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Commitment to Costumes: November 2012
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Saturday, November 24, 2012. Over and Under: An Exhibit Story. A panoramic view of the temporary exhibit "Over and Under: Accessories and Undergarments of the Early 1800s". The introductory panel just explained what the overall theme was and a little bit. About the language used to discuss the time period. Shift was a highlight because we had oral history to include with it. The next section, "Bare Essentials" discussed undergarments and other accessories of propriety,. Were made of lightweight cotton wi...
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Commitment to Costumes: June 2014
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Saturday, June 7, 2014. After the flurry of activity surrounding the secret code discussed in my last two. Posts, I caught a cold and spent my sick day continuing research. Thanks to fellow bloggers in Germany, I was armed with the knowledge that the forgotten papers from my bustle dress pocket represent a telegraph code. Telegraph code books were put out by many. Different publishers, sometimes for the general. Public and sometimes for use in specific. Commercial interests such as cotton trading,.
commitmentocostumes.blogspot.com
Commitment to Costumes: Got Telegraph Codes?
http://commitmentocostumes.blogspot.com/2014/06/got-telegraph-codes.html
Saturday, June 7, 2014. After the flurry of activity surrounding the secret code discussed in my last two. Posts, I caught a cold and spent my sick day continuing research. Thanks to fellow bloggers in Germany, I was armed with the knowledge that the forgotten papers from my bustle dress pocket represent a telegraph code. Telegraph code books were put out by many. Different publishers, sometimes for the general. Public and sometimes for use in specific. Commercial interests such as cotton trading,. You j...
commitmentocostumes.blogspot.com
Commitment to Costumes: Recent Investigations: The Purple *Thing*
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Sunday, September 1, 2013. Recent Investigations: The Purple *Thing*. Lately I'm researching my newest acquisitions, so I'm postponing some entries on infant layettes until I'm in the mood. See, the thing about being a collector is that the having. Of things is less of a thrill than the hunt. As a case in point, I found this purple silk thing labeled "bonnet? The band on the purple thing (top) looked like the waist on a. Mid-19th-century quilted silk petticoat (bottom). Ca 1870 purple gown. A curator at ...
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Commitment to Costumes: June 2013
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Saturday, June 22, 2013. A natural follow up to the condition assessment I did on Ann Porterfield's reticule. Is a little tutorial on archival storage. For the most part, I'm not doing anything to undo damage to the bag, but I'm packaging it in a way that should prevent any further harm. This story is easiest to tell with images, so here they are. Next, I got out my hand steamer and used it to relax the various creases. Finally, the protective swaddling! I just happen to have some small acid-free boxes t...
commitmentocostumes.blogspot.com
Commitment to Costumes: July 2012
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Sunday, July 29, 2012. One of the best things about living in the greater D.C. area is that there is an unbelievable wealth of curatorial expertise here. I know a few people who study costume, so I sent out my stocking inquiry. Carol Kregloh's expert hands show me what I need to know to recognize how the stockings were made. The raised rows of stitches are knit, and there is no seam allowance. This rules out frame construction. Detail of the edge finish on the stocking. Rare is good. Happy me! I figure t...
commitmentocostumes.blogspot.com
Commitment to Costumes: No Wire Hangers EVER!!!!!
http://commitmentocostumes.blogspot.com/2012/08/no-wire-hangers-ever.html
Saturday, August 11, 2012. No Wire Hangers EVER! In my March 17 post, I described the agents of deterioration. That were out to destroy our things. Well, when it comes to costume collections, I left out an important one: gravity. This gorgeous bias-cut lace dress dates to the late 1920s or early 1930s. It probably belonged to my great-grandmother who put it away on a wire hanger in the 1940s. After supporting the weight of the dress for decades, the fragile fabric straps pulled themselves apart. Hangers&...
commitmentocostumes.blogspot.com
Commitment to Costumes: Mystery Message: The BIG Pictures
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Tuesday, February 18, 2014. Mystery Message: The BIG Pictures. As a follow up to yesterday's entry on Bennett's Bronze Bustle. Noman I. Ingme. February 18, 2014 at 6:20 PM. Thank you very much. This is really something. Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom). Maryland, United States. A curator at work, a collector at home. View my complete profile. Mystery Message: The BIG Pictures. Two Nerdy History Girls. All Features Great and Small. Zho Zho's Textile Adventures. Simple template. Powered by Blogger.
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Commitment to Costumes: The Tissue Issue
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Saturday, June 16, 2012. In keeping with the theme of costume care, here’s a little briefing on tissue paper. Anyone who has read anything about proper costume storage knows that acid-free tissue is key. Whatever your choice of container, your costume collection will be happiest if each garment is wrapped in and/or fluffed out with acid-free tissue. So let’s dissect the tissue issue. If the paper turns out to be acidic, it will yellow and become brittle, it may cause acid burns, brown spots, and staining...
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Commitment to Costumes: September 2013
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Saturday, September 7, 2013. Recent Investigations: How was this bustle dress worn? The 'before' shot. Three pieces of netting made. Into some kind of dress. Could be fabulous, but. It's hard to tell on the hanger. Scroll all the way. Down for the after shot. 1) Exactly how old is this dress? The best matches for my net dress are a sea side. Left) an a plaid. Bustle dress that buttons up the back from The. Above). Both date to c. 1880. 2A) What would you wear under the sheer bodice? My first thought was ...
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