", designed by Ralph Barton for Stehli Silks Corporation, 1925. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/487510?rpp=90&pg=1&ft=stehli+silks&pos=22" target="_blank">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 27.149.11.</td></tr>
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The "Americana Prints" celebrated the life of the typical middle-class American, who might live in a big city, go to an amusement park to ride a roller coaster, possess everyday household objects like pegs and sugar cubes, and enjoy modern entertainment. With the rise of the ready-to-wear fashion industry high fashion was more accessible than ever before and the "Americana Prints" are representative of this trend, celebrating the lives not of the elite but of ordinary Americans.<br />
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Learn more about H.R. Mallinson and Co. <a href="http://pinsndls.com/2012/10/12/mystery-monday-h-r-mallinsons-american-national-parks-series/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1414&context=tsaconf" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Learn more about the Stehli Silks Corporation and the "Americana Prints" <a href="http://www.adsw.org/sites/default/files/Deco%20Collector--Stehli%20Silk.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-78530256939624461422015-08-23T17:45:00.000-04:002015-09-19T05:26:33.869-04:00Book Review: Nautical Chic by Amber Jane Butchart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<u>Nautical Chic</u></div>
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by Amber Jane Butchart</div>
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Abrams (USA); Thames & Hudson Ltd. (UK)</div>
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<i>"It is France, the United States, and Britain whose naval uniforms and maritime clothing have had a lasting legacy around the globe. From tailoring to sportswear, and from haute couture to the high street, these countries are the key producers and exporters of nautical style. Intertwined with politics, imperialism, war, leisure, trade and sport, marine passions and seafaring endeavours have made the journey from lifeblood to lifestyle."</i></div>
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<i>~ Amber Jane Butchart</i></div>
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<u>Nautical Chic</u> is the second book by fashion historian Amber Jane Butchart and well worth looking at. Featuring nearly 200 large images and plenty of interesting historical tidbits, the book tracks the history of the influence of nautical trends on fashion. From the <a href="http://www.thefashionhistorian.com/2014/12/coiffure-la-fill-in-blank.html"><i>coiffure à la Belle Poule</i></a> to Captain Hook to all your favorite designers such as Coco Chanel, Vivienne Westwood, and Alexander McQueen, this book covers everything you ever wanted to know about how the seafaring have permeated our fashion vocabulary. As the press release states, "Nautical style has been an enduring mainstay of the fashion world, and <u>Nautical Chic</u> is a lavish celebration of its iconic looks and perennial popularity, tracing the history of its trends and impact on the clothes we love."<br />
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The book is divided into five chapters, each focusing on a different element of nautical heritage: "The Officer", "The Sailor", "The Fisherman", "The Sportsman," and "The Pirate". Each chapter is accompanied by several full page images of contemporary fashion as well as historic garments and illustrations, allowing the reader to closely examine the details of each. The images are a great strength of this text, creating a vibrant and eye-catching display. As one who is often frustrated with minimal, small images in fashion history texts, I was very pleased to be able truly see what the author was discussing and immerse myself in the subject. The text is equally informative, condensing an enormous amount of information into easily digestible sections that provide a rich overview of nautical style throughout history. <u>Nautical Chic</u> is not plagued by academic-speak and could be easily enjoyed by both experts and those with a passing interest in fashion history. My only criticism is that I want more! More text! More images! Give me 200 more pages please!<br />
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As a lifelong fan of pirates, the chapter on styles derived from the swashbuckling antiheros was particularly enjoyable. As the chapter title page says,<br />
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"Romance and adventure on the high seas are embodied by the Pirate. Designers with a penchant for historical detail and the spirit of rebellion, from McLaren and Westwood to Galliano and de Castelbajac, are drawn to his excess. Embodying aristocratic 17th-century opulence, as well as shipwrecked stripes and rags, the Pirate's style is drawn as much from fiction as from fact: a theatrical villain recast as a swashbuckling hero."</blockquote>
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The chapter covers a large variety of styles and ideas associated with the pirate, from a brief history of the real-life Golden Age of Piracy in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries to the influence of popular pirate films on fashion to the postmodern reinterpretations of pirates from designers Malcom McClaren and Vivienne Westwood. Archetypal pirate accouterments such as tattoos, peg legs, and the Jolly Roger are also explored. For instance, the short section titled "Eye Patches and Parrots" discusses the historical basis for such accessories before mentioning how they have made their way to the high fashion runway in the collections of Gaultier and de Castelbajac.<br />
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There are not many books on nautical style, so this book is definitely a must-have for those with a love of stripes, epaulettes, fashion, and history! <br />
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With thanks to Abrams for the review copy of this book.</div>
Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-36662971200059693652015-07-15T07:12:00.000-04:002015-09-19T05:26:47.734-04:00Art Deco Textiles in America Part 1: Africana Prints and Non-Western InfluencesIt's Textile Month here on The Fashion Historian! Each week this month we'll be bringing you a textile themed post. This week, in Part 1 of a two-part series, learn about how the art of non-Western cultures influenced the explosion of American textile design in the 1920s!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Safari silk titled "Kando" or "Samburu" by Belding-Heminway Co., 1930. Newark Museum, New Jersey. This print depicts African warriors standing behind shields.</td></tr>
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In the early twentieth century America had grown a strong industrial business but it had no design aesthetic it could truly call it's own. That would all change in the 1920s when American textile design came into it's own, reflecting an exciting new era of modernism in the country. The search for a uniquely American style began during World War I. American textile designers had traditionally looked towards France for all things fashion, but with France embroiled in a war those European sources of inspiration were cut off. American designers thus began to look for a new, uniquely American aesthetic. As Susan L. Hannel writes, "World War I made the American people realize how dependent they were on Europe for the arts, but jazz
music and skyscrapers were the beginning of America's recognition of its
own potential for artistic contributions."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN3T7C-C7ggaMEKMrLb4-lv5u30bPB6KoWzP_tkgGrz7iEGnqKrz1WAq5LjzYGoVpfD2hToGmyKOLrskCOaBIPPtLxOA7oPO_ufIbiW_xtarj1LzrCkf08NOlHwnde7IZlNWrITNCalpq/s1600/IMG_0025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN3T7C-C7ggaMEKMrLb4-lv5u30bPB6KoWzP_tkgGrz7iEGnqKrz1WAq5LjzYGoVpfD2hToGmyKOLrskCOaBIPPtLxOA7oPO_ufIbiW_xtarj1LzrCkf08NOlHwnde7IZlNWrITNCalpq/s400/IMG_0025.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Printed silk by the Stehli Silks Corp. titled "Americana Print: Mayan", designed by Charles B. Falls, 1925. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/487543">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 27.150.7. Photo by Katy Werlin. This textile pattern was inspired by ancient Mayan art.</td></tr>
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One of the major leaders in this search for an American style was Morris De Camp Crawford, a design editor of <u>Women's Wear</u> and an honorary research assistant in textiles for the American Museum of Natural History. Along with <u>Women's Wear</u> editor E. W. Fairchild and Albert Blum, treasurer of the United Piece Dye Works, Crawford began to explore new sources of inspiration for American textile designers. The goal was to end the dependence on French designs and create a new, American aesthetic. To that end, Crawford turned to the ethnographic collections in museums. He approached several museums who were thrilled at the idea of opening up their collections to textile designers for inspiration, and this movement produced a flood of textiles with designed inspired by the art of non-Western cultures. Crawford himself was particularly enamored with the "primitive art" of the New World, and many designers were inspired by artifacts from ancient South American cultures and Native Americans.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJDKf89b7W8MXLlIxoGNQFS241E8kEriNL1u6ql5VdlbKBjQh1xAfDgHUC0sAKAXIYT7IqFYOrwu7Xoy2CvF75p7WgXmm_ddRSg_iaA947y0caGY0hXyJZvDNmRDIB9lyL5vKT34O7q7p/s1600/1978.412.75_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJDKf89b7W8MXLlIxoGNQFS241E8kEriNL1u6ql5VdlbKBjQh1xAfDgHUC0sAKAXIYT7IqFYOrwu7Xoy2CvF75p7WgXmm_ddRSg_iaA947y0caGY0hXyJZvDNmRDIB9lyL5vKT34O7q7p/s320/1978.412.75_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stela Fragment with Glyphs, made in Mexico by the Maya culture, 4th-9th century. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/310527?rpp=90&pg=1&rndkey=20150715&ft=*&deptids=5&who=Maya&pos=34">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 1978.412.75.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89afvtBZ8cdYjdZTpxAMT9YXSFYVo5fSV_zQ4ygI1EN_opfk86qxJSf4kmzvwnjrNRAvR6gHtby3i6OQiyAyTXbYhcfvOItxYuBruooGKOtiQCDyeHnrXIvjCU8nU7XFpE5jhkaZKNyWM/s1600/DP134544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89afvtBZ8cdYjdZTpxAMT9YXSFYVo5fSV_zQ4ygI1EN_opfk86qxJSf4kmzvwnjrNRAvR6gHtby3i6OQiyAyTXbYhcfvOItxYuBruooGKOtiQCDyeHnrXIvjCU8nU7XFpE5jhkaZKNyWM/s320/DP134544.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seated Figure, made in the Federated States of Micronesia, Caroline Islands by the Satawan culture, late 19th-early 20th century. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/319233?high=on&rpp=30&pg=1&rndkey=20150715&ft=*&deptids=5&pos=2">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 2003.8.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbgRqNTaBCwGaXe4Sp_cXP8T0n2fE6zLjPbJlUmyxns-sdzxLhdMLf8I5O9oTW1OaJk6TSVnHHDpgkz3CdjtYjNbyaFQwArVTCaPdgMhe4trP7FMrCtgbXmLebx-pnpzn7-u1p2lob6uh/s1600/DT1269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbgRqNTaBCwGaXe4Sp_cXP8T0n2fE6zLjPbJlUmyxns-sdzxLhdMLf8I5O9oTW1OaJk6TSVnHHDpgkz3CdjtYjNbyaFQwArVTCaPdgMhe4trP7FMrCtgbXmLebx-pnpzn7-u1p2lob6uh/s320/DT1269.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tunic, made in Peru by the Moche-Wari culture, 7th-9th century. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/315786?high=on&rpp=30&pg=1&rndkey=20150715&ft=*&deptids=5&pos=10">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 1987.394.706.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7bfCASMqizVPsLXxmQQFDv-j5jMPp453ePJ-Dm9BXOoHtUxWUJkvMdl6gdDPZgaerSyqprLGU4BZxOP_1iMcPZV0XqMu_U7lGzKI-uypgD-YFEkQF8jz5fFBqH1TjVnb9Jx3Ir10vieX/s1600/DT2593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7bfCASMqizVPsLXxmQQFDv-j5jMPp453ePJ-Dm9BXOoHtUxWUJkvMdl6gdDPZgaerSyqprLGU4BZxOP_1iMcPZV0XqMu_U7lGzKI-uypgD-YFEkQF8jz5fFBqH1TjVnb9Jx3Ir10vieX/s320/DT2593.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frog Pendant, made in Costa Rica by the Chiriqui culture, 11th-16th century. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/316661?high=on&rpp=30&pg=1&rndkey=20150715&ft=*&deptids=5&pos=6">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 1991.419.1.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDenaR0jeFrTPTq8gz5LNPAOgdV4HAyPUyn9SpVS5Jn4cteQ9C9d57E-T-FX1cD8mSmR2nTcQ8pnWJ789yGivvDWeHP9-BFlbpH7WBXWRBeQgoXht0-tO4_3AjhiUxed1MPTfVXah0YFM/s1600/vs2000_271_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDenaR0jeFrTPTq8gz5LNPAOgdV4HAyPUyn9SpVS5Jn4cteQ9C9d57E-T-FX1cD8mSmR2nTcQ8pnWJ789yGivvDWeHP9-BFlbpH7WBXWRBeQgoXht0-tO4_3AjhiUxed1MPTfVXah0YFM/s320/vs2000_271_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prestige Panel from the Kuba culture in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sankuru River region, 20th century. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/318693?rpp=30&pg=2&rndkey=20150715&ao=on&ft=*&deptids=5&where=Africa&what=Textiles&pos=33">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 2001.271.1.</td></tr>
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The art of non-Western cultures was well suited to the Art Deco aesthetic popular in the 1920s and 1930s. The Art Deco style is a pared down aesthetic, featuring simple and clean lines with repeating shapes and gradations. Consider this highly graphic design style and compare it to the objects above. Although these all come from non-Western cultures and many are hundreds of years old, they could all easily fit in with early twentieth-century American aesthetic ideals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ddqWfoRtGTsqn__9ZghHNfPcQGqKntD4FRI7oxk9ol4g1XsRL0VWfRNgYs6Niq5FYgeSx-zj7B1CQYeoSgiB-DMsoRO4bcaW27bCdRRsz5qcaOpNM3RpO3EeV28Bm3HvjUrotOuFFI0l/s1600/Africana2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ddqWfoRtGTsqn__9ZghHNfPcQGqKntD4FRI7oxk9ol4g1XsRL0VWfRNgYs6Niq5FYgeSx-zj7B1CQYeoSgiB-DMsoRO4bcaW27bCdRRsz5qcaOpNM3RpO3EeV28Bm3HvjUrotOuFFI0l/s400/Africana2.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Textile patterns by Mallison and Co. published in <u>American Silk Journal</u>, 1931. The patterns are, from top, left to right: Temple of Angkor, Togo, Madagar, Marrakech, Timbuktu, New Caledonia, and Ubanghi.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">"BARBARIC THEMES IN NEW SEASON SILKS"</span></div>
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Another major figure in the search for an American aesthetic was Ethel Traphagan, head of Ethel Traphagan's School of Design. In March 1929 the <u>American Silk Journal</u> praised her innovation:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"[She was] forever doing notable things to gain for the textile and other
industries of her own country, independence int he art of fashioning
women's wear and other articles of domestic use, ahd more in mind than
merely creating the African silk motif, which has recently taken such a
substantial hod upon our people. She saw in this major fashion movement
the beginning of the end in our habitual search for adequate dress
design abroad. To Miss Traphagen, a slavish dependence upon Europe for
dress and other design was the most senseless and intolerable condition
in current American art. To her it seemed to be as undesirable. She
believed that so long as we depend upon Europe for our art designs, art
objects and the pictorial, plastic and manual arts, the great body of
American artists would never attain the position in the world to which
its impressive talents entitle it- have long ago entitled it."</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVt8qPOHJ9LONbwYonzYrs9KF8ropbFnX8UwEno9RWp7sLTz20CgaXRVgXSQIAncGVx3VPmD_i6CM2vlTdiDCtTDUfvWdxgI_RgIF2P-Bhlq5gjoz6YtIb-MPI8g1iqeSCI_AhIbIhGPzP/s1600/Africana3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVt8qPOHJ9LONbwYonzYrs9KF8ropbFnX8UwEno9RWp7sLTz20CgaXRVgXSQIAncGVx3VPmD_i6CM2vlTdiDCtTDUfvWdxgI_RgIF2P-Bhlq5gjoz6YtIb-MPI8g1iqeSCI_AhIbIhGPzP/s400/Africana3.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Congo Cloth, published in <u>Women's Wear</u>, 1923. Brooklyn Museum of Art, Culin Archival Collection.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">"SCHIFFLI EMBROIDERIES INSPIRED BY PRIMITIVE NEGRO MOTIFS<br />Series of Patterns in Congo Cloth Representing Modern Adaptations of Designs From Sleeping Mats Used in the Huts of African Negroes.<br />Designed and Manufactures by Blank & Co., Inc." </span></div>
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As textile designers looked to Non-Western sources for inspiration, the art and design of Africa became one of the most strong influences. By 1930 the <u>American Silk Journal</u> even declared that African prints would bring in "a new era in American fashions." African art had already begun influencing fine art, with Cubism taking direct influence from the style. But it was in the late 1910s and through the 1920s that "Africana" prints would begin to filter through to textile design. In 1923 the Brooklyn Museum of Art held an exhibition titled "Primitive Negro Art". Curated by Stewart Culin, the exhibition showcased art from the Bushongo tribe in what was then the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). To help market the exhibition, Culin commissioned artists to create designs based on the artifacts on display. Feliz Meyer, working with the Blank & Co silk company, designed "Congo Cloth", an extremely popular textile based on patterns from raffia sleeping mats and burial masks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeDtrXrYg6FUfbaC9fMnjo3gn_HEN5qTzeSZsVs3QppVByHZfQW9g4xPDOXFZPXx2GME3HtnpHJVWlh5PINgV0WqTIeyED1m_dt0ZGRnwSr33JZp6eWuwi4E7-PxrMF6hxalTdvSscjMj/s1600/Africana6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeDtrXrYg6FUfbaC9fMnjo3gn_HEN5qTzeSZsVs3QppVByHZfQW9g4xPDOXFZPXx2GME3HtnpHJVWlh5PINgV0WqTIeyED1m_dt0ZGRnwSr33JZp6eWuwi4E7-PxrMF6hxalTdvSscjMj/s400/Africana6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An advertisement for dresses at Bonwit Teller (a department store) made from Congo Cloth. <u>Women's Wear</u>, April 14, 1923.</td></tr>
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The Africana trend continued throughout the decade and into the 1930s. Ethel Traphagan had students design textiles inspired by artifacts she brought home from a trip to Africa in 1928 and C. K. Eagle Co chose some of the student designs for a line of printed silks called "Zanbraza." In 1930 the Beldings-Heminway company released a series of printed silks titled "Safari" designed by Fredeirck Suhr. Inspired by <u>Safari; A Saga of the African Blue</u> by Martin Johnson, the silk patterns were named by Martin's wife Osa and included "Samburu, African war gear; Utunda, circlets made of wild animal teeth; Kando, jungle hunt for leopard; and Tinga-Tinga, fronds of the palm tree." In an advertisment for the silks, Vogue wrote: "Africa, country of amazing contrast, savage and sophisticate, this is the theme of Safari... silks patterned in the keener color, the bolder rhythm of a new adventure." Continuing into the 1930s, in 1931 Malinson and Co produced a series of printed silks with "Barbaric Themes"; the silks were given names such as "Togo", "Marrakech", and "Timbuktu".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkq-TQAstjO0KitEy1zuCnEd8sCCd3-KOYyHvUSreKz4GHR2BwV-O8ziHE4J47EZa06-xR9xnYoXoYfE2tMzeey1FAFz_3jcT8ntvCsk4acVtz0VGCSnWTq-Ldw5QqLZPczzWjo7pcH3n/s1600/Africana4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkq-TQAstjO0KitEy1zuCnEd8sCCd3-KOYyHvUSreKz4GHR2BwV-O8ziHE4J47EZa06-xR9xnYoXoYfE2tMzeey1FAFz_3jcT8ntvCsk4acVtz0VGCSnWTq-Ldw5QqLZPczzWjo7pcH3n/s400/Africana4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Safari silk fabric titled "Punda" by Belding-Heminway Co., 1930. Newark Museum, New Jersey.</td></tr>
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As can be seen by the continued use of the words barbaric, primitive, and savage, the Africana textile trend was heavily influenced by colonialism and racism. It is a prime example of cultural appropriation, with American designers taking artistic influences from the diverse cultures of Africa without awareness of the significance or context of the designs and their place in African culture. Many Africana textiles are based on racist generalizations and stereotypes and the titles of many of the designs accentuate this idea of Western (i.e. white) superiority. The idea of cultural appropriation is new, but it can still be used to understand the past. While these textiles produced in the 1920s were beautiful, it is extremely important to view them through the lens of Western imperialism.<br />
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<br />
In the second and final post in this series, learn how textile designers
took inspiration from modern life and the American experience to
contribute to this new American aesthetic! Coming soon! <br />
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<br />
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<u>Further Reading</u><br />
<br />
Hannel, Susan. "'Africana' Textiles: Imitation, Adaptation, and Transformation During the Jazz Age" <u>Textile: The Journal of Cloth and Culture</u>, Spring 2006, 68-103.Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-84786952856686500422015-07-07T17:33:00.001-04:002015-09-19T05:31:11.698-04:00Printed Textiles in Eighteenth-Century AmericaIt's Textile Month here on The Fashion Historian! Each week this month we'll be bringing you a textile themed post. This week, learn about printed textiles in eighteenth-century America!<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERFjFotTe3PmDQ4ZPpLPfzdTLqocAbkKjFgp4mfNjpKGjjTeghSqb14Dk8c0YEg67UtwXzG4gtS1wWtDAj38_-_wk2EO5xAx-3Y-z7ZjpKPSyI1ze34zHnBXXCb91XT4561A67fnYfaCg/s1600/printedcotton2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERFjFotTe3PmDQ4ZPpLPfzdTLqocAbkKjFgp4mfNjpKGjjTeghSqb14Dk8c0YEg67UtwXzG4gtS1wWtDAj38_-_wk2EO5xAx-3Y-z7ZjpKPSyI1ze34zHnBXXCb91XT4561A67fnYfaCg/s400/printedcotton2.jpg" width="216" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Printed cotton celebrating American Independence, ca. 1785. Designed by Henry Gardiner and made in Southeast England. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/14942?rpp=90&pg=1&rndkey=20150707&ao=on&ft=*&deptids=1&when=A.D.%2B1600-1800&what=Textiles&pos=45&imgno=2&tabname=object-information">The Metropolitan Museum of Art,</a> 46.106.1</span></td></tr>
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Printed textiles were extremely popular for both clothing and home furnishing throughout the eighteenth century. The most commonly used fabric for printed patterns was cotton, although linen and silk could be printed as well. Printed textiles were first imported to Europe from India in the early seventeenth century and quickly became an important luxury item. By the eighteenth century, printed textiles were accessible to all classes of society. In America, printed cottons were especially popular because the cotton fabric was well suited for the warmer climate and could withstand multiple washings, making it ideal for the working classes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUf6sQ4oMo-tt1oVbXsQcTQP-TKPZBoh4vlLEpH_DfzG6vQgT3c0MU7tjusy6Nzp3-hP68AF5oZMeRYZRM1eKwUb4wi1nLIQjQfuiV7sfmtSRpcWcPZpZJxH-DxQgrwX-KECHZcaGZVQr5/s1600/printedcotton4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUf6sQ4oMo-tt1oVbXsQcTQP-TKPZBoh4vlLEpH_DfzG6vQgT3c0MU7tjusy6Nzp3-hP68AF5oZMeRYZRM1eKwUb4wi1nLIQjQfuiV7sfmtSRpcWcPZpZJxH-DxQgrwX-KECHZcaGZVQr5/s400/printedcotton4.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Printed cotton ensemble, c. 1770s-1780s. <a href="http://www.momu.be/en.html">Mode Museum, Antwerp</a>.</span></td></tr>
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North America, in particular the British colonies, was an extremely important market for the printed textile trade. Cotton was a major crop in the American south and the exportation and production of cotton materials became an important factor of in the growth and development of American industry and the economy. Fashionable printed cottons were also readily available to Americans because of European politics. Due to their popularity printed cottons were seen as a threat to the domestic textile industries of France and England. From 1686-1759, the production and wearing of cotton was banned in France to promote the silk industry. And from 1721-1774 the importation and domestic production of printed cottons was banned in England to promote the wool industry. However, exportation of printed cottons in England was not banned, and so the British continued to produce printed cottons to send to America. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-KCC4YKZdoITUoSzOZyTD5QagQbZNEV2kAHd8qW4n7hA3Xdqi0KDObzYBg-dd8yIPg74k3H0ZzxWiagrCcHNai5mb10QVLRr94sjpM6zKyfJd78QGdZmIM_JgLuKW_WdLzpgZEz8mL-Qs/s1600/printedcotton5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-KCC4YKZdoITUoSzOZyTD5QagQbZNEV2kAHd8qW4n7hA3Xdqi0KDObzYBg-dd8yIPg74k3H0ZzxWiagrCcHNai5mb10QVLRr94sjpM6zKyfJd78QGdZmIM_JgLuKW_WdLzpgZEz8mL-Qs/s400/printedcotton5.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="child"><i>Un atelier de couturières en Arles</i>, by Antoine Raspal, c. 1785. <a href="http://www.museereattu.arles.fr/eng/the-painters-entourage.html">Musée Réattu</a>. Note that each seamstress is wearing an outfit made of printed cotton.</span></span></td></tr>
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An enormous variety of patterns were available for purchase, from simple shapes such as stripes or scallops to detailed renderings of scenes from the latest opera. The earliest printed textiles, used for home furnishing, featured colorful and stylized renderings of exotic flora and fauna. These floral motifs fed into the Western craze for Orientalism, a fascination with the cultures of the East which influenced popular culture and the decorative arts. As printed cottons became big business, designers in India adapted traditional Eastern motifs to be appealing to European tastes. European designers similarly adapted Eastern motifs in their own designs, creating a global exchange of aesthetic ideas. As the eighteenth century progressed these floral printed cottons were often used for fashionable informal dress. As pictured in the images above, women often mixed and matched differently patterned bodices, skirts, and fichus (shawls) to create a vibrant outfit.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Les Travaux de la Manufacture (The Factory in Operation)</i>, 1783-84. Printed cotton designed by Jean Baptiste Huet and manufactured at the Oberkampf Manufactory in Jouy, France. <a href="http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/79541">The Art Institute of Chicago</a>, 1953.306. This is a printed cotton depicting the manufacture of printed cottons!</span></td></tr>
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Figural patterns, often with a topical subject matter, rose to prominence in the second half of the eighteenth century and were often used for home furnishing. These large textiles often featured multiple vignettes on one piece, all corresponding to one overarching theme. The inspiration for figural printed textiles came from a wide variety of subject matter. Ancient mythology, pastoral fantasies, politics, and contemporary popular culture such as operas and novels all inspired printed textiles. The wide range of prints allowed the consumer to express their cultural and political acumen, as well as their personal tastes and interests. Prints depicting important political figures and events demonstrated allegiance to specific political ideals or governments. Prints depicting scenes from the newest opera demonstrated the consumer’s taste and engagement in high culture. Prints also reflected the different aesthetics of the age. Scenes of contemporary life were popular mid-century at the height of the rococo, while classical themes became very popular at the end of the century with the rise of neoclassicism.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Quilt Center, ca. 1790. Printed cotton, designed by John Hewson and made in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/19004?rpp=90&pg=1&rndkey=20150707&ao=on&ft=*&deptids=1&when=A.D.%2B1600-1800&what=Textiles&pos=84&imgno=0&tabname=online-resources">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 2005.284.</span></td></tr>
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One of the most famous American printed cotton designers was <a href="https://books.google.nl/books?id=fYFR4ndTpy4C&pg=PA35&hl=nl#v=onepage&q&f=false">John Hewson</a> (1744-1821). Hewson was born in England and worked for Talwin and Foster, a leading English textile print works. In 1774 he immigrated to America and opened a printed textile factory in Pennsylvania near the Delaware River. His work became celebrated throughout the new country and the quality rivaled textiles produced in Europe. On July 4, 1788 a parade was held in Philadelphia to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In the procession was a large carriage celebrating the American textile <span style="font-family: inherit;">industry, with Hewson and his family representing printed cottons. A newspaper reported: </span><br />
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Behind
the looms, was fixed the apparatus of Mr. Hewson, printing muslins of an
elegant chintz pattern, and Mr. Lang designing and cutting prints for shawls;
on the right were seated Mrs. Hewson and her four daughters, penciling a piece
of very neat sprigg’d chintz of Mr. Hewson’s printing; all dressed in cottons
of their own manufacture; on the back part of the carriage, on a lofty staff,
was displayed the calico printers’ flag; in the centre, thirteen stars in a
blue field, and thirteen red stripes in a white field; round the edges of the
flag were printed thirty-seven different prints of various colours (one of them
a very elegant bed furniture chintz of six colours) as specimens of printing
done at Philadelphia.”</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As you can see, printed textiles are much more than simple fabric. They are an important symbol of global trade and cultural exchange in the early modern period and they are intimately connected to the politics in Europe and America. Thus they make a perfect lens through which to view the eighteenth-century Western world. </span><br />
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For more information on printed textiles in America, keep an eye out for <a href="http://www.abc-clio.com/ABC-CLIOCorporate/product.aspx?pc=A4001C">Clothing and Fashion: American Fashion from Head to To</a>e, available in November. I penned the entry on printed textiles in Volume 1 (17th and 18th centuries)! Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-75217179993508863312015-05-07T12:46:00.003-04:002015-09-19T05:27:24.835-04:00Interview with Fashion Victims Author Kimberly Chrisman-CampbellDr. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell recently published her first book, <a href="http://www.thefashionhistorian.com/2015/03/book-review-fashion-victims-dress-at.html" target="_blank"><u>Fashion Victims: Dress at the Court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette</u></a>. After looking through this lavish text, I wanted to know a bit more about how this book came together. What is the story behind the story? Find out in my exclusive interview below!<br />
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<b>Can you tell me a bit about the process of writing this book. How did you first come up with the idea for the content? Were there any interesting places that your research took you?</b><br />
<br />
There have been a lot of good books on eighteenth-century fashion, but most of them cover just that: the whole eighteenth century, from 1700 to 1799, as if fashion followed a linear progression with a beginning, middle, and end. The Louis XVI period--from 1774 to 1793--was so different from everything that came before and after, socially and sartorially. I felt like it deserved a book of its own. Partly because of the French Revolution and partly because of the nature of fashion and collecting, objects from the period have ended up all over the place. My research took me to France, of course, but it also took me to museums and archives in Sweden, Canada, England, Scotland, and Austria. If I'd had the time and funding, I would have added Russia and Portugal to that list. The strangest place I found myself was the ornithology department of the Royal Ontario Museum, where a specialist helped me identify the feathers embroidered on a <i>robe parée</i> supposedly made for Marie-Antoinette with the help of a vast collection of dead birds.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>One of the joys of looking through museum collections and
archives is discovering hidden treasure that you didn’t know of which
really help your research. Were there any of those moments?</b><br />
<br />
So
many of those moments! The hardest part is knowing when to stop, because
there's always going to be another amazing portrait or document or
garment lurking somewhere if you just keep looking. One that stands out
is the <a href="http://collections.lacma.org/node/220349" target="_blank">Revolutionary waistcoat</a> in LACMA's collection; I came across it
very late in my research and now I can't imagine the book without it.
There's a <a href="http://blog.fidmmuseum.org/museum/2015/03/figaro-figaro-figaro.html" target="_blank">Figaro costume</a> at FIDM that I wish I'd included, but I didn't
know about it until too late.
Sometimes you have to publish first in order to find these things;
there's an alms purse in the book that I was able to have photographed
at the last minute because a curator friend read my article on alms
purses in PieceWork and realized she had one in her collection! It's the
only one I've ever seen that has a solid provenance; they're usually
cataloged as gambling purses, because they're identical except in how
they were used. <i></i><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What were some of the challenges and rewards of publishing a book?</b><br />
<br />
I loved every minute of the research and writing process, but the road to publication was slow and frustrating. Something I've learned is to start with the images and work backwards.
You don't want to get to the end of writing a book or an article and
then discover you can't use the images you need, because the publisher
is only going to let you have three illustrations or because the rights
are unavailable or unaffordable. I learned a lot, however, and I could not be happier with the way the book turned out in the end.<br />
<br />
(For more information on Dr. Chrisman-Campbell's publishing journey, <a href="http://www.wornthrough.com/2015/02/26/guest-post-how-to-write-a-book-in-twenty-years-kimberly-chrisman-campbell" target="_blank">click here</a>!)<br />
<br />
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<b>There are many books written about this period in history, including a wide range of fashion history texts. What do you think makes your book stand out?</b><br />
<br />
I'm a stickler for primary sources. There are a lot of fun myths about Marie-Antoinette floating around, but the truth is far more interesting, and you have to go back to eyewitness accounts to find it. Anything written in aftermath of the Revolution tends to be revisionist history. Also, I think I'm the first person to look at the French <i>émigré</i> fashion industry, which was hugely important to the development of European fashion in the 1790s and early 1800s. Finally, my book has 220 illustrations! I made a conscious effort to include a balance of paintings, prints, fashion plates, and objects, including textiles and decorative arts as well as garments and accessories. Many of them have never been published before.<br />
<br />
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<b>What is the biggest myth about Marie Antoinette that you’d like dispelled?</b><br />
<br />
She
probably never wore a ship on her head, but if she had, it would not
have been controversial at all! Personally, I don't think she was as
much of an innovator as she's been given credit for. Although I'm
generally sympathetic to her, I find her a bit boring; women like Rose
Bertin and the stylish Duchesse de Chartes were the true trendsetters.
Marie-Antoinette was a little like Princess Diana: young, pretty, rich,
and extremely famous, but not exactly cutting-edge in her fashion
choices. As queen, she couldn't afford to be. Even her riskiest fashion
statement, a chemise gown with a straw hat, had been worn by Madame Du
Barry two years earlier. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>When people ask me why I love the eighteenth century so much I never know where to start. So I’ve ended up just saying “The wand chooses the wizard” to avoid a five hour speech on why the eighteenth century is my great passion in life. So, with the knowledge that this is an impossible question to answer, why do you love the eighteenth century?</b><br />
<br />
I love your answer! I could name a hundred reasons, but I think it all boils down to the irresistible allure of big hair and puffy shirts and skirts. It's the most extreme, inventive, over-the-top period in fashion history; it's the Formula One of fashion. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>If you lived in the late eighteenth century, what fashion trend would you embrace with relish? For me, it’s <a href="http://thetimetravellingredhead.blogspot.com/2015/05/francaise-dinner-2015.html" target="_blank">putting ships on my head</a>!</b><br />
<br />
I've done that, and I don't even live in the late eighteenth century! The <i>coiffure à la Belle Poule</i> is practically a character in my book; I'm obsessed with it. And I'd have the biggest hoop petticoat in town. I love how women took up so much more space back then. It made them impossible to ignore.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Do you have any pet periods of history?</b><br />
<br />
For
the past few years I've been working on American fashion of the 1960s
and 70s, and it's a whole different kind of research, with entirely new
types of source material--including oral histories, sketches,
photographs, and even film--as well as new challenges. It's a
fascinating period that has a lot in common with the eighteenth century
in terms of massive political and social upheaval reflected in fashion.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What’s next for you? Can you write a million more books please?</b><br />
<br />
I'd love to! I have a couple of books in progress, with no publication date in sight: one on a subject closely related to Fashion Victims and one not related at all. I will never get tired of the eighteenth century, but it's nice to visit other time periods once in a while. I also wrote an essay on Marie Antoinette's shoes for the Victoria & Albert Museum exhibition catalog <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/shoes-pleasure-and-pain/about-the-exhibition/" target="_blank">Shoes: Pleasure and Pain</a>, which will be published in June. I'm an occasional contributor to TheAtlantic.com, Slate.com, and Ornament Magazine, and I just started writing the <a href="http://blog.fidmmuseum.org/" target="_blank">FIDM Museum blog</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Do you have any advice for aspiring fashion historians?</b><br />
<br />
Join the Costume Society of America! It's a great way to keep up with new research, make connections, and make friends.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Dr. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell is an art historian specializing in
fashion and textiles. She has worked as a curator, consultant, and
educator for museums and universities around the world. She is a
frequent contributor to books, scholarly journals, and magazines, as
well as an experienced lecturer. Her areas of expertise include European
fashion and textiles and French and British painting and decorative
arts of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries</i>Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-76341338984909391782015-03-28T08:00:00.000-04:002015-09-19T05:28:04.703-04:00Book Review: Fashion Victims: Dress at the Court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Fashion Victims: Dress at the Court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette</u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Yale University Press</div>
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<i>"Fashion, which its detractors have called slight, inconstant, fickle, and frivolous, is, however, fixed in its principles... We see how constant it is in seizing all remarkable events, adapting them, recording them in its annals, IMMORTALIZING them in memory."</i></div>
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<i>~ Cabinet des modes, ou Les Modes nouvelles</i>,<i> 1786</i></div>
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<i>"The dissemination of fashions follows the dissemination of ideas, and sometimes drives it."</i></div>
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<i>~ Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell </i></div>
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<u>Fashion Victims: Dress at the Court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette</u> is the first book by fashion historian Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell. Lavishly illustrated and filled with fascinating information, this book is definitely a worthwhile investment for anyone who is interested in fashion history or the eighteenth century. <u>Fashion Victims</u> explores one of the most infamous periods in fashion history, the reign of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette at the end of the eighteenth century. Chrisman-Campbell discusses the extravagant and inventive fashions which reigned supreme in the decades before the French Revolution, as well as the important role fashion took during the turbulent Revolutionary years. As the press release truthfully states, "The
absorbing narrative demonstrates fashion’s crucial role as a visible and
versatile medium for social commentary, and shows the glittering
surface of 18th-century high society as well as its seedy underbelly."</div>
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<u>Fashion Victims</u> is divided into four main sections, "Court and City", "New and Novel", "Fashion and Fantasy", and "Revolution and Recovery". Within these sections is a comprehensive look at the French fashion industry, with all of it's quirks and inventiveness. We learn about the politics of fashion, the influence of the court, the rising domination of women within the fashion industry, and the myriad of popular fads which swept fashion and popular culture. This wealth of information is accompanied by large, full-color images of paintings, fashion plates and illustrations, and extant garments from the period. Fashion is by it's nature a visual medium, so the addition of so many images is particularly helpful in fully understanding all of the information presented.</div>
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It's difficult to pick a favorite part of this book, but I particularly enjoyed Part III: Fashion and Fantasy. This section starts with an excellent quote from the <i>Magasin des modes nouvelles</i>: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: left;">
"We have prepared, almost without thinking about it, materials for the historian who is bored with reading newspapers. She will find, in a hat, a monument to the conqueror of Grenada, a single ribbon will teach her that the nephew of Tipoo-Saïb crossed the seas to become acquainted with this France which kings visit." </div>
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This quote not only perfectly summarizes what a rich historical source fashion can be, but also the importance and prevalence of topical trends in fashion. To the untrained eye much of fashion history seems like a lot of the same. But through little details such as the style of a hat or design on a ribbon, we can see that, just like today, fashion was constantly changing in response to what was happening in politics, the arts, the economy, technology, philosophy, and popular culture. This section of <u>Fashion Victims</u> decodes some of those small details, revealing a few of the myriad of trends which influenced style. The subsection "Fashions a l'Américaine" explores fashions influenced by the politics of the American Revolution in the 1770s and 1780s and famous Americans who visited France such as Benjamin Franklin. Another subsection, "Figaro and Fashion" looks at the extraordinary impact the 1784 play, <i>Le Mariage de Figaro</i>, by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais had on fashion.</div>
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There are many books on this period in history, and <u>Fashion Victims</u> stands up as a worthy addition to the canon. It is an excellent addition to the bookshelf for both the scholar and those with a more casual interest in history.</div>
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Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with author Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, coming next week!!</div>
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With many thanks to Yale University Press for the review copy of this book.</div>
Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-36325058434483675732015-03-21T17:37:00.003-04:002015-09-19T05:29:21.575-04:00MythBusters: Fashion History EditionMyth: Fashionable eighteenth-century ladies shaved off their eyebrows and used false eyebrows made of mouse fur.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCukDSB5nUgaJivzKvT_G_WpHgfnxa4cL9kKCHwpBmrx3nfqMLzKh9I7mXF1CgDLnu_DPtDdr3D2DEkwTW0-CqpBgyL7l8ZgSWhoCYCwD-rSZjywo4E9Ts5NtxzJ_cJtXMwie_fNH6j6tZ/s1600/portrait-of-grace-dalrymple-elliott.jpg!Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCukDSB5nUgaJivzKvT_G_WpHgfnxa4cL9kKCHwpBmrx3nfqMLzKh9I7mXF1CgDLnu_DPtDdr3D2DEkwTW0-CqpBgyL7l8ZgSWhoCYCwD-rSZjywo4E9Ts5NtxzJ_cJtXMwie_fNH6j6tZ/s1600/portrait-of-grace-dalrymple-elliott.jpg!Blog.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace Dalrymple Elliot by Thomas Gainsborough, c. 1778. Private Collection. Are those eyebrows made of mice?</td></tr>
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This is a common myth about eighteenth-century beauty that I have read in many books, some reliable sources of fashion history information and some not. But, when doing historical research, it's always best to go back to the primary sources. Primary sources are sources of information produced in the actual time period, such as a letter, newspaper article, or painting. As <a href="http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/english-and-drama/2014/11/mouse-skin-eyebrows.html" target="_blank">this excellent article from The British Library</a> shows, the primary source evidence for mouse-skin eyebrows is thin. The following are all the sources which mention mouse-skin eyebrows, arranged in chronological order.<br />
<br />
A section from <i>The Tender Husband</i>, a comedic play by Richard Steele, 1707:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
Mrs. Clerimont: The Ladies abroad used to call me Mrs. Titian, I was so famous for my colouring; but prithee. Wench, bring me my black eye-brows out of the next room.<br />
<br />
Jenny: Madam, I have them in my hand.<br />
<br />
Fainlove: It would be happy for all that are to see you today, if you could change your eyes too.<br />
<br />
Mrs. Clerimont: Gallant enough -- no hang it, I'll wear these I have on...</blockquote>
A satirical poem by Matthew Prior, 1718:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
HELEN was just dipt into bed<br />
Her eye-brows on the toilet lay<br />
Away the kitten with them fled<br />
As fees belonging to her prey<br />
<br />
For this misfortune careless Jane,<br />
Assure yourself, was loudly rated<br />
And madam, getting up again,<br />
With her own hand the mouse-trap baited.<br />
<br />
On little things, as sages write,<br />
Depends our human joy or sorrows<br />
If we don't catch a mouse to-night<br />
Alas! no eyebrows for to-morrow.</blockquote>
<br />
A section from <i>A Beautiful Young Nymph Going to Bed</i> by noted satirist Jonathan Swift, 1734:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Her eyebrows from a mouse's hide<br />
Stuck on with art on either side,<br />
Pulls off with care, and first displays 'em<br />
Then in a play-books smoothly lays 'em. </blockquote>
<br />
A short section of an anonymous poem published in the <i>London Daily Post</i> in June 1736:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Or Nightly Traps insidious lay,<br />
To catch new Eye-brows for the Day</blockquote>
The next primary source example mentioning mouse-skin eyebrows doesn't appear until 1782.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BHtf2K0VAS-nFmE9a_AYq04A7aFal8whUHf7odRdZpNYTAC7I93_O3rwIX3qKPDhJxuuRtk4VP7Qp3f8fBI1ElfzulyjcPLmfQHQOTvy9qD2qCGR3WETRzvNTVLxdfajSG_MrDldEwEG/s1600/6a00d8341c464853ef01bb07a6d47b970d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BHtf2K0VAS-nFmE9a_AYq04A7aFal8whUHf7odRdZpNYTAC7I93_O3rwIX3qKPDhJxuuRtk4VP7Qp3f8fBI1ElfzulyjcPLmfQHQOTvy9qD2qCGR3WETRzvNTVLxdfajSG_MrDldEwEG/s1600/6a00d8341c464853ef01bb07a6d47b970d.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Satirical print dated June 18, 1782. In the collection of the British Museum.</td></tr>
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This print shows two ladies arriving at a cosmetics shop. The sign on the door advertises the products within, including "Italian washes, Ivory teeth, Mouse Eye Brows, and the Best French Roush."<br />
<br />
And that's it. Many beauty treatises were published in the eighteenth century with tips on hair care and recipes for cosmetics. One of the most famous today is <a href="https://archive.org/details/toiletoffloraorc00buch" target="_blank"><i>The Toilet of Flora</i></a> by Pierre-Joseph Buc'hoz, published in 1779. There were also several works written about wigmaking, cosmetics, and beauty. Finally, throughout the century satirists and critics lampooned women and their beauty practices. None of these sources (at least the ones we can access today) mention mouse-skin eyebrows. There are no tips for the application and storage of mouse-skin eyebrows in beauty manuals. There are no mentions of mouse-skin eyebrows in informational texts about the cosmetic industry. And, perhaps most tellingly, there are no accounts of women using mouse-skin eyebrows in satirical texts beyond the ones listed above. The satire industry was large and booming during the eighteenth century and it seems strange that, in all the texts and images poking fun at women and their artificiality, there are no mentions of mouse-skin eyebrows (once again, apart from what is listed above). That would seem to be an item ripe for satirizing.<br />
<br />
How then to explain the few mentions of mouse-skin eyebrows listed above? The earliest mention is the scene from the play by Richard Steele where Mrs. Clerimont prepares herself for the day. It should be noted that this play is a comedy, meaning the characters are heightened for comedic effect. Mrs. Clerimont is insecure, stating just before the exchange quoted above:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"... Oh bless me Jenny, I am so plane [sic], I am afraid of myself -- I have not laid on half red [rouge- blush and lipstick] enough -- what a dogh-baked [sic] thing I was before I improved myself, and travelled for beauty -- however my face is prettily designed to day [sic]."</blockquote>
<br />
In this quote Mrs. Clerimont complains that she is, in reality, very ugly, and it is only through the improvements of cosmetics that she becomes a beauty. The character of Fainlove agrees, replying:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Indeed, madam you begin to have so fine an hand, that you are younger every day than the other."</blockquote>
<br />
Here Fainlove compliments Mrs. Clerimont, telling her that she has become so talented at applying make up that she seems younger every day. In this context, Mrs. Clerimont is an object of ridicule and her use of mouse-skin eyebrows may just be one of her ridiculous methods of beautifying herself. They might just be unique eccentricities created for comedic value on the stage.<br />
<br />
The other sources, such as the poem by Matthew Prior, have a similar purpose as Steele's play. They are meant to poke fun at the ridiculous methods women use to make themselves beautiful, and eyebrows made of mouse fur fit right in with that context. In Jonathan Swift's poem, his titular nymph is lampooned for a series of
beauty failings. She has a "crystal eye", false teeth, and a
flea-infested wig. She is clearly a caricature. After all, we don't use
this poem as evidence that all women had false eyes and teeth.<br />
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However, just because there is no concrete evidence of mouse-skin eyebrows doesn't mean it wasn't a trend. Perhaps these satirical texts truly were referring to a fashion trend popular in the first decades of the century, which then faded from popularity. But the overwhelming lack of evidence places doubt on this conclusion.<br />
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Where does that leave this myth?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgzF3ddtusPFx4Qp2dnPzXDEsEat1IN2KB4ckd-MlqBjkupy6hyphenhyphenfwAEsGiri8o2YJSJVqhiplNZyjvmOrmX4naQrY3_uznPJzKrl-vUuSLP8yD9TTUD4kpnONuJyObvvP-yDw2Yc-KJRe/s1600/mb+mouse+eyebrows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgzF3ddtusPFx4Qp2dnPzXDEsEat1IN2KB4ckd-MlqBjkupy6hyphenhyphenfwAEsGiri8o2YJSJVqhiplNZyjvmOrmX4naQrY3_uznPJzKrl-vUuSLP8yD9TTUD4kpnONuJyObvvP-yDw2Yc-KJRe/s1600/mb+mouse+eyebrows.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Woman in Blue by Thomas Gainsborough, late 1770s-early 1780s. In the collection of <a href="http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/digital-collection/01.+Paintings/38759/?lng=en" target="_blank">The State Hermitage Museum</a>. With some clipart additions of my own.</td></tr>
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I have no definite conclusion. The evidence is thin, and I personally think that the use of mouse-skin eyebrows is unlikely, but with no definitive evidence I can't make a conclusion either way. Was Steele's play an influence on subsequent mentions of mouse-skin eyebrows? Was this some sort of recurring joke? I end with this Very Academic Statement: Clearly much more research needs to be done!Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-42742597287329478742015-02-09T03:33:00.000-05:002015-09-19T05:29:32.388-04:00Embroidery Samples at the Metropolitan Museum of ArtAny visitor to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City should stop by Gallery 599 on their tour of the museum. It's a small gallery, to get there you simply descend a small flight of stairs tucked away in the back corner of one of the large medieval galleries. Gallery 599 is located by the door to the Ratti Textile Center, which houses all of the textiles in The Met's collections. A rotating exhibition showcasing small samplings of The Met's textiles is featured in the display cases surrounding the door to the Ratti Textile Center. It's a quick pitstop on your tour of the museum and always well worth a visit as you get to see some rarely viewed textile treasures.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJECok02ZXvNPpJoZStBrZfTD4f3mNkj6rLI6obVI7jyL0ZLJndKcSc4rsn6mraMQNuRB5k2ZSxHrxp-V6asHBh0kyChiUdpNaB2UWwk2bTeDhDPjfhuEh8eVFhS3uca3Fkdnibx_Wp7rJ/s1600/ElaborateEmbroidery_DIGASSETS_Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJECok02ZXvNPpJoZStBrZfTD4f3mNkj6rLI6obVI7jyL0ZLJndKcSc4rsn6mraMQNuRB5k2ZSxHrxp-V6asHBh0kyChiUdpNaB2UWwk2bTeDhDPjfhuEh8eVFhS3uca3Fkdnibx_Wp7rJ/s1600/ElaborateEmbroidery_DIGASSETS_Poster.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="phcontent_0_phfullwidthcontent_0_creditsText"><a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/view?exhibitionId=%7b4edead01-d1aa-4d36-8669-8308a01f5b6f%7d&oid=223121&ft=*&fe=1">Embroidery sample for a man's suit</a>,
1800–1815. French. Silk embroidery on silk velvet; L. 13 1/4 x W. 11
1/8 in. (33.7 x 28.3 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift
of The United Piece Dye Works, 1936 (36.90.15)</span></td></tr>
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Currently on view in Gallery 599, from now until July 17th, is <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2015/elaborate-embroidery" target="_blank">Elaborate Embroidery: Fabrics for Menswear Before 1815</a>. As explained in the press release, "<span id="phcontent_0_phfullwidthcontent_0_aboutTheExhibitionBriefBody">This
installation features lengths of fabric for an unmade man's suit and
waistcoat, as well as a selection of embroidery samples for fashionable
menswear made between about 1760 and 1815."</span><br />
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<span id="phcontent_0_phfullwidthcontent_0_aboutTheExhibitionBriefBody">While I was in graduate school I was lucky enough to intern in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Met, where I worked with a number of textiles housed in the Ratti Textile Center. This included about 99% of the embroidery samples in The Met's collection. There are hundreds and hundreds of them, and most are quite small and are rarely exhibited. So I was quite pleased to see that some are getting their moment in the spotlight in this small exhibition. Including the sample pictured above, which dates to 1800-1815 <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Fun Fact: A picture I took of this sample is currently the background on my phone)</span>.</span><br />
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<span id="phcontent_0_phfullwidthcontent_0_aboutTheExhibitionBriefBody">Just from this picture alone, you can see that this is a truly spectacular piece of craftsmanship. The detailed embroidery renders exquisitely detailed flowers as the main motif, and the white border features tiny and meticulous stitches which resemble lace. But just a picture doesn't tell the full story of this textile.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5HiogTucBqFucd4NSinBuUsu6fHm1SjgieRIVvGrRR1dxAypM4FlYIaMitLoSXOXgiqG41UD3zPFbmDvxj3BFJOnx3VUAtnuQ-Y9p9L06T6OjBfqBY8QWwjz5RPTuVJEGlSe4ydh2GMh/s1600/IMG_2455.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5HiogTucBqFucd4NSinBuUsu6fHm1SjgieRIVvGrRR1dxAypM4FlYIaMitLoSXOXgiqG41UD3zPFbmDvxj3BFJOnx3VUAtnuQ-Y9p9L06T6OjBfqBY8QWwjz5RPTuVJEGlSe4ydh2GMh/s1600/IMG_2455.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="phcontent_0_phfullwidthcontent_0_creditsText"><a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/view?exhibitionId=%7b4edead01-d1aa-4d36-8669-8308a01f5b6f%7d&oid=223121&ft=*&fe=1">Embroidery sample for a man's suit</a>,
1800–1815. French. Silk embroidery on silk velvet; L. 13 1/4 x W. 11
1/8 in. (33.7 x 28.3 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift
of The United Piece Dye Works, 1936 (36.90.15). Photo by Katy Werlin.</span></td></tr>
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<span id="phcontent_0_phfullwidthcontent_0_aboutTheExhibitionBriefBody">Look closely at the textile on which the embroidery is done (click the image for a bigger size if you need to). The pattern is made from three colors: a deep purple background surrounding flowers of orange and a lighter purple. What's difficult to see in the picture is that the deep purple background is actually a rich silk velvet. The flowers have been created while the textile was still on the loom. As it was being woven, small sections were woven without any pile (pile is what makes velvet fuzzy), revealing the base fabric underneath. This type of velvet is called voided velvet. The weave of this textile is incredibly complex, and clearly took a great deal of skill to manufacture. And on top of what is already an extraordinary piece of work, the detailed embroidery is added.</span><br />
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<span id="phcontent_0_phfullwidthcontent_0_aboutTheExhibitionBriefBody">Note the dimensionality this mix of textures adds. The lustrous silk embroidery seems to float over the matte velvet. And the soft texture of the velvet contrasts with the slightly ridged pattern of the weave underneath, making the small orange and purple flower shapes pop. I have never run my fingers over this textile, but I imagine the mix of textures would be interesting to the touch as well.</span><br />
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<span id="phcontent_0_phfullwidthcontent_0_aboutTheExhibitionBriefBody">I don't know if a full suit was ever created based on the design featured in this sample (If it had it would have been <i>extremely</i> expensive and luxurious!)</span><span id="phcontent_0_phfullwidthcontent_0_aboutTheExhibitionBriefBody">. Fortunately for all of us, at least this small sample has survived. It, and others like it, show us not only the luxury of menswear in the 18th and early 19th centuries, but also the extraordinary talent, creativity, and ingenuity of textile manufacturers in history. Many of their names are not known today, but their work lives on and is honored through the study and exhibiting of textiles such as these.</span>Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-9681862361144344822014-12-28T07:00:00.000-05:002015-09-19T05:30:25.611-04:00Coiffure à la [Fill in the Blank]One of the most famous and persistent images of the eighteenth century is a woman with an enormous tall wig decorated with ribbons, feathers, and all manner of figurines. Known as the <i>pouf</i>, this tall hairstyle is often cited as a visual representation of the excess of the 18th century. But these tall hairstyles were not just an example of extreme elite fashion. Often times these hairstyles were an expression of patriotism, politics, and the latest trends in culture. Today we may express our personalities and taste by wearing a T-shirt bearing the image of our favorite band, sports team, or the flag of our country. In the late 18th century, aristocratic women did the same thing using their hair.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKtka87IrtGeRcGuqWltC-BepxQ7a4Yqj7ocMaz1cDaY1_w2KFfwvxYWmB-OFGO9UuRwwAQUQxmGMp38t1kKIZQdNCcgW9k5y8H9d_GD7NKTXbw9eiXuJuGI7pTc6K2spFcyVoIWQ9n2E/s1600/coiffure+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKtka87IrtGeRcGuqWltC-BepxQ7a4Yqj7ocMaz1cDaY1_w2KFfwvxYWmB-OFGO9UuRwwAQUQxmGMp38t1kKIZQdNCcgW9k5y8H9d_GD7NKTXbw9eiXuJuGI7pTc6K2spFcyVoIWQ9n2E/s1600/coiffure+1.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anonymous, <i>Coëffure à l’Indépendance ou le Triomphe de la liberté</i>, c. 1778. In the collection of the Musée franco-américain du château de Blérancourt.</td></tr>
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Probably the most famous of these coiffures [hairstyles] is the hairstyle featuring a model ship. These ship headdresses appear in numerous illustrations of the period and continue to influence contemporary fashion. <a href="http://thetimetravellingredhead.blogspot.com/2015/05/francaise-dinner-2015.html" target="_blank">I even donned one of them myself.</a> In late 18th century France, these nautical headdresses were expressions of patriotism and political engagement. The first was the <i>coiffure à la Belle Poule</i> and celebrated a famous French naval victory against the British during the American Revolution. During the Battle of Ushant on July 27, 1778, the French ship Belle Poule badly damaged the British frigate Arethusa. To celebrate this victory for the cause of American independence and express French patriotism, women adorned their hair with small models of the Belle Poule. Other famous naval battles were similarly memorialized. The <i>coiffure à la Frégate la Junon</i> celebrated another famous French frigate, and the <i>chapeaux [hat] à la Grenade</i> and <i>à la d'Estaing</i> celebrated the French victory at the Battle of Granada led by Admiral d'Estaing.<br />
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Another politically inspired coiffure was the <i>coiffure à l'inoculation</i> which was commissioned by Marie Antoinette to celebrate the successful inoculation of Louis XVI against smallpox. While smallpox inoculations were common in Austria (Marie Antoinette's birthplace), they were less popular in France and Louis XV died of smallpox. Louis XVI was inoculated against the disease at the urging of Marie Antoinette but it was a risky move. Many were suspicious of the procedure, labeling it "dangerous", and urged the king not to go through with it. When Louis XVI was successfully inoculated and given a clean bill of health it was a major political victory for Marie Antoinette, and she celebrated her victory with a coiffure featuring the serpent belonging to Aesculapius, the Ancient Greek god of medicine, wrapped around an olive tree (symbolizing wisdom).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFTAY7EmLjhWRgZfHQWEiqqeu1SDaa5_JxtPzq2dTqcQ0iWJqihZ0nmVjbHODBNokhSJVCtkBPmgVv3RTpdHM3AdyXIpCChLHnYw2ip8l3iKHbIHAskoj2R4eyuWO0l9YWQDchkMeoPOv/s1600/coiffure+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFTAY7EmLjhWRgZfHQWEiqqeu1SDaa5_JxtPzq2dTqcQ0iWJqihZ0nmVjbHODBNokhSJVCtkBPmgVv3RTpdHM3AdyXIpCChLHnYw2ip8l3iKHbIHAskoj2R4eyuWO0l9YWQDchkMeoPOv/s1600/coiffure+5.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A <i>coiffure au sentiment</i>.</td></tr>
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Other coiffures celebrated topical cultural themes or personal events. A <i>coiffure au sentiment</i> expressed a feeling while a <i>coiffure à la circonstance</i> celebrated an important event. The <i>coiffure à l'Iphigénie</i> celebrated the popular opera <i>Iphigénie en Aulide</i> (1774) by Christoph Willibald Gluck. In an age of global exploration and trade, the theme of the different ares of the globe was often represented in fashion and textiles. The <i>coiffure à la Mappemonde</i> was a hairstyle showing the five parts of the globe. The pastoral was also another extremely popular theme throughout the eighteenth century and many coiffures were commissioned with this theme in mind. A <i>coiffure au jardiniere</i> worn by Marie Antoinette featured a vegetable garden with carrots, radishes, artichokes, and even a head of cabbage. And the Duchesse de Choiseul once wore "a three-foot-high pouf that replicated a verdant garden, replete with flowers, grass, a bubbling stream, and a tiny windmill edged with jewels and powered by a clockwork mechanism that Louis XVI himself might have admired." Other coiffures were more personal. To celebrate the birth of her son, the Duchesse de Chartres wore a coiffure featuring her African page and pet parrot as well as a nursemaid nursing a newborn baby.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTmLCpTEDgzpY7oPyrX2_JHQRl1_SqO4rR9hgdqTQX-3gjKwo06MX-UtQNqGBzGcflNTJZSwUJkXDzmeOoXd3GH035VlH9lwfW0p4hZFTci_HLIiuLmPfdgnEAfaYFybBweQIszI-CJEl/s1600/coiffure+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTmLCpTEDgzpY7oPyrX2_JHQRl1_SqO4rR9hgdqTQX-3gjKwo06MX-UtQNqGBzGcflNTJZSwUJkXDzmeOoXd3GH035VlH9lwfW0p4hZFTci_HLIiuLmPfdgnEAfaYFybBweQIszI-CJEl/s1600/coiffure+4.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Satirical print showing a <i>coiffure au jardiniere</i> complete with the tiny figure of a man going for a stroll. "The Flower Garden" by Matthew Darly, May 1, 1777. In the collection of the <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/376347" target="_blank">Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>.</td></tr>
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Of course these hairstyles were ripe for satirizing and many prints were published poking fun at these elaborate coiffures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmOTLZW2nzzhAFQAJLK_WuCcQw79ks3JqGw0u0yDmsSjRB7-3JXibu-CxkkRiQp3mMlH3BUYE8N3OV2NS88nPO7C_cSjWzQN0IPp7C0TzvQMriCnf_pQ7eu3D6DPh9xybFWRneuZ0k8UN/s1600/coiffure+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmOTLZW2nzzhAFQAJLK_WuCcQw79ks3JqGw0u0yDmsSjRB7-3JXibu-CxkkRiQp3mMlH3BUYE8N3OV2NS88nPO7C_cSjWzQN0IPp7C0TzvQMriCnf_pQ7eu3D6DPh9xybFWRneuZ0k8UN/s1600/coiffure+3.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Satire of the <i>chapeaux à la d'Estaing</i> showing Admiral d'Estaing himself perched on a lady's head. Anonymous, <i>La Nimphe … parée d’une Frisure à la Grenade sur laquelle elle porte son fameux marin au milieu de ses Triomphe</i>, 1779. In the collection of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.</td></tr>
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What would you don on your own coiffure?<br />
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Further Reading<br />
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Chrisman-Campbell, Kimberly. <a href="http://www.wornthrough.com/2013/03/20/when-fashion-set-sail/" target="_blank">"When Fashion Set Sail."</a> Published on <u>Worn Through</u>, March 20, 2013.<br />
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Weber, Caroline. <u>Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution</u>. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2006.
Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-68205375863755699202014-12-17T07:30:00.000-05:002015-09-19T05:31:26.548-04:00Exploring the Decades with Disney Princesses: Cinderella<a href="http://www.thefashionhistorian.com/2013/09/exploring-decades-with-disney.html" target="_blank">Part 1: Snow White from <i>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</i> (1937)</a><br />
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As a fashion historian, I find that an interesting aspect of Disney is how the animated features serve as records of the visual culture of their day. The Disney Princesses, a successful sub-franchise launched by Disney in the late 1990s, are everywhere these days. They have not been without <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/magazine/24princess.t.html?ex=1324616400&en=8e5a1ac1332a802c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=0" target="_blank">controversy</a>, but they are certainly popular. They are also records of changing standards of beauty for women in the 20th century. This post series will discuss selected Disney Princesses, exploring how they embody the ideals of femininity of their time.<br />
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<b>Cinderella from <i>Cinderella</i> (1950)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuc8pQFax688RBXG0-XGczWSWbyLac9clsZJRIdXRabB3oImGxYmBJNeuE4CM2Twl4WqNx6JnUoQzAk8Zb27BYbMzM7Fz7bwFarQJ_RgGsm1f_UmmtlsrYrc85lQiiRghWxj0LF0X0n_iC/s1600/cinderella+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuc8pQFax688RBXG0-XGczWSWbyLac9clsZJRIdXRabB3oImGxYmBJNeuE4CM2Twl4WqNx6JnUoQzAk8Zb27BYbMzM7Fz7bwFarQJ_RgGsm1f_UmmtlsrYrc85lQiiRghWxj0LF0X0n_iC/s1600/cinderella+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The next Disney Princess to arrive after Snow White was Cinderella, who appeared in a new animated musical released in 1950. <i>Cinderella</i> was Walt Disney studio's most successful animated feature film since <i>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</i> (1937) and received three Academy Award nominations. The story was adapted from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinderella#Cendrillon.2C_by_Perrault" target="_blank">Charles Perrault version of the fairy tail</a>, first published in 1697. Preparation for the film began in 1948. Helene Stanley served as the live action model for Cinderella and acted out many of the sequences in the film which the animators then studied and translated into drawn animations (Fun Fact: Stanley also served as the live action model for Anastasia, one of Cinderella's ugly stepsisters).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxtIiId3iA-d8k_MnB_n6JztYGBUl4HA9324rX5KF65fpZIV7YeCdOa2tvDw4cziFD02VUpPwQxa-HLxUaCvujcu_bghLWXVsHfqZlyv8neWhLtFjinIGjmhn_MUaGJAZ5DsOdsn6niSA/s1600/cinderella+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxtIiId3iA-d8k_MnB_n6JztYGBUl4HA9324rX5KF65fpZIV7YeCdOa2tvDw4cziFD02VUpPwQxa-HLxUaCvujcu_bghLWXVsHfqZlyv8neWhLtFjinIGjmhn_MUaGJAZ5DsOdsn6niSA/s1600/cinderella+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Live action models being filmed and their animated counterparts.</td></tr>
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But how does Cinderella's appearance reflect the aesthetics of the late 1940s and early 1950s? Simply look at fashion illustrations of the period and you'll see
that Cinderella fits right in with the illustrated fashion models. As I discussed in my Snow White post, fashion illustrations are a great source for looking at ideals of beauty
because a drawing can convey ideal aesthetics in a way a real human
body cannot. Furthermore, fashion illustration also takes a cue from
dominant artistic trends of the period, showing broader visual
influences.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Far Left: 1949 Illustration from a pattern insert in the <u>Philadelphia Inquirer.</u> <a href="http://zinniaridge.blogspot.com/2012/01/spring-fashions-1949.html" target="_blank">Source.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Far Right: Advertisement from 1949. </span> </div>
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While the setting of the film is ostensibly the late Victorian period, Cinderella is firmly a mid-20th-century beauty. She has a slim figure with a small bust, narrow hips, and a nipped in waist-- the ideal figure of the late 1940s/early 1950s woman. Her various dresses give the sense of a historic look while still fitting in with mid-century aesthetics. Her servant outfit has a form fitting top and narrow A-line skirt which falls to just below the knees, a look that fits right in with fashions of the day. Both of her ballgowns feature a form fitting bodice, slight emphasis on the shoulders, and a full skirt. The emphasis on wide, sculpted shoulders is a hallmark of women's fashion of the 1940s, which embraced more masculine styles. In the 1950s a more feminine silhouette took over, so with Cinderella we see a good illustration of the transition between these two aesthetics. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Left: "Shades of Picasso" dress by Gilbert Adrian, 1944-45. In the collection of the <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/158903?rpp=30&pg=1&ft=adrian&pos=1" target="_blank">Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Right: Dior "Junon" dress, fall/winter 1949-50. In the collection of the <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/83233?rpp=30&pg=1&ft=junon&pos=3" target="_blank">Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>.</span></div>
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The full skirts of her ballgowns are also nods to women's fashions of the late 1940s/early 1950s. In America during World War II, restrictions were placed on how much fabric could be used for a woman's evening gown as the government needed to reserve fabric for use by the military. After the war ended in 1945, those restrictions were lifted and women's skirts ballooned out. Compare the two gowns above, one made during WWII (left) and one made during the period when <i>Cinderella</i> was being animated (right). And then compare them to the image of Cinderella's magical ballgown in the middle.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Left: Barbara Stanwyck in <i>Double Indemnity</i>, 1944.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Right: Advertisement for Catalina Swimsuits in <u>Seventeen Magazine</u>, 1949. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/retroarama/5773142291/in/photostream" target="_blank">Source.</a></span></div>
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Cinderella's facial features also conform with mid-century ideals. She has shoulder length blonde hair and short, curled bangs, a fashionable hairstyle for the late 1940s. And her oval face, full lips, softly curved eyebrows, and almond-shaped eyes with full eyelashes are mirrored in the fashion illustrations of the period.<br />
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With Cinderella we see the very beginning of the 1950s. Our next Disney princess will look at the end of that decade-- stay tuned for Sleeping Beauty!<br />
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If you're interested in the historical influences of Cinderella's clothes, please check out <a href="http://www.frockflicks.com/disney-princess-historical-influences-cinderella-1950/" target="_blank">this excellent post</a> from the lovely ladies over at <a href="http://www.frockflicks.com/" target="_blank">Frock Flicks</a>!</div>
Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-81370029287603707062014-12-07T17:04:00.001-05:002015-09-19T05:31:40.296-04:00La Mode à la Girafe<i>La mode à la girafe</i> translates to giraffe fashion, that is, fashion inspired by and celebrating giraffes. Or, in the case of late 1820s France, the fashion influence of one very famous giraffe.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-HbBjBw83PQf4zxdRNEWgzxZBLRqQaNv5IYJVchF9snlOyba3YlQNxaIXXG6k_N5I5qeT4XTlYDhJFj3N5dTD0tbl4jcXy0OMPTEvRDLkserXlJ5fMuPlOKEeYDa3Sr2bpFd4G96uEzN/s1600/Giraffe+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-HbBjBw83PQf4zxdRNEWgzxZBLRqQaNv5IYJVchF9snlOyba3YlQNxaIXXG6k_N5I5qeT4XTlYDhJFj3N5dTD0tbl4jcXy0OMPTEvRDLkserXlJ5fMuPlOKEeYDa3Sr2bpFd4G96uEzN/s1600/Giraffe+1.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicolas Hüet, <i>Study of the Giraffe Given to Charles X by the Viceroy of Egypt</i>, 1827. In the collection of the Morgan Library and Museum.</td></tr>
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On October 23, 1826 a female giraffe arrived at the port of Marseilles. A gift from Muhammad Ali (1769-1849), the Viceroy of Egypt, to King Charles X of France (r. 1824-1830), this was the first living giraffe ever seen in France. Naturally such a strange and wonderful looking animal caused an enormous sensation. During her six month stay in Marseilles and along her journey to Paris, thousands of people came to view the curious creature. Renown zoologist Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire wrote that he "had to fight the crowds who rushed tumultuously at the animal." In Lyon, for example, over 30,000 people came to see her.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hEXztQG0sL6VeUB8v4_H5lG4Zpn8bfJybM6Rs95cqXpSDpHRBZzDUGUszo6ihJos62QJCxCkNlVYs6KVasovZgO281n_tOOmqTNWiv1qgmuLxxMstQchDJeCT1aGXGxHWoDCBnbTHh-n/s1600/Giraffe+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hEXztQG0sL6VeUB8v4_H5lG4Zpn8bfJybM6Rs95cqXpSDpHRBZzDUGUszo6ihJos62QJCxCkNlVYs6KVasovZgO281n_tOOmqTNWiv1qgmuLxxMstQchDJeCT1aGXGxHWoDCBnbTHh-n/s1600/Giraffe+6.png" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jean-Jacques Feuchère, "Encore des Ridicules, No. 1,035: Les Girafes à la mode," c. 1826. In the collection of the Musée Carnavalet.</td></tr>
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On June 30, 1827, the giraffe arrived in Paris to much fanfare and took up residence in the Jardin de Plantes, the world's first national menagerie. In the following months she would have an audience with the royal family, several important dignitaries, and be seen by hundreds of thousands of people. On July 12th, 1827 <u>La Pandore</u> reported that "the giraffe occupies all the public's attention; one talks of nothing else in the circles of the capital."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwX_RKZrabgeeLgZpS_Vv1wz_2lhgiWXE5whY22lf_xA8eNCk6h47g3EAv_TNcOjWO_9LQqrmMsmPj8R8CBkY_0b_ixr0s6mniIXx3ZU5Co2Kx_N1ZLaeNxDLFU5xRwKUgZKyg25rKVYF/s1600/Giraffe+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwX_RKZrabgeeLgZpS_Vv1wz_2lhgiWXE5whY22lf_xA8eNCk6h47g3EAv_TNcOjWO_9LQqrmMsmPj8R8CBkY_0b_ixr0s6mniIXx3ZU5Co2Kx_N1ZLaeNxDLFU5xRwKUgZKyg25rKVYF/s1600/Giraffe+2.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henri-Daniel Plattel, <i>Les Quartiers de Paris/Jardin des Plantes</i>, c. 1827. In the collection of the Musée Carnavalet.</td></tr>
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Naturally everyone wished to cash in on the giraffe craze. This one exotic animal inspired thousands of prints, sheet music, toys, pamphlets, and a play, and was used to sell fashion, textiles, wallpaper, ceramics, and even food. <i>La mode à la girafe</i> swept the nation! It should be noted that this giraffe was not the first exotic animal to inspire fashion. In 1749 there was the <i>mode au rhinocéros</i> [rhinoceros] and in 1786 there was the <i>mode au zèbre</i> [zebra].<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufOyjIgrqFmr6N6pbaTmsEbSlg7sa_mS9WFdcZaFo4uixjGEyGnt48a_AfOaWnq74ZWYBSbiR4wo3y-y9EOCqpcUOFnYhS0PR_zugAIdQjegLay-u4b5heCzkjUkU7KCGILuTMwUyFRsB/s1600/Giraffe+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufOyjIgrqFmr6N6pbaTmsEbSlg7sa_mS9WFdcZaFo4uixjGEyGnt48a_AfOaWnq74ZWYBSbiR4wo3y-y9EOCqpcUOFnYhS0PR_zugAIdQjegLay-u4b5heCzkjUkU7KCGILuTMwUyFRsB/s1600/Giraffe+4.png" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fashion plate from <u>Les Journal des Dames et des Modes</u>, July 8, 1827. In the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.</td></tr>
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Yellow took on a new popularity. The <u>Petit Courrier</u> reported in September 1827 that "the color 'giraffe,' which is simply a kind of yellowish color, which one would have called <i>café au lait</i> a few years ago, is now often used for belts, workbags, and even for some dresses." And in October of the same year the <u>Journal des Dames</u> reported that the shade known as "belly of giraffe" was an extremely popular color. In general many fashion magazines described numerous items as being giraffe-yellow.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCMtMAVuDnh-HZ6QT-jW6Uh-BJcV6-VzDGSG9Jh2L7wF1ZKo8bcVtcEaQaaUH8_7u-2X6ejZDi_YffftOnwufOaC4iqzIIxaADT9zN32jqU38MbgoHOpnGWMxEm3dxqVNSmsBiPajFPZu/s1600/Giraffe+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCMtMAVuDnh-HZ6QT-jW6Uh-BJcV6-VzDGSG9Jh2L7wF1ZKo8bcVtcEaQaaUH8_7u-2X6ejZDi_YffftOnwufOaC4iqzIIxaADT9zN32jqU38MbgoHOpnGWMxEm3dxqVNSmsBiPajFPZu/s1600/Giraffe+3.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of block-printed furnishing fabric, 1826-30. In the collection of the Musée de l'Impression sur Étoffes, Mulhouse.</td></tr>
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It was not only the color of the giraffe that infiltrated fashion. Belt ribbons, bags, and fans were all decorated with images of giraffes and charms, pins, necklaces, cravat pins, bracelets, and cane toppers were all manufactured in the shape of a giraffe. Printed cottons, used for furnishing and dress, also bore the image of the famous animal.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiWF_XueNWQXUS6XzzBGzx7hUYsnrdGCEYGzKUfdRRyG04lvvMN9MYEO0fVgGClEblXLWqdS7QiCESAzgzUyiW4zCtuzr36uZVbLqWtCdIqkouYczEc3LLoqTjEBpZa_YFRMECgeQBSes/s1600/Giraffe+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiWF_XueNWQXUS6XzzBGzx7hUYsnrdGCEYGzKUfdRRyG04lvvMN9MYEO0fVgGClEblXLWqdS7QiCESAzgzUyiW4zCtuzr36uZVbLqWtCdIqkouYczEc3LLoqTjEBpZa_YFRMECgeQBSes/s1600/Giraffe+5.png" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration from <u>L'Art de mettre sa cravate de toutes le manières connues et usitées</u> by Baron Émile de l'Empesé, c. 1827. In the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum.</td></tr>
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Types of dress and even hair were inspired by the giraffe as well. Fashion historian Michele Majer describes sleeves<i> à la girafe</i>: "The fullness [<a href="http://www.thefashionhistorian.com/2011/03/gigot-sleeves.html" target="_blank">of the sleeves</a>] was partialy controlled by a strip of matching fabric wound twice around the arm from just above the elbow to the wrist." The <i>coiffure à la girafe</i>, although not much different than typical hairstyles of the day, was also mentioned in fashion periodicals. <i>La mode à la girafe</i> was not only for women. <u>L'Art de mettre sa cravate de toutes le manières connues et usitées</u> illustrated a <i>cravat à la girafe</i> which featured the knot placed low on the high collar and the ends hanging vertically, invoking the long neck of the giraffe.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmNNXtR9jrRx4zGjNWw8f6Q5o_-UXClIXVuii-G0Ks-7tXKDKiASqfBostzVm3nk6q60AXfg0WcnfXUWg39aRAft0iKe_3pyEqgznUm60PNt-cZS6gPu1q3R5EClbgCG9FYNXmoso8O8Y/s1600/Giraffe+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmNNXtR9jrRx4zGjNWw8f6Q5o_-UXClIXVuii-G0Ks-7tXKDKiASqfBostzVm3nk6q60AXfg0WcnfXUWg39aRAft0iKe_3pyEqgznUm60PNt-cZS6gPu1q3R5EClbgCG9FYNXmoso8O8Y/s1600/Giraffe+7.png" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An example of another object inspired by the giraffe-- a teapot and heater stand from c. 1827. In the collection of the Musée Carnavalet.</td></tr>
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These are just a few of the hundreds of objects and fashion trends attributed to the giraffe. However, the story of this fashionable giraffe has a rather sad ending. As fads do, <i>la mode à la girafe</i> quickly passed away and newer sensations took its place. After the initial excitement of seeing such an exotic animal, most forgot about the giraffe and few came to visit her at the Jardin de Plantes. By 1830 she had completely faded into obscurity. She died in 1845.<br />
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Further Reading:<br />
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Allin, Michael. <i>Zarafa: A Giraffe's True Story, from Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris.</i> New York: Walker and Company, 1998. <br />
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Majer, Michele. "<i>La Mode à la girafe:</i> Fashion, Culture, and Politics in Bourbon Restoration France." <i>Studies in Decorative Arts</i> 17:1 (Fall-Winter 2009-10): 123-161. Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-33524205773382047372014-11-17T14:44:00.000-05:002015-09-19T05:33:21.822-04:00Historic Influence<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaAsLG3ZWkkcZKOKp5SsvafWnV7ol6zaw5mOtQl1WdIa1c2IkcoxFlGZF1fad9k2D6-W69JJQ0OAL1ua5DjvcSVbl-N_83T5duZUsVwMByJvk7BdgAwO3KCE0tl_OcMvBCD3dmKq2FO9R/s1600/hi7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaAsLG3ZWkkcZKOKp5SsvafWnV7ol6zaw5mOtQl1WdIa1c2IkcoxFlGZF1fad9k2D6-W69JJQ0OAL1ua5DjvcSVbl-N_83T5duZUsVwMByJvk7BdgAwO3KCE0tl_OcMvBCD3dmKq2FO9R/s1600/hi7.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
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Left: Elizabeth Banks in Elie Saab Fall 2014 Couture</div>
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Top Right: Three robes a la francaise from the Kyoto Costume Institute</div>
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Bottom Right: Robe a la francaise, 1755-65, from the <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/84579" target="_blank">Metropolitan Museum of Art</a></div>
<br />Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-9525627242085672372014-09-03T17:33:00.001-04:002015-09-19T05:32:01.980-04:00Fashion and New TechnologyFashion has always had a strong relationship with new technology. In the late eighteenth century, looms ran on punch cards to weave complex textile designs-- the very first computing technology. In the nineteenth century, the discovery of synthetic dyes allowed fabrics to take on bright, eye-popping colors. In the twentieth century, an enormous range of textiles made from synthetic materials, each with its own unique benefits, flushed the market. And in the twenty-first century, designers are using 3-D printers to create new and innovative designs.<br />
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Fashion has also always had strong ties with the media. New trends need to be disseminated around the world somehow, be it by illustrations, photographs, or film. These days we can log on to youtube and watch the latest runway shows instantly, but the relationship between film and fashion stretches much farther back in time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzGJZgQ8VSoZoA_tw6mn1Ldj7sUF1egMFBIyUZydj39VayWsJNlWI5CVKU1b9jEH2Be3XSuuRJsgm3xU50krsnkaxp-7V8jOiT3laz_d7c7F9TYPZzUEUjbWie2FDEcegFxc2tuybdmTx/s1600/Paulpoiret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzGJZgQ8VSoZoA_tw6mn1Ldj7sUF1egMFBIyUZydj39VayWsJNlWI5CVKU1b9jEH2Be3XSuuRJsgm3xU50krsnkaxp-7V8jOiT3laz_d7c7F9TYPZzUEUjbWie2FDEcegFxc2tuybdmTx/s1600/Paulpoiret.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Poiret, c. 1913. From the Library of Congress. LC-USZ62-100840.</td></tr>
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On October 7, 1913, the <i>Chicago Tribune</i> published an article titled "Poiret Startles Chicago Women." The article begins:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Seven hundred of the best dressed women of Chicago viewed the oddities of the latest styles of Paul Poiret, 'the high priest of color and the master builder of gowns,' as they strutted across the cinematographic screen at the Blackstone hotel yesterday."</blockquote>
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We like to think that videos of fashion shows are a newer invention, yet here were hundreds of women watching one in 1913! Film was still a relatively new technology in the early 1910s, and the movie making industry wouldn't really kick off until the 1920s. Yet it is clear that some were already seeing film's potential. It's fitting that the fashion show on view to the women of Chicago that October day showcased the designs of Paul Poiret, a designer known for his innovation, boldness, and modernity. As the <i>Tribune</i> described Poiret's designs, "The women in the pictures were garbed in raiment wonderful, peculiar, and individual."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWFE-YlDZjJCgrsSqmckfrcjju1qFvyyLXTptviLnc5H3_EoubLXCeATOeQYArp8M-vKaQIJ0b5wwmLLw7YYYpen7qNSmQtZL4qcrHWXLZiEIAT33v_IB9hNQ_vih69bcDrXbB47kj7Qw/s1600/poiret+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWFE-YlDZjJCgrsSqmckfrcjju1qFvyyLXTptviLnc5H3_EoubLXCeATOeQYArp8M-vKaQIJ0b5wwmLLw7YYYpen7qNSmQtZL4qcrHWXLZiEIAT33v_IB9hNQ_vih69bcDrXbB47kj7Qw/s1600/poiret+2.jpg" width="158" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Poiret evening gown, c. 1914. From the Library of Congress. LC-USZ62-85524.</td></tr>
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The article continues: <br />
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"The spectators gave due attention to each gown, criticizing, studying, praising, wondering. There was ample opportunity for study, for some of the gowns were exhibited several times before the final reel had wound itself up.<br />
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"Perhaps the article that brought forth the most exclamations was a huge muff. A circular piece of white ermine ran around the front of it and as the wearer came closer into the camera's focus the comment grew.<br />
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"'What is that white circle?' 'Looks like a life preserver.' "No. it's [sic] an automobile tire.' Then the model stood perfectly still and the seven hundred laughed. It was ventured that seven hundred black muffs with white ermine circles will be worn in Chicago this winter.<br />
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"There were also a few colored slides showing Poiret's color combinations-- women in blue serge and green trimming, in scarlet and black, in purple and white, in pink with an overdress of white, and in other shades that caused several dressmakers a few gasps of delight."</blockquote>
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Some of the restrictions of early film technology are mentioned. The lack of color (later compensated for with colored slides) and low definition left some women slightly confused as to what they were seeing. I love one woman's guess that perhaps Poiret had incorporated a car tire into his design.<br />
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I love this article for many reasons. Its description of Poiret's collection is an excellent resource. It highlights how technological advances were used to disseminate fashion information. It reflects the exciting sense of innovation and modernity that colored the twentieth century. But above all it connects us to the people of the past. These women, who lived 101 years ago, are sitting with their friends and commenting on a video of the latest fashions, just as we comment on videos on youtube today. I've written about how <a href="http://www.thefashionhistorian.com/2013/12/why-i-love-history.html" target="_blank">I love fashion history because it so closely connects us to the people of the past</a>, and this article is the perfect example.Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-87198253136225470852014-08-14T15:07:00.002-04:002014-08-14T15:07:51.995-04:00The Past and the Future: Two Court Presentation Gowns from the Chicago History MuseumIn my work as curatorial assistant at the Chicago History Museum I was fortunate enough to study two beautiful court presentation gowns from the 1920s. I blogged about those dresses and the ritual of the court presentation on the <a href="http://blog.chicagohistory.org/index.php/2014/08/court-presentation-gowns-of-the-1920s/" target="_blank">Chicago History Museum Blog</a>. But I also thought there was a bigger story to be told, and so I continue the story of these two gowns here on The Fashion Historian.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKEj_CQaGdU8jIdyaXxmfZtc47xNEGe3-r3adF25EO0olTHjMKEk5xFk6QnGNKv6Uijx7wRf-n7Dhwwr27U9-atvmHuwxyV6DHQs7h0Nkt6iLXFVIw0ibUqmjMIS9E66-QXzNnnZhKz29V/s1600/court+dress+2+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKEj_CQaGdU8jIdyaXxmfZtc47xNEGe3-r3adF25EO0olTHjMKEk5xFk6QnGNKv6Uijx7wRf-n7Dhwwr27U9-atvmHuwxyV6DHQs7h0Nkt6iLXFVIw0ibUqmjMIS9E66-QXzNnnZhKz29V/s1600/court+dress+2+copy.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Court presentation gown and train, Jacques Doucet, 1926. Gift of Miss Mary Dudley Kenna. In the collection of the Chicago History Museum. 1965.380a-e. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3kretp6Vf6RtlDOx-O_IFuWbyIQcU7RvlgOHHhPHtMc5Gs1mSUB4i8gl5_Ucs4zhzecnw-hnAYaxYRv72dtg_ccGC4_0pxSpTxeBceZmzdC3fcxIK5Mp1AZbNuLyBqohHIbkm3l0o1yw/s1600/court+dress+3+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3kretp6Vf6RtlDOx-O_IFuWbyIQcU7RvlgOHHhPHtMc5Gs1mSUB4i8gl5_Ucs4zhzecnw-hnAYaxYRv72dtg_ccGC4_0pxSpTxeBceZmzdC3fcxIK5Mp1AZbNuLyBqohHIbkm3l0o1yw/s1600/court+dress+3+copy.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Court presentation gown and train, Jacques Doucet, 1926. Gift of Miss
Mary Dudley Kenna. In the collection of the Chicago History Museum.
1965.380a-e. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The first gown was worn by Mary Dudley Kenna when she was presented at the Court of St. James on June 10, 1926. It was designed by Jacques Doucet for the House of Doucet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwgTCtS3FacVK7EclztO4Z_6fQcxV4iPaZToT8fSAb_pC3UiSO3_dELVOcvqVgzDVtdenr5uj0qpRtiUYM3yP2ij2rWqY2X5nr_5vX-V1PC0U-lJYXMn9MqpP0zPD8eDbSQev3jYeNKcBn/s1600/court+dress+8+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwgTCtS3FacVK7EclztO4Z_6fQcxV4iPaZToT8fSAb_pC3UiSO3_dELVOcvqVgzDVtdenr5uj0qpRtiUYM3yP2ij2rWqY2X5nr_5vX-V1PC0U-lJYXMn9MqpP0zPD8eDbSQev3jYeNKcBn/s1600/court+dress+8+copy.jpg" height="203" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Court presentation gown and train, Edward Molyneux, 1928. Gift of Mrs. Frederick L. Spencer. In the collection of the Chicago History Museum. 1962.464a-d. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
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The second gown was worn by Mrs. Frederick L. Spencer,
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">née</span> Helen Hurley, in the spring of 1928. It was designed by Edward Molyneux. To see images of both women in their court gowns, please refer to my post on the <a href="http://blog.chicagohistory.org/index.php/2014/08/court-presentation-gowns-of-the-1920s/" target="_blank">Chicago History Museum Blog</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3-MVBPqTeVHcW0ZHBnkqFbe6mgySsACNpr9CKoDYmdKpWjrxzcoE8qOEn3TyYjCGBaA4UhC2LlA8CpyXwcQ2ytsJgX2X_uB_xnrm8uD-ooGoXKOgGhmGx4tZjeFNfF3Qt8qLRVpcXNjx/s1600/court+dress+5+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3-MVBPqTeVHcW0ZHBnkqFbe6mgySsACNpr9CKoDYmdKpWjrxzcoE8qOEn3TyYjCGBaA4UhC2LlA8CpyXwcQ2ytsJgX2X_uB_xnrm8uD-ooGoXKOgGhmGx4tZjeFNfF3Qt8qLRVpcXNjx/s1600/court+dress+5+copy.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of court presentation gown and train, Jacques Doucet, 1926. Gift of Miss
Mary Dudley Kenna. In the collection of the Chicago History Museum.
1965.380a-e. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Both of these gowns exhibit an extraordinary technical mastery, as can be seen by the detail images peppered throughout this post. But what I find most fascinating is the contrast these two gowns present-- one representing the romanticism of a bygone age, the other representing the sleek modernity of a new era.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqZ_IG_7ESe0jT3b70z8hUkygGUaz_jJWycWkcaojTCFtDm7-vI304f74xvyC60E5OCl6lEI3Ae2IQpk6MYgypxlykenfwD_IVe1GoJMxspzxWrkw7H4Ty5duTn_AfhvV96hA6vEbGLDY/s1600/court+dress+7+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqZ_IG_7ESe0jT3b70z8hUkygGUaz_jJWycWkcaojTCFtDm7-vI304f74xvyC60E5OCl6lEI3Ae2IQpk6MYgypxlykenfwD_IVe1GoJMxspzxWrkw7H4Ty5duTn_AfhvV96hA6vEbGLDY/s1600/court+dress+7+copy.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of court presentation gown and train, Edward Molyneux, 1928. Gift of Mrs.
Frederick L. Spencer. In the collection of the Chicago History Museum.
1962.464a-d. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
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Both gowns are well within the aesthetics of their respective designers. But just who were Jacques Doucet and Edward Molyneux?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIfTPRlnsDZTbJozDQlc9L2C67MWXuVg1ucvWqzEgQ9PCC0VtXHqcABgP_skGXOvMMVvF9OENkw2pLL6BQ_vb-ATuboKFZdY2O3PeaI_njt6p3LdBYai0N2epxcCqv9gROQV6ndACPAGH/s1600/court+dress+4+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIfTPRlnsDZTbJozDQlc9L2C67MWXuVg1ucvWqzEgQ9PCC0VtXHqcABgP_skGXOvMMVvF9OENkw2pLL6BQ_vb-ATuboKFZdY2O3PeaI_njt6p3LdBYai0N2epxcCqv9gROQV6ndACPAGH/s1600/court+dress+4+copy.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of court presentation gown and train, Jacques Doucet, 1926. Gift of Miss
Mary Dudley Kenna. In the collection of the Chicago History Museum.
1965.380a-e. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mary's gown was designed by
Jacques Doucet (1853-1929) for the House of Doucet. The House of Doucet was founded in 1817 by Antoine Doucet (1795-1866), Jacques' grandfather. Originally the house supplied lingerie, lace, and embroideries, a fitting beginning for a house that would come to represent a delicate, feminine aesthetic. In the early 1840s the house was established on the Rue de la Paix, one of the most important couture streets in Paris. Jacques himself was born there in 1853 and officially joined in the house in 1874. The House of Doucet was one of the largest couture houses of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and some of the great couturiers of the twentieth century worked for Doucet including Paul Poiret (worked for Doucet from 1896-1900) and Madeleine Vionnet (worked for Doucet from 1907-1912). However, the firm never truly recovered from the ravages of World War I. It merged with a lesser couture house, Doueillet, in 1924, and closed altogether in 1932.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9yXvFR9alaHp-vbDo5eoN_XEzqaFW18cQGP3XZNayW0W9KlH140hSaqcWEfKH3xy524BqLGesz5JTU60WIK-ydYCeG4axVI6xmZ3zs-5N5PKVCCmMB6NZXRyJaWSbSarSR-BivSb8uAw/s1600/court+dress+9+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9yXvFR9alaHp-vbDo5eoN_XEzqaFW18cQGP3XZNayW0W9KlH140hSaqcWEfKH3xy524BqLGesz5JTU60WIK-ydYCeG4axVI6xmZ3zs-5N5PKVCCmMB6NZXRyJaWSbSarSR-BivSb8uAw/s1600/court+dress+9+copy.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of court presentation gown and train, Edward Molyneux, 1928. Gift of Mrs.
Frederick L. Spencer. In the collection of the Chicago History Museum.
1962.464a-d. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Captain Edward Molyneux (1891-1974) was born in London and served as a captain in the British army during World War I. He also worked for couturier Lucile in London before opening his own couture house in Paris in 1919. The House of Molyneux was an enormous success and branches were soon opened in Monte Carlo, Cannes, and London. Twentieth-century couturier Pierre Balmain apprenticed at the House of Molyneux, describing it in his 1964 memoirs, <u>My Years and Seasons</u>, as a "temple of subdued elegance... [where] the world's well-dressed women wore the inimitable two-pieces and tailored suits with pleated skirts, bearing the label of Molyneux."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiI69iBIDaHdQElOkVUFC_MBcJhoOOX0Nw8emIC5ye8TQjkNUeVF9ErdDQgsePP17kCty003-xtduH6mylwMq0TKw7e8vQsttZESk4yRKf3TevMFaCTq04LmdXZ-3NTOeXsiwYOm1Mg37x/s1600/court+dress+1+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiI69iBIDaHdQElOkVUFC_MBcJhoOOX0Nw8emIC5ye8TQjkNUeVF9ErdDQgsePP17kCty003-xtduH6mylwMq0TKw7e8vQsttZESk4yRKf3TevMFaCTq04LmdXZ-3NTOeXsiwYOm1Mg37x/s1600/court+dress+1+copy.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of court presentation gown and train, Jacques Doucet, 1926. Gift of Miss
Mary Dudley Kenna. In the collection of the Chicago History Museum.
1965.380a-e. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The aesthetic of Jacques Doucet is colored by delicacy, romanticism, femininity, and a strong historical influence. Doucet himself was a great collector of 18th century art and his designs show the influence of the rococo aesthetic. Floral motifs and lace were particularly popular in his designs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mary's court presentation ensemble is certainly a fitting example of the Doucet aesthetic. The cut of the gown is in the fashionable 1920s style-- loose fitting and with a dropped waist. And yet the full, gathered skirt suggests the styles of a previous era. A sense of romance and whimsey, recalling the light aesthetic of the Edwardian period (1901-1910), is conveyed by the appliqued floral motif on both the gown and train. Soft velvets and satins are expertly stitched and gathered to create soft flowers which rest lightly in an embroidered basket. There is a playful whimsey as a few flowers and buds fall gracefully from the slightly tipped basket. Overall this dress conveys a sense of soft, delicate femininity. Compare it with the Doucet gowns below, from the early 1900s:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoVR6FAw_G_PqAY7oVUQTU22SRk1j4hz1lr5wF0bzNDGX3jKQdPKilI02z7XomwdRTR0spenNJAnsEH3Uo57ixrfP6yHDFSpVsjasT95ORAlYj3vQkQMHgpeve2nlG3eKz8keD9hfU8iV/s1600/Doucet+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoVR6FAw_G_PqAY7oVUQTU22SRk1j4hz1lr5wF0bzNDGX3jKQdPKilI02z7XomwdRTR0spenNJAnsEH3Uo57ixrfP6yHDFSpVsjasT95ORAlYj3vQkQMHgpeve2nlG3eKz8keD9hfU8iV/s1600/Doucet+1.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afternoon dress, Jacques Doucet, 1900-1903. In the collection of the <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/159124?rpp=30&pg=1&ft=doucet%2c+jacques&pos=7" target="_blank">Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>. 2009.300.579ab.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfp3Y4ZKxy8gvWd8ig3u260lgulQGVdmPqXwxXnPw9yY-geJlZVRm9V8mxcOAkE8NH3Abgs7VX2JwDg7lbUkTetW9XzDBgeIHWcd7SsNCF8HCSMKdbpkT2GgXnl9gw6tPt1jQUvk7B7t0U/s1600/Doucet+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfp3Y4ZKxy8gvWd8ig3u260lgulQGVdmPqXwxXnPw9yY-geJlZVRm9V8mxcOAkE8NH3Abgs7VX2JwDg7lbUkTetW9XzDBgeIHWcd7SsNCF8HCSMKdbpkT2GgXnl9gw6tPt1jQUvk7B7t0U/s1600/Doucet+2.jpg" height="320" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ball gown, Jacques Doucet, c. 1902. In the collection of the <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/158232?rpp=30&pg=1&ft=doucet%2c+jacques&pos=14" target="_blank">Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>. 2009.300.3309ab.</td></tr>
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The same soft femininity of these two gowns from the Metropolitan Museum of Art is adapted to 1920s fashion in Mary's court presentation gown.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNbAYgWeCKFGopiWUTCLHoGRVMQNmKvm-y_YO2GhgdUCbd0iS5b_jiPGiK0RzHb9lv9NUht3WHBnqrdZcD6fzJJ2alXfkGUhyualcpwUMONfO3Kr8bvZ_Eg7j0nofTroKNnYbFUYXqKP9/s1600/court+dress+10+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNbAYgWeCKFGopiWUTCLHoGRVMQNmKvm-y_YO2GhgdUCbd0iS5b_jiPGiK0RzHb9lv9NUht3WHBnqrdZcD6fzJJ2alXfkGUhyualcpwUMONfO3Kr8bvZ_Eg7j0nofTroKNnYbFUYXqKP9/s1600/court+dress+10+copy.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of court presentation gown and train, Edward Molyneux, 1928. Gift of Mrs.
Frederick L. Spencer. In the collection of the Chicago History Museum.
1962.464a-d. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In contrast to the historic romanticism of Doucet's aesthetic, the look of the House of Molyneux was all about modernity. Molyneux designs embodied the elegant and slim aesthetic of the 1920s and 1930s. His designs were restrained and avoided excess decoration, showing the influence of his military background and English heritage. Molyneux loved clean lines, and his designs were streamlined and fluid, taking inspiration from the new Art Deco style of architecture and design.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Helen's court presentation ensemble is the perfect example of this. The design is simple and clean, with lean, extenuated teardrop shapes made from concentric rows of pearls and crystals. All of these design aspects are hallmarks of the Art Deco movement. The dress itself is cut in a simple, narrow tube shape, embracing the most modern style of dress. Compare the design of Helen's dress with the Art Deco architecture below:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlztXz_sKgos9B8eBB9ZNTHA3yCuSlkTqhzV49ZOmG7SUeqfaip6SIYED1A-4OHHQ5v1V9zni5jB3bB8Jy6GgfkW8XODpa_Kp0srCwLR00BO6sbzV-kKAGKFrEigVl3Oz_sXZQ_9B9sp4/s1600/ad1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlztXz_sKgos9B8eBB9ZNTHA3yCuSlkTqhzV49ZOmG7SUeqfaip6SIYED1A-4OHHQ5v1V9zni5jB3bB8Jy6GgfkW8XODpa_Kp0srCwLR00BO6sbzV-kKAGKFrEigVl3Oz_sXZQ_9B9sp4/s1600/ad1.jpg" height="320" width="175" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chrysler Building in Manhattan, NY. Designed by William Van Alen and constructed from 1928-1930.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKcA1dNrC262ex-GZEO99-NbJ4w4DrsnqkT3_bxAJSOLRQcIrRX13fG6irsSoc-44l7ifm2SCPMn7ZnO9GBEPKmTZuqgF6I15eZqz8s8KihweyQRH1mbBaQ5c0dm2k6EmTJk7Kt9QAgYe/s1600/ad2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKcA1dNrC262ex-GZEO99-NbJ4w4DrsnqkT3_bxAJSOLRQcIrRX13fG6irsSoc-44l7ifm2SCPMn7ZnO9GBEPKmTZuqgF6I15eZqz8s8KihweyQRH1mbBaQ5c0dm2k6EmTJk7Kt9QAgYe/s1600/ad2.jpg" height="249" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ornamental ironwork designed by Edgar Brandt for the Cheney Silk building in Manhattan, NY (now the Madison Belmont Building). Built from 1924-1925. Photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/34559136@N03/3809437960/in/gallery-kramerdesignstudio-72157623440342940/" target="_blank">Daniel E. Russell</a>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As you can see, Helen's dress fits right in with the sleek and modern style of Art Deco.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhgTnkkLOA6ksB2UcYGf6-7ePnpX_bO-e3GkmUzj0o-SCOh8tmTPx-f1WYd7VrxLh8s1ZYTMFwj6jDnGKTwrSMeaOiFF8FESTmk8aTs6d9QCRWlnqDurpsQk2kUah0bQJMSwb_2RmIQmx/s1600/court+dress+11+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhgTnkkLOA6ksB2UcYGf6-7ePnpX_bO-e3GkmUzj0o-SCOh8tmTPx-f1WYd7VrxLh8s1ZYTMFwj6jDnGKTwrSMeaOiFF8FESTmk8aTs6d9QCRWlnqDurpsQk2kUah0bQJMSwb_2RmIQmx/s1600/court+dress+11+copy.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molyneux designer label visible on the underside of the headdress associated with the gown. Court presentation gown and train, Edward Molyneux, 1928. Gift of Mrs.
Frederick L. Spencer. In the collection of the Chicago History Museum.
1962.464a-d. Photo by Katy Werlin.</td></tr>
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And so in these two dresses we see both the convergence of the past, the present, and the future. In Mary's dress Doucet adapts the delicate romanticism of the Edwardian aesthetic into the cleaner lines of the 1920s, while still maintaining a youthful, feminine charm. In Helen's dress Molyneux embraces the design of the future, adapting the ultra-modern Art Deco aesthetic into a trim gown that speaks of a new world.<br />
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The choice of these two designers most likely speaks to the personality of each woman. Perhaps Mary was more old fashioned and whimsical, while Helen embraced the new modern age. Each of these dresses gives us a glimpse of the women who wore them in an exciting era of change.</div>
Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-60777479440098159782014-07-26T17:50:00.000-04:002014-07-26T17:50:04.727-04:00Carnivalesque 104Welcome to Carnivalesque #104! There's been all sorts of fascinating research being posted on the blogosphere, so let's take a look at what my fellow historians have been up to recently!<br />
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To start with some fashion history, the always wonderful <a href="http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Two Nerdy History Girls</a> have been exploring just how those giant 1770s hairstyles were created. In <a href="http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-truth-about-big-hair-of-1770s-part.html" target="_blank">Part 1</a> of this series they discuss a bit of the background of this hairstyle while busting some myths in the process. <a href="http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-truth-about-big-hair-of-1770s-part_24.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a> takes a closer look at how Abby Cox and Sarah Woodyard, the mantua-maker's apprentices at the Margaret Hunter shop in Colonial Williamsburg, have been recreating these large styles themselves using period techniques.<br />
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Over on <a href="http://georgianaduchessofdevonshire.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">The Duchess of Devonshire's Gossip Guide to the Eighteenth Century</a>, Heather Carroll tells us all about the fascinating <a href="http://georgianaduchessofdevonshire.blogspot.com/2014/07/tart-of-week-eglantine-lady-wallace.html" target="_blank">Eglantine, Lady Wallace</a> in her Tart of the Week feature. Eglantine, known as Betty, was a bit of a wild child and had many adventures during her life, including dressing as a man to watch a debate in the House of Commons and at one point being accused of espionage. I suspect Betty was a very fun person to hang out with.<br />
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Turning over to some books and manuscripts, guest blogger Julie Park discusses <a href="http://collation.folger.edu/2014/07/interiority-and-jane-porters-pocket-diary/" target="_blank">Interiority and Jane Porter's pocket diary</a> at <a href="http://collation.folger.edu/" target="_blank">The Collation</a>. Pocket diaries provide a world of information about 18th century life, and in this post Park looks at one from 1796 which belonged to Jane Porter, the first bestselling female author of historical fiction who wrote under her own name. In this fascinating post, Park explores how Jane Porter literally went outside the lines in her use of her diary, concluding that "Porter appropriates and repurposes the spaces of the diary to accommodate the vicissitudes of individual experience."<br />
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Earlier personal writing is explored in the post <a href="http://readingmedievalbooks.wordpress.com/2014/06/24/my-well-beloved-valentine-marriage-medieval-and-modern/" target="_blank">"My Well-Beloved Valentine"</a>, as <a href="http://readingmedievalbooks.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Lucy Allen</a> takes a look at the 15th century love letters of Margery Brews. Fun Fact: These letters contain the first recorded English use of the word Valentine as a synonym for lover. In this romantic post, Allen discusses how Margery Brews created a more personal language than that traditionally used between couples and started a tradition that continues to this day.<br />
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And in a final manuscript themed blog post, Jenny Weston at <a href="http://medievalfragments.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Medieval Fragments</a> discusses <a href="http://medievalfragments.wordpress.com/2014/06/27/medieval-family-trees/" target="_blank">Medieval Family Trees</a>, exploring how medieval families documented their history and achievements in beautiful artistic detail.<br />
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Taking a break for some fun and games, Mike Rendell at <a href="http://mikerendell.com/blog/" target="_blank">The Georgian Gentleman</a> takes a brief look at the history of the <a href="http://mikerendell.com/the-yo-yo-world-of-fashion/" target="_blank">yo-yo</a> and how, in the late 18th century, it had a brief period of popularity as one of <u>the</u> fashion accessories of the day.<br />
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And for some more active sports, Mike A. Zuber reports on <a href="http://praeludiamicrocosmica.wordpress.com/2014/07/02/riotous-violence-early-modern-football/" target="_blank">early modern football</a> at <a href="http://praeludiamicrocosmica.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Praeludia Microcosmica</a>. In this post Zuber links to some fascinating research about early modern football, noting that violence within the sport has a long history. Some games even led to death!<br />
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If you happen to be an ancient Babylonian suffering from epilepsy, Strahil V. Panayotov discusses how a doctor may have used <a href="http://recipes.hypotheses.org/4085" target="_blank">fumigation</a> to cure you at <a href="http://recipes.hypotheses.org/" target="_blank">The Recipes Project</a>. Panayotov writes, "Through fumigation the Babylonian medical practitioner could heal
different illnesses: depression, epilepsy, troubles with the ears and
the eyes, or even hemorrhoids." As the post goes on to reveal, the ingredients used to create this healing smoke could sometimes be a little odd. For epilepsy, the main ingrediant was parts of the head of a dead young male goat!<br />
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For those who enjoy tales of pirates, head over to <a href="http://englishlegalhistory.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">English Legal History</a> where Rebecca Simon discusses <a href="http://englishlegalhistory.wordpress.com/2014/07/09/pirate-executions-in-early-modern-london/" target="_blank">Pirate Executions in Early Modern London</a>. Unlike many tales of the high seas, Simon's post explores the deadly fate of pirates who did not escape with their booty, and were instead taken to the Execution Dock and hung by the neck. In a particularly cruel twist, the nooses used for pirates were shorter than normal, meaning that a pirate's neck would not break as they dropped, causing them to die slowly of asphyxiation.<br />
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If all this fascinating reading has gotten you a bit hungry, why not head over to <a href="http://publicpleasuregarden.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Early British and American Public Gardens and Grounds</a> where Barbara Wells Sarudy looks at <a href="http://publicpleasuregarden.blogspot.com/2013/06/hunting-fowling-shooting-in-commercial.html" target="_blank">hunting, fowling, and shooting</a> in 18th century America and Britain.<br />
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After all that meat you'll want a good drink, so head over to <a href="http://manyheadedmonster.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Many-Headed Monster</a> where Mark Hailwood gives his <a href="http://manyheadedmonster.wordpress.com/2014/07/25/marooned-on-an-island-monographs-a-history-of-drinking-reading-list/" target="_blank">"Marooned on an Island" reading list</a> all about the history of drinking. It is sure to fulfill all of your alcoholic history needs!<br />
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If all that food and drink has given you a bit of a stomach ache, then perhaps you should go to <a href="http://leslefts.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Les Leftovers</a> where Jim Chevallier discusses <a href="http://leslefts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/shifts-in-fasting-in-medieval-france.html" target="_blank">shifts in fasting in medieval France</a>. This detailed post considers what foods were and were not allowed on fasting days, when fasting days took place, and how all of this changed over time.<br />
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And that's all for this edition of Carnivalesque. I hope you have enjoyed exploring all of the amazing history that is available online as much as I have. Be sure to join us in September for Carnivalesque 105 at <a href="http://meshalim.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Meshalim/Amthal/Exiemplos: Notes from the Life of a Medievalist</a>.Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-69071502571476898722014-02-23T15:07:00.000-05:002014-02-23T15:07:49.996-05:00Ann Lowe’s Early CareerFebruary is Black History Month! To celebrate here on The Fashion Historian, I asked my dear friend and colleague Elizabeth Way if she would pen a couple of guest posts about two incredible African American fashion designers and dressmakers and she kindly agreed. Enjoy!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjWClW2Z9n5pZpK445rLv3H61q5_lX98NQq76O2kucSHDNoQDyOEPh1XJHEvw4HV92bcHmvKNI5-wHQF9blGjemarDA2tOMvlgwefxSULfcivcPyUrMiu07BLnckmqYBR8fqdlLb_yWLS/s1600/lowe+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjWClW2Z9n5pZpK445rLv3H61q5_lX98NQq76O2kucSHDNoQDyOEPh1XJHEvw4HV92bcHmvKNI5-wHQF9blGjemarDA2tOMvlgwefxSULfcivcPyUrMiu07BLnckmqYBR8fqdlLb_yWLS/s1600/lowe+1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Lowe pictured in <i>Ebony</i> magazine in 1966.</td></tr>
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Ann Lowe was a leading society dressmaker in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. Her designs were so exclusive that she restricted her clients to those found on the Social Register; people with names like Roosevelt, DuPont, and Rockefeller. Her most famous design was for Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress, but she also made countless wedding and debutante gowns for American socialites. Anne Lowe made couture-quality gowns on par with the best French designers, true pieces of art that now reside in museums like the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. But before she came to New York, Lowe built her career as artistic and technically skilled fashion designer in Tampa, Florida.<br />
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Ann Lowe was born in 1898 in Clayton, Alabama. This was a rural town in the Jim Crow south, where most blacks struggled as sharecroppers, but Ann’s family was better off than even some white families because her grandmother, Georgia Cole, and her mother, Janey Lowe, were excellent dressmakers. Georgia was a former slave who had been bought and freed by her husband, a free black man named General Cole. When Ann was very young the family moved to Montgomery, and established a thriving business, fashioning gowns for the society ladies of the state capitol. Ann grew up picking up scraps from her grandmother and mother’s work and sewing them into beautiful replicas of the flowers she saw in the garden—these floral accents would become a signature of her designs. In 1914 Janey died suddenly, leaving her daughter to complete an important order for the governor’s wife. Sixteen-year-old Ann, not only finished the order, she took over her mother’s business. Her already advanced design and sewing skills made her a capable dressmaker, but when she married and gave birth to her son Arthur, her husband, Lee Cone, compelled her to give up her work and stay home with her family. Yet she never stopped designing—instead of sewing for socialites, she fashioned beautiful clothing for herself.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENosQskuyBSmjU8a_dDs5WZxD_8XV9qrpTuqaZGjkUj3HgXY-9gmrdHP8t5sxyDjN9oIH5i8kEzt8yBBqUl0ufzCHm5zl7epuLdTaPiu-Ez_QWtINQwjmeXIOXKCwW9yOMsD0JMsiwege/s1600/lowe+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENosQskuyBSmjU8a_dDs5WZxD_8XV9qrpTuqaZGjkUj3HgXY-9gmrdHP8t5sxyDjN9oIH5i8kEzt8yBBqUl0ufzCHm5zl7epuLdTaPiu-Ez_QWtINQwjmeXIOXKCwW9yOMsD0JMsiwege/s1600/lowe+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gasparilla Court wearing gowns designed by Ann Lowe, 1927. Black Fashion Museum.</td></tr>
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One day, Josephine Lee, a wealthy socialite from Florida, spotted a very fashionable young black woman from across an Alabama department store. Mrs. Lee was so impressed by Ann’s chic clothing she had to ask about them and when she found out that Ann made them herself, she hired the young woman on the spot as her live-in dressmaker. Mrs. Lee had four daughters who all needed fashionable clothes for the social season and Ann was to make them. Lee Cone was against the move, but Ann saw an opportunity to continue and expand the career she loved, and so she and Arthur boarded the train to Tampa.<br />
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In Florida, Ann’s career flourished. The Lee girls’ friends coveted their fashion-forward clothing and Ann was soon the most popular dressmaker in town. She was known for making original designs and working fast—sometimes a lady would drop by her shop in the morning with fabric for a dress that she could pick up and wear that night. The Lee family adored Ann and supported her growing talent—in 1917 they encouraged her decision to attend design school in New York City. Luckily for Tampa, its finest dressmaker returned after a year—Lowe was so skilled that she completed the course work of her design school in half the time, despite the fact that she was segregated to a separate classroom to work alone because of her race. Ann reopened her business and by the time she turned 21, she employed eighteen dressmakers in her shop.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn-IAi0rgvu_oq74fgSFAMUWKp8e1Uio2ECvrlS54apEEQY5EUNumJpMoedeQWq6TZe9KLAO8S5JU9KODBDFvaDi82YFtzusTa9SHh6dS5mDoD0qKTGx8tyZK3oHhsVjSuYVZ6bmRAfec/s1600/lowe+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn-IAi0rgvu_oq74fgSFAMUWKp8e1Uio2ECvrlS54apEEQY5EUNumJpMoedeQWq6TZe9KLAO8S5JU9KODBDFvaDi82YFtzusTa9SHh6dS5mDoD0qKTGx8tyZK3oHhsVjSuYVZ6bmRAfec/s1600/lowe+3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gasparilla Court wearing gowns designed by Ann Lowe, 1928. Black Fashion Museum.</td></tr>
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Though Lowe made all types of garments, she was best known for exquisite ball gowns. Tampa hosted an annual social event called the Gasparilla festival, which was full of balls for the wealthiest residents. Young girls from the best families were elected to a Gasparilla court—the most popular was crowned the Gasparilla Queen—and they all wanted dresses by Ann. One socialite recalled, “If you didn’t have a Gasparilla gown by Annie, you might as well stay home.”<br />
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In interviews given late in her life, Ann Lowe always remembered her Tampa clients fondly and her time there as very happy. But she was destined for a bigger future. She made a permanent move to New York in 1928, again supported by the Lees who appreciated her talent and ambition. Yet, a local newspaper reported, “There is much ‘weeping and wailing and maybe gnashing of teeth’ to use the old expression, among Tampa society maids over the fact that Annie Cone [as she was known then] is going to New York City… feminine society is wondering just how it will be able to survive the future social seasons without her assistance.” Nearly forty years later, her Tampa clients still remembered their incredible designer. A Tampa Tribune article, written in 1965, included several interviews of Lowe’s Tampa clients and reported that, “everyone we spoke to who had an Ann Lowe gown remembers it distinctly and nostalgically.” The 1924 Gasparilla queen, Sarah Keller Hobbs, sentimentally recalled, “There was never anyone like Annie.”<br />
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<u>Further Reading</u> <br />
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Frye, Alexandria, “Fairy Princess Gowns Created By Tampa Designer for Queen In Gasparilla’s Golden Era”, Tampa Tribune, Feb. 7 1965, pp. 6-E.<br />
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Powell, Margaret, “The Life and Work of Ann Lowe: Rediscovering ‘Society’s Best-Kept Secret’”, (master’s thesis for the Smithsonian Associates and the Corcoran College of Art and Design, 2012).<br />
<br />
<i>Elizabeth Way, Curatorial Assistant at the Museum at FIT. Elizabeth
wrote her master's thesis on the African American dressmakers Elizabeth
Keckly and Ann Lowe and continues to research the intersection of
African American culture and fashion. </i>Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-29581173655424375452014-02-12T08:19:00.000-05:002014-04-07T07:59:59.397-04:00Elizabeth Keckly Before Mary LincolnFebruary is Black History Month! To celebrate here on The Fashion Historian, I asked my dear friend and colleague Elizabeth Way if she would pen a couple of guest posts about two incredible African American fashion designers and dressmakers and she kindly agreed. Enjoy!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26_emDAcJetKpVdebKJF1flrbEUaIBhDnM7sXmfR0rHeZwhRUUWdc9HzyjRtYV6MbSLBl1bi-shSBJhzyc3zXn6oQiNgvw_1aBHh2HSRQyPu7SRTPWrC0PajbOzxAM3U34RvJASm5jzll/s1600/keckly+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26_emDAcJetKpVdebKJF1flrbEUaIBhDnM7sXmfR0rHeZwhRUUWdc9HzyjRtYV6MbSLBl1bi-shSBJhzyc3zXn6oQiNgvw_1aBHh2HSRQyPu7SRTPWrC0PajbOzxAM3U34RvJASm5jzll/s1600/keckly+1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth Keckly in the 1860s. Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Indiana.</td></tr>
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Elizabeth Keckly, the talented dressmaker and close friend to Mary Todd Lincoln, is resurfacing as an important historical figure. She appeared as a character in the film <i>Lincoln</i> (2012), played by Gloria Rubin, and her life has been the subject of several fictional and nonfictional books. This attention is well deserved because she was truly a remarkable woman—over the course of her life she bought her freedom from slavery, made a major impact on American fashion by dressing the most famous political wives of Civil War-era Washington DC, created a charity to aid newly freed slaves, and wrote her memoirs, leaving important documentation on both herself and the Lincoln family for future scholars. Though her experiences in Washington DC are fascinating history—she created fashions for every notable lady from Varina Davis, the first lady of the Confederacy, to all of Lincoln’s cabinet member wives—her story as a society dressmaker began on the western frontier. <br />
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Elizabeth was born a slave on the Burwell plantation in Dinwiddie County, Virginia in 1818. Her mother was Agnes, also a slave and the head seamstress and dressmaker to the Burwell family. Her father was Armistead Burwell, Agnes’ owner and the master of the plantation. Agnes taught her daughter not only to sew and make dresses, but also to read and write, empowering Elizabeth with valuable skills for her future. Elizabeth moved several times in her enslaved life because her father lent her out as help to her half-siblings. After living in Hillsborough, North Carolina, where she was raped by a white man and gave birth to her son George, and Petersburg, Virginia, she moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1847 as a slave to her half-sister, Anne Burwell Garland and her husband Hugh Garland.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQsV-8ZxdJSLOfuMO8V6iIytRBnreyF0m-RXupU2RRojbx9lrqkYvhJmVkLsZiynHvKH_xBlx8TG6OfDSO_YRr679HggXCQ6KFbxoFyYcPUcvxi8uavmu2D8lwvm5UBDUZuZKdhzl0l4E/s1600/Keckly+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQsV-8ZxdJSLOfuMO8V6iIytRBnreyF0m-RXupU2RRojbx9lrqkYvhJmVkLsZiynHvKH_xBlx8TG6OfDSO_YRr679HggXCQ6KFbxoFyYcPUcvxi8uavmu2D8lwvm5UBDUZuZKdhzl0l4E/s1600/Keckly+4.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keckly designed this silk velvet and satin gown for Mary Lincoln in 1864. National Museum of American History, Political Life Division.</td></tr>
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Hugh Garland was a lawyer, and the family was socially well connected, but he suffered from very poor finances. He sent Elizabeth out as a dressmaker to support the family and for two years and five months she worked as the main breadwinner supporting seventeen people! Elizabeth had gained her first experience sewing gowns for her Burwell half-sisters and was quite accomplished by the time she moved to St. Louis. However, the ladies in this city truly prepared her for the success she found in Washington. They demanded the latest French fashions, which they read about in magazines or picked up from visits and friends in New Orleans. These lady patrons, who refused to give up looking fashionable just because they lived in far-flung St. Louis, sharpened Elizabeth’s dressmaking skills and refined sense of style.<br />
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Elizabeth was intelligent, talented and an excellent businesswoman; in her own words, “in a short time I had acquired something of a reputation as a seamstress and dress-maker. The best ladies in St. Louis were my patrons, and when my reputation was once established I never lacked for orders.” Therefore, it is no surprise that this black female slave, who could support a family better than a formally-educated white man, would want to move beyond the limitations of slavery. Elizabeth repeatedly asked Hugh Garland to set a price for her and George’s freedom, which he finally did: $1200. This was an enormous amount of money, especially considering that most of her wages went to the Garlands. But the always-enterprising Elizabeth had a plan. She would travel to New York City and seek financial aid from one of the abolitionist organizations that helped slaves purchase their freedom. By this time Hugh Garland had died and Anne Garland agreed to let Elizabeth travel north, but only after acquiring the signatures of six white men who would pay her value to Anne if she never returned. Elizabeth had no problem obtaining these pledges because her clients and their husbands knew her as honest and trustworthy. The sixth man, however, spoiled her plans. This Mr. Farrow would willingly sign for her, but was convinced that she would never come back to St. Louis telling her, “you mean to come back, that is, you mean so now, but you never will. When you reach New York the abolitionists will tell you what savages we are, and they will prevail on you to stay there; and we shall never see you again.” Elizabeth was morally shocked that Mr. Farrow thought she was lying and called off her trip, explaining, “I was beginning to feel sick at heart, for I could not accept the signature of this man when he had no faith in my pledges. No; slavery, eternal slavery rather than be regarded with distrust by those whose respect I esteemed.”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFZEKf03juid2wBsscLy-HWPhljvnoH8waN4ta2PuGSnm9BJ-HmoSnoZONkVHBnRruyag_uWQmztCRfia_KClv_x3UHpRJMU5pr2SDNJmiSszhJp2yGhjbm2g3iEJzJlZMMQz4ICUnoPD/s1600/keckly+3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFZEKf03juid2wBsscLy-HWPhljvnoH8waN4ta2PuGSnm9BJ-HmoSnoZONkVHBnRruyag_uWQmztCRfia_KClv_x3UHpRJMU5pr2SDNJmiSszhJp2yGhjbm2g3iEJzJlZMMQz4ICUnoPD/s1600/keckly+3.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXZtX4pXNGVPMORPQUybaqonOvxL6Ea8okaeqfyBRdbgt7nJ5OUTS8yJThpOC-KNMqL9nczhAoeACrSB1Xx9TEbYIIBeitSqoQ0AkJl1bMCQdij1LXnAxg-SXM7arqZhgkYfyY70kyeUu/s1600/keckly+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXZtX4pXNGVPMORPQUybaqonOvxL6Ea8okaeqfyBRdbgt7nJ5OUTS8yJThpOC-KNMqL9nczhAoeACrSB1Xx9TEbYIIBeitSqoQ0AkJl1bMCQdij1LXnAxg-SXM7arqZhgkYfyY70kyeUu/s1600/keckly+2.jpg" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Keckly's Deed of Emancipation and Freedom Bond, 1855. Missouri Historical Society. </span></div>
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In her darkest hour, Elizabeth was saved by the reputation she had earned and the loyalty she inspired, not simply as an excellent dressmaker, but as an admirable and respected person. A client, Mrs. Le Bourgois, came to visit and told Elizabeth that her patrons did not want her to go to New York and beg for money for her freedom. Instead Mrs. Le Bourgois raised the $1200 among Elizabeth’s clients, gifting her with the money. In 1855 Elizabeth bought her and George’s freedom and she started her own business as a free dressmaker in St. Louis. She repaid every penny given to her by her patrons and in 1860 Elizabeth Keckly arrived in Washington DC, beginning her illustrious career as the leading dressmaker in the nation’s capitol. <br />
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<u>Further Reading</u><br />
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Keckly, Elizabeth. Behind the Scenes or Thirty Years a Slave and Fours Years in the White House. New York: G.W. Carlton and Co. Publishers, 1868.<br />
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<i>Elizabeth Way, Curatorial Assistant at the Museum at FIT. Elizabeth wrote her master's thesis on the African American dressmakers Elizabeth Keckly and Ann Lowe and continues to research the intersection of African American culture and fashion. </i>Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-12354778969995634782014-02-01T05:15:00.002-05:002014-02-01T05:15:44.317-05:00Historic Influence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzXfGrW-z90irze5S5IajooUAeaO1GtwmGa0xEqA2GZh6-faicgWZHB2chAvX4pxfP6jpTSBvAcTLewR5Kr8ARpSo-a5Jsafx1n7VSBkbLxvIyOPsChTn-SQZRuHJQuDUowSqmwDAxYQ/s1600/hi6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzXfGrW-z90irze5S5IajooUAeaO1GtwmGa0xEqA2GZh6-faicgWZHB2chAvX4pxfP6jpTSBvAcTLewR5Kr8ARpSo-a5Jsafx1n7VSBkbLxvIyOPsChTn-SQZRuHJQuDUowSqmwDAxYQ/s1600/hi6.jpg" height="242" width="400" /></a></div>
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Right: Image from 13th century Bestiary. <a href="http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/record.asp?MSID=95">British Library, Royal ms 12 F XIII f9r.</a></div>
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Sometimes fashion is for the dogs. Just a silly little historic influence post for the weekend! Many thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/tudorcook" target="_blank">@tudorcook</a> for the manuscript image.</div>
Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06851706805305657658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-56024810597155693232014-01-12T16:24:00.000-05:002014-04-07T07:59:46.490-04:00Spangles, Sequins, and Spangs, Oe My!<style>
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"The Robe she ware was lawne (white as the Swanne)</div>
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Which silver Oes and Spangles over-ran</div>
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That in her motion such reflexion gave,</div>
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As fill'd with silver stares, the heav'nly wane."</div>
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- John Davies of Hereford, <i>An Extasie</i>, 1603 </div>
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What better way to return from a long hiatus than with a flurry of sparkles? Today's post is all about sequins, spangles, and oes!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKYBCkMOGs_ELeedF1bf-6_46phyphenhyphenE5T8DFOndq6QWi-ZaGW_o6NPrZ2MMuvD0nuzVZWH5XzzHDvL-n53UbuZG6fZZjYiE2xXrcyAxNDH7fa2Sew5tIhCBwUNj1e_tCOcucrV-7Ekyqikg/s1600/spangles+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKYBCkMOGs_ELeedF1bf-6_46phyphenhyphenE5T8DFOndq6QWi-ZaGW_o6NPrZ2MMuvD0nuzVZWH5XzzHDvL-n53UbuZG6fZZjYiE2xXrcyAxNDH7fa2Sew5tIhCBwUNj1e_tCOcucrV-7Ekyqikg/s1600/spangles+5.jpg" height="320" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">French court suit jacket, 1750-75. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/95492?img=2" target="_blank">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>.</td></tr>
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For centuries, the fashionable have decorated their clothing and accessories with small, reflective metal discs. Today we know these as sequins, but in previous centuries they were known as spangles. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of sequin as a name for these sparkly discs was in 1882. A few centuries earlier, a sequin was the name of an Italian gold coin. Perhaps this reference to a small disc of precious metal inspired the later use of the word.<br />
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In the 17th and 18th centuries, sequins were known as spangles or spangs. Spangles were made of precious and semi-precious metals such as gold, silver, and copper, and came in a variety of shapes and sizes. The most common was the flat, circular disc we are familiar with today. But by the end of the 18th century, spangles could be cut into multiple shapes like clovers and hearts, and could be tinted colors like pink and blue. In many descriptions, such as the poem at the beginning of this post, spangles are paired with oes. Oes were another form of decorative metal detail, very similar to spangles. According to scholar M. Channing Linthicum, "oes were metal eyelets tacked or clinched to the material in such designs as 'squares,' 'Esses,' 'wheate eares,' etc., or powdered over the whole surface."<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgLPEF1cCrnegRa7pEzue2848P2I4PctCO9lu58cn3X3M_0ZP_Veg7F0nVk9X-f8-Kf73O-HIS7US5Le_tvbLNjGYlGv9_PkwQ16uyC3tXoyUaHyeCKb5nsLN0qXwWjD8R0rhgxEf13X5/s1600/spangles+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgLPEF1cCrnegRa7pEzue2848P2I4PctCO9lu58cn3X3M_0ZP_Veg7F0nVk9X-f8-Kf73O-HIS7US5Le_tvbLNjGYlGv9_PkwQ16uyC3tXoyUaHyeCKb5nsLN0qXwWjD8R0rhgxEf13X5/s1600/spangles+7.jpg" height="320" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lady Dorothy Cary by William Larkin, c. 1614. English Heritage. The little spots on her embroidered jacket are spangles.</td></tr>
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According to records of English parliamentary proceedings, in 1575 "a Patent was first granted to Robert Sharp to make Spangles and Oes of Gold." This suggests that Robert Sharp was perhaps one of the first English manufacturers of spangles and oes, or perhaps an innovator in their production. There were two methods for creating spangles. In the first method, a thin coil of wire was wrapped around a narrow dowel. The resulting spring was then cut and the coils hammered flat to create round discs with a small hole in the middle. The second method was used to create spangles with more elaborate shapes. In this method, a thin sheet of metal was laid out and the spangles were punched out using shaped tools, like when you make cookies with cookie cutters.<br />
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Spangles and oes were used to decorate the clothes and accessories of men and women. In the candle light, they would shimmer and lend a magical quality to the wearer. In an essay by Francis Bacon, titled <i>Of Masques and Triumphs</i>, the glittering effect of spangles and oes is described. He writes, "The colors that show best by candle-light are white... and oes, or spangs, as they are of no great cost, so they are of the most glory."<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppHb9kvVP6v0XAZs6UiTEir0oC6Ty9FoVD-E4AeoG2qU7iKtLbpdJQRyLu5e8mevpVJjZ4JmzsWPj38qLZHaDcFTxU2XZFRX5Tpe9wXPYhuuDGqFevyHQ9Rz1demuOG3dPeAcQowQx9D9/s1600/spangles+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppHb9kvVP6v0XAZs6UiTEir0oC6Ty9FoVD-E4AeoG2qU7iKtLbpdJQRyLu5e8mevpVJjZ4JmzsWPj38qLZHaDcFTxU2XZFRX5Tpe9wXPYhuuDGqFevyHQ9Rz1demuOG3dPeAcQowQx9D9/s1600/spangles+4.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women's Jacket made in Great Britain, 1600-1625. <a href="http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O15345/jacket-unknown/" target="_blank">The Victoria and Albert Museum.</a></td></tr>
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Over the years, spangles and oes have decorated a variety of garments and accessories. One of the most notable uses was in the first decades of the 17th century when they covered women's embroidered jackets, as in the above image. From 2007 to 2009, workers at Plimoth Plantation meticulously reproduced one of these embroidered jackets. To read more about this incredible undertaking, including their manufacturing of spangles, I highly recommend <a href="http://blogs.plimoth.org/embroidery-blog/" target="_blank">their blog</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijgIn97EqGOuiJEFHi-073QTGGHw23ynTShHLiPFT9vjLD90TWpZvpaB79ewelPolQVw2CvH50nwZbYwfNRxbMnRjc_NCSgaKGmaFtbdweyB5izYQNndvAZVbTVXIbOle3CmRyGurPriwk/s1600/spangles+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijgIn97EqGOuiJEFHi-073QTGGHw23ynTShHLiPFT9vjLD90TWpZvpaB79ewelPolQVw2CvH50nwZbYwfNRxbMnRjc_NCSgaKGmaFtbdweyB5izYQNndvAZVbTVXIbOle3CmRyGurPriwk/s1600/spangles+6.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of a French court suit embroidered with blue tinted spangles, 1750-75. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/95492?img=2" target="_blank">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>.</td></tr>
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In the 18th and early 19th centuries, spangles could often be found on decorative embroidery. The above image is a detail of the court suit pictured earlier in this post. Here you can see a variety of spangles, from plain gold circles to blue tinted circles and pointed ovals. As for the tightly coiled wires which surround many of the spangles, could they be oes? <br />
<br />Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-60809403875696663082013-12-09T02:54:00.002-05:002013-12-09T02:54:50.578-05:00Why I Love History<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHPnxnhuyYiMupEQgX0CFQj994KbIG34-NAlIReoCe7k6uRMbmzGUEgaK7qrCj6EiNpQVuQvwvQxhOh29X7EkWC3KujiggqxDXm2jHrJn5rxJHryNLTzKiuel0kNiCOfEbKiofQMHi9cC/s1600/BFu4oMDCUAAqmSN.jpg_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHPnxnhuyYiMupEQgX0CFQj994KbIG34-NAlIReoCe7k6uRMbmzGUEgaK7qrCj6EiNpQVuQvwvQxhOh29X7EkWC3KujiggqxDXm2jHrJn5rxJHryNLTzKiuel0kNiCOfEbKiofQMHi9cC/s400/BFu4oMDCUAAqmSN.jpg_large.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <i>Punch Magazine</i>, 1906. http://www.punch.co.uk/</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Look at this cartoon from a 1906 issue of <i>Punch Magazine</i>, forecasting the future of wireless technology. It shows two people sitting outdoors, but ignoring their surroundings and each other because they're engrossed in their mobile devices. The woman is sexting. The man is looking up sports scores. This cartoon was published over a hundred years ago, yet it is depicting something we are all extremely familiar with today.<br />
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Now take a moment to think of what life was like back in 1906. Compared to what life is like now, 1906 might as well be a different planet. And yet here we are, looking at the same cartoon people looked at in 1906, and thinking exactly the same thing. Of course this cartoon is fantastical, a speculation based on advances in telegraph technology. But the prediction has turned out to be 100% accurate. And just as we roll our eyes today at people engrossed in the latest technology, ignoring everything else, so too did people roll their eyes on that far away planet of 1906.<br />
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This is why I love history. Because the people of history lived in a completely different world than we do now, and it can sometimes seem unfathomable to imagine their lives. But they were still people who laughed and cried and had a favorite color and food and best friends and awkward conversations. For so many history is just a list of facts and dates and names and obviously that's really boring. But if you really look closely at history you learn about real people who were just like us even though they lived on another planet. And to be able to connect to some one that lived hundreds or thousands of years ago, in a completely different world, is amazing.<br />
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This is one of the many many reasons why I love fashion and textile history in particular. Because I get to work with the very clothes that people lived their lives in and the textiles that they slept under or sat on or that adorned their walls. You may roll your eyes at this, but I've always loved how Stanly Tucci's character in <i>The Devil Wears Prada</i> describes fashion as "greater than art, because you live your life in it." I think that quote so wonderfully sums up why fashion and textile history is so important, and why it means so much to me. Because these are the things that people lived their lives in. And to study that is to connect with these strange people from a distant land in the most intimate way. The first extant garment I ever held was a shoe from the early 1810s. I remember just sitting there and staring at it, because here in my hand was a shoe that was on a woman's foot when Napoleon was conquering the world. And in that moment I had a personal link to that time in history and more importantly the <i>people</i> of history. A woman and I, separated by two hundred years, were able to share a moment. <br />
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This is why history is amazing, and historic preservation is so important. We can't hop into a time machine and literally meet the people of the past, but we can make an intimate connection with them through the objects they've left behind. We can understand and 'make friends' (for lack of a better phrase) with people who lived in a different world, but in the end are just like us.Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-91401224425892261612013-09-30T18:14:00.001-04:002015-03-11T12:16:57.149-04:00Exploring The Decades With Disney Princesses: Snow WhiteAs a fashion historian, I find that an interesting aspect of Disney is how the animated features serve as records of the visual culture of their day. The Disney Princesses, a successful sub-franchise launched by Disney in the late 1990s, are everywhere these days. They have not been without <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/magazine/24princess.t.html?ex=1324616400&en=8e5a1ac1332a802c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=0" target="_blank">controversy</a>, but they are certainly popular. They are also records of changing standards of beauty for women in the 20th century. This post series will discuss selected Disney Princesses, exploring how they embody the ideals of femininity of their time.<br />
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<b>Snow White from <i>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</i> (1937)</b><br />
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<i>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</i> is a landmark moment in the history of film. It was the first full length animated feature produced by Walt Disney, and is one of the top ten performers at the North American box office. Based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, it tells the story of an evil queen who is jealous of Snow White's superior beauty and orders her murder. After a huntsman, Snow White's would-be murderer, shows mercy, Snow White begins a life of hiding in the woods and befriends seven dwarfs. Furious that Snow White is still alive the evil queen disguises herself and visits Snow White in her woodland cottage giving her a poisoned apple. Snow White takes a bite and seems to die but is ultimately awoken and rescued by the kiss of a handsome prince. And they all lived happily ever after.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marjorie and her animated counterpart dance.</td></tr>
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The rendering of Snow White in Disney's film, with her blue bodiced and yellow skirted dress, dainty red bow, and short black hair, has become iconic, and the character is the earliest of the Disney Princesses. Development for the movie began in early 1934. Snow White was modeled on a young dancer named Marjorie Celeste Belcher, daughter of a Disney animator. Marjorie was filmed performing scenes as Snow White, which Disney animators later used as reference to create a realistic human depiction.</div>
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But how does Snow White's appearance reflect the aesthetics of the 1930s? Simply look at fashion illustrations of the period and you'll see that Snow White fits right in with the illustrated fashion models. Fashion illustrations are a great source for looking at ideals of beauty because a drawing can convey ideal aesthetics in a way a real human body cannot. Furthermore, fashion illustration also takes a cue from dominant artistic trends of the period, showing broader visual influences.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJHD7FavZEtWH784B5s8-LbI7aQXAhMpk4Db36Ue_2P4zNvJ8_nE1MPloy0dRtmE56sQYElqFvQfhIc-9vKnGM_ikxSmg75hXQ1bNnQ3p-Ani-cp78Cp2IWNwn-2NSSKy4t2JpRpryb8G/s1600/sw2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJHD7FavZEtWH784B5s8-LbI7aQXAhMpk4Db36Ue_2P4zNvJ8_nE1MPloy0dRtmE56sQYElqFvQfhIc-9vKnGM_ikxSmg75hXQ1bNnQ3p-Ani-cp78Cp2IWNwn-2NSSKy4t2JpRpryb8G/s320/sw2.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration of two women wearing dress coats from <i>Croquis de bal,</i> 1930s. <a href="http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=1090480&imageID=1600649&total=194&num=160&word=Clothing%20%26%20dress%20--%201930-1939&s=3&notword=&d=&c=&f=2&k=0&lWord=&lField=&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&imgs=20&pos=166&e=w" target="_blank">The New York Public Library.</a></td></tr>
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Snow White is a slim figured Art Deco beauty. Her silhouette is sleek and long, with no large curves interrupting the smooth line from head to toe, reflecting the ideal silhouette of the period and the sleek lines of the Art Deco style. Her dress has a close fitting bodice, puffed sleeves, and a narrow skirt, all elements of fashionable dress from the 1930s. Compare her to the figures in the fashion illustration above, which also feature a long, slim figure, and a dress with emphasis on the shoulders and narrow lines.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hat designs from the 1930s.</td></tr>
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Snow White's face also shows ideal features. Her hair is cropped short, and she has cherub-like red lips, circular eyes, and pencil thin eyebrows. Once again, these features are mirrored in the fashion illustration above. Snow White's face gives her a dainty, girlish appearance, reflecting the elegant femininity which characterized 1930s fashion. And once again, her round and simply drawn facial features conform with the Art Deco aesthetic which combined sleek lines, round shapes, and a minimal aesthetic without much embellishment.</div>
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As time goes by how do the Disney Princesses evolve? Stay tuned!<br />
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If you're interested in the historical influences of Snow White's clothes, please check out <a href="http://www.frockflicks.com/disney-princess-historical-influences-snow-white-1937/" target="_blank">this excellent post</a> from the lovely ladies over at <a href="http://www.frockflicks.com/" target="_blank">Frock Flicks</a>! </div>
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Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-6829781009231738012013-08-10T17:48:00.003-04:002013-08-11T14:33:36.116-04:00Pink<div class="body-paragraph">
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/gVserRvKyec?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div>
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Think Pink from Funny Face (1957) </div>
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The color pink has come to represent all that is quintessentially girly. Barbie, the most famous of girl's dolls, frequently wears pink, drives a pink convertable, and lives in a pink house.* In the movie Legally Blonde (2001), Elle Woods, the stereotypical ditzy sorority girl, is often dressed in her signature color- pink. Disney princesses including Cinderella, Ariel, and Aurora, all appear in pink gowns. The logo for breast cancer awareness, a disease associated with women (although men can get breast cancer as well), is a pink ribbon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgla-1z1IyxbIuH2bFR51cjU53_tbzP5ntegM5LGB3K7cmzoMgeU0t9tBBhMK0Yo3tLzR0kkGMpE_fgraHfy7RGn6Uv4fib5VtzApjlRottH7Een_4vjSXECTmVB4TGj_TgiqznOWANZIRf/s1600/pink3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgla-1z1IyxbIuH2bFR51cjU53_tbzP5ntegM5LGB3K7cmzoMgeU0t9tBBhMK0Yo3tLzR0kkGMpE_fgraHfy7RGn6Uv4fib5VtzApjlRottH7Een_4vjSXECTmVB4TGj_TgiqznOWANZIRf/s400/pink3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Images from Cinderella (1950), Sleeping Beauty (1959), and The Little Mermaid (1989).</td></tr>
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I know some women who love pink because it's girly, and some who hate it for the same reason. For some, pink represents the negative gender stereotype of a shallow and stupid girl. For others, pink represents a vibrant celebration of femininity. I myself like the color pink, not for any gender connotations but
because I think it is a pretty color. However, I know my fondness for
pink clothes, accessories, and objects to decorate my house with sends a certain message to people, be it positive or negative. I have sometimes been criticized for my fondness of pink, and told that it makes me seem immature, unintelligent, and "girly" (that is, I'm like a little girl, not an adult woman). Strong Independent Modern Women don't wear pink! I think Strong Independent Modern Women can wear whatever they like but that is besides the point. Pink is a highly politicized color. But it hasn't always been that way.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipunJjmLFeLDQPPv8PX8bU3n8Mt4rPdiIMJ1deyVy-q4mgtc0FKjzyM43kVUutm8KaCg3rbEymdDKBNj4X2JTNajwsvLQ2kqNa4YY6eDLQHgi-yDvvp0qMFiTtluqTlvatbSU_teiknEEJ/s1600/pink6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipunJjmLFeLDQPPv8PX8bU3n8Mt4rPdiIMJ1deyVy-q4mgtc0FKjzyM43kVUutm8KaCg3rbEymdDKBNj4X2JTNajwsvLQ2kqNa4YY6eDLQHgi-yDvvp0qMFiTtluqTlvatbSU_teiknEEJ/s320/pink6.jpg" width="188" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Man's pink suit from the 1780s. At the Swiss National Museum.</td></tr>
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The designations of pink and blue as gendered colors that we know today did not come about until the twentieth century, when childrens clothing became gender specific. In previous centuries, young boys and girls wore dresses and skirts (because it was easier to change diapers that way) for the first years of their life. But this began to change in the twentieth century, and with gendered clothing came gendered colors.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2b9X0oPZPwObODjokfJrV-jmoL2UuLnPQ09aU_Y1LaJGMk7-7WgRgWlY_DiENSBHgywlFbWiMRNY1Nk8GSpopaz5J1x5KHMWHgZuLAvrGnKZaHV0Tp4TxE1QdXhuARkMWK2mDVwYHzB0/s1600/pink4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2b9X0oPZPwObODjokfJrV-jmoL2UuLnPQ09aU_Y1LaJGMk7-7WgRgWlY_DiENSBHgywlFbWiMRNY1Nk8GSpopaz5J1x5KHMWHgZuLAvrGnKZaHV0Tp4TxE1QdXhuARkMWK2mDVwYHzB0/s320/pink4.jpg" width="197" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virgin and Child by the Master of Guillaume Lambert, c. 1485. <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/461161?rpp=60&pg=1&ft=virgin+mary&what=Paintings&pos=36" target="_blank">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>.</td></tr>
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It may surprise you to know that pink has traditionally been a <i>masculine</i>
color. Pink, as a lighter version of red, had
associations with blood and fighting, symbols of masculinity. Blue,
today the color designated as masculine, has traditionally been the
feminine color. In Christian tradition, blue is the iconographic color
code of the Virgin Mary, and what is more feminine than the symbol of
purity herself, the virgin mother of the son of God. In June 1918, the Infants' Department wrote: "There has been a great diversity of opinion on the subject, but the generally accepted rule is pink for the boy and blue for the girl, The reason is that pink being a more decided and stronger color is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYi7hKsJf491RnFvzcSC5hmIjldLowg1zpidhyRRvqz0wIwAfRBjxlrKIy-ggkid6XHIoBpwI6tK5T0bzsfniTJwOKjLisGMjiTnj7b4Wdse9B1HSE1BdTEGYjQ0KoHPBFV5QlXqY3ngC/s1600/pink5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYi7hKsJf491RnFvzcSC5hmIjldLowg1zpidhyRRvqz0wIwAfRBjxlrKIy-ggkid6XHIoBpwI6tK5T0bzsfniTJwOKjLisGMjiTnj7b4Wdse9B1HSE1BdTEGYjQ0KoHPBFV5QlXqY3ngC/s320/pink5.jpg" width="309" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A feminine pink kitchen advertised in McCalls, April 1951.</td></tr>
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So when did the colors switch, with pink becoming feminine? It was during the 1950s that pink became strongly feminized. This was not a sudden change, but the result of a gradual evolution. The designation of pink as feminine was the result of several factors, one of which was changes in the clothing industry. By the 1950s, most families bought clothing from stores, and clothing manufacturers helped to shape the idea of gendered clothing. In her book about the history of gendered childrens clothing, <u>Pink and Blue</u>, Jo Paoletti writes: "The more baby clothing could be designed for an individual child-- and sex was the easiest and most obvious way to distinguish babies-- the harder it would be for parents to hand down clothing from one child to the next, and the more clothing they would have to buy as their families grew."</div>
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In recent years, men have somewhat reclaimed the color pink. In conjunction with the release of Baz Luhrmann's new adaptation of The Great Gatsby, Brooks Brothers sold a design based on Jay Gatsby's famous pink suit. Famous hip hop artists such as Jay Z and Kanye West have been <a href="http://www.bet.com/music/photos/2011/10/rappers-in-pink.html#!100411-music-rappers-in-pink-jay-z" target="_blank">pictured wearing pink</a>. And preppy polo shirts and shorts for men come in a variety of shades of pink. So is the pink stigma being lifted? Only time will tell.</div>
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*While looking for images of Barbie, I learned that Barbie's Dream House is now <a href="http://barbiedreamhouse.com/" target="_blank">a reality</a>.
You can visit a life sized version in Berlin, Germany and Florida, USA.
I saw some pictures, and everything in the house is, of course, pink.</div>
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Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704222932120451388.post-6267321700623550792013-07-17T16:18:00.000-04:002013-07-17T16:18:01.167-04:00The Fashion StigmaI recently read <a href="http://latinafatale.com/2011/07/21/how-to-talk-to-little-girls/" target="_blank">this article</a> by Lisa Bloom, called How to Talk to Little Girls. It's a quick and interesting read but the gist of it is that the author recently met the five-year-old daughter of a friend, and had to stop herself from complimenting the little girl's appearance. Instead, she started talking about books, in the hopes that this little girl would learn that her mind is valued more than her appearance. Bloom also gives some troubling statistics about the girls and women of America:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"This week ABC news reported that nearly half of all three- to six-year-old girls worry about being fat. In my book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593156596/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=baf-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1593156596">Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World</a>,
I reveal that fifteen to eighteen percent of girls under twelve now
wear mascara, eyeliner and lipstick regularly; eating disorders are up
and self-esteem is down; and twenty-five percent of young American women
would rather win America’s next top model than the Nobel Peace Prize.
Even bright, successful college women say they’d rather be hot than
smart. A Miami mom just died from cosmetic surgery, leaving behind two
teenagers. This keeps happening, and it breaks my heart.<br />
<br />
Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells
them that looks are more important than anything. It sets them up for
dieting at age 5 and foundation at age 11 and boob jobs at 17 and Botox
at 23. As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become
the new normal, American women have become increasingly unhappy. What’s
missing? A life of meaning, a life of ideas and reading books and being
valued for our thoughts and accomplishments." </blockquote>
The second paragraph is the crux of her argument and I completely agree. We need to stop valuing women based solely on their appearance, and we need to teach girls to be happy with themselves, whatever shape or size they may be.<br />
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But what struck me, and what I want to talk about, is the following quote about the book the little girl read to Bloom:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Alas, it was about girls and what they wore, and how their wardrobe
choices defined their identities. But after Maya closed the final page, I
steered the conversation to the deeper issues in the book: mean girls
and peer pressure and not going along with the group." </blockquote>
<br />
This argument presupposes that an engagement with fashion and appearance is shallow and stupid. I agree that society should not tell women and girls that they have to look a particular way, and there are definitely billion dollar industries sending bad messages. But that does not mean that those who do engage in the industry and consider fashion an important part of their lives is wrong.<br />
<br />
In 2005, a reality show aired in America (and probably elsewhere) called Beauty and the Geek. It pared beautiful but "dumb" women with "unattractive" male geeks and the teams of two competed for some some sort of grand prize. I don't really remember all the details, but what I do remember is that there would be quizzes for the participants. The men would teach the women about politics and other "serious issues" and then the women would be quizzed on it. And what did the women teach the men? Fashion and celebrities and other "shallow" things. The whole premise of the show was that anyone who is beautiful is stupid and anyone who is smart is ugly and obviously that is ridiculous. But my point is that these beautiful women knew more about fashion than politics and this made them dumb.<br />
<br />
This all adheres to the stigma that fashion is shallow. That idea is actually a fairly recent phenomenon. The gendering of fashion is a fascinating topic and one I will post more about later, but here's a quick summary. Fashion became shallow and a female thing at the beginning of the nineteenth century, when gender roles became extremely strict. This was when men started wearing dark suits, which were relatively basic compared to the flamboyant clothing of previous centuries. It was decided that men were serious and intelligent, while women were silly and superficial. Thus the world of dress was confined to women (interestingly the majority of couturiers were and still are men but that's a topic for another post). This idea has more or less remained in tact today, coloring women interested in fashion as superficial.<br />
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My argument is to fight that stigma. A little girl can be interested in fashion and expressing an identity through clothing and still be intelligent and worldly. I say instead of fighting fashion, fight a system that labels fashion as shallow and dumb. Teach the next generation to value more than appearance, but don't devalue an interest in appearance altogether.<br />
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What are your thoughts? Comment and let me know!<br />
Katy Werlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08384304578629211863noreply@blogger.com