Tonight is the reception for Great, Strange, and Rarely Seen: Objects from the Vault at the Albany Institute of History and Art. Please come if you can! Or come later, but you really should come. To whet your appetite, I've taken a few pictures of my area of the exhibition (and have permission to post … Continue reading Great, Strange, and Rarely Seen Preview
Category: 20th century
A Little Genealogy
New York History Blog gave Great, Strange, and Rarely Seen a nice promo! If you're in or near the area, please drop in at the opening reception on Thursday or at least come by to see it, it's wonderful. When I went to my grandmother's for Easter, I picked up a couple of boxes of … Continue reading A Little Genealogy
The Writer's Guide to Costume: "Flapper"
Originally, this post was going to address 1920s fashion as well, but I think that will wait until later. There is enough to discuss in just the meaning of the term! My issue is with the tendency of people to ascribe the term "flapper" mainly to the 1920s (perhaps mentioning that it was used before … Continue reading The Writer's Guide to Costume: "Flapper"
Sad Story with a Happy Ending
I've been a little nervous about the dress forms for the Great, Strange, and Rarely Seen exhibition ever since I worked on the pattern for the ca. 1837 dress, which was quite small, and I got even more nervous after working on the ca. 1867 pattern (the last one I took). The dress forms are … Continue reading Sad Story with a Happy Ending
20th Century Fashion Dolls
Everyone knows that in the eighteenth century, dolls were used to spread the latest fashions; less well known are the versions that were popular in the early twentieth century. While I was pinning images from the Met onto my Pinterest boards, I came across twenty-six of these Lafitte-Desirat dolls, all dressed adorably in the fashions … Continue reading 20th Century Fashion Dolls
Mimic of Modes 