Library book sales are wonderful, and the one here in Greenwich is especially well-stocked. I'm always coming across books that I've been wanting to read but forgot to request from the library or seek out specifically. The two I found last month were Perfection Salad (by Laura Shapiro) and Good Wives (by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich). Perfection Salad examines … Continue reading Perfection Salad
Category: 19th century
Emile Pingat (1820-1901)
For various reasons, certain designers have stuck in the collective consciousness as being the single greatest creative minds of their times. Gabrielle Chanel and Madeleine Vionnet are good examples: as you know, some hold them up as the only important couturiers of the 1920s because they're the two remembered couturiers of the 1920s. When it comes … Continue reading Emile Pingat (1820-1901)
Mrs. Joseph Mead's Slippers, 1856
Wedding slippers, 1966.21.3a-b (pattern available at link) Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Joseph Mead's unnamed wife. And her wedding gown either no longer survives or is being held somewhere else. The attribution might not even be correct - it's based on a handwritten note placed inside one shoe (the handwriting does look to be Victorian, … Continue reading Mrs. Joseph Mead's Slippers, 1856
Mary DeLong West's Wedding Dress, 1896
1976.139.2, pattern available on site As it says at the site, this was "worn by Mary DeLong in 1896 when she married Charles F. West." And you can see it on Mary as well - in the photograph, there's some beaded trim running around the middle of the collar and on the edges of the … Continue reading Mary DeLong West's Wedding Dress, 1896
Day Dress, early 1860s
1983.31.1a-b; pattern available at link The tag on the hanger and the electronic records tell of this dress's difficult road to dating: the wide sleeves, the fringe, and the little peplum play havoc with some of the traditional standards. Fringe, as well as the simple construction of the skirt, points to 1860 or earlier. Wide, … Continue reading Day Dress, early 1860s
