I seem to be on a kick with focusing on the works of scholars who have come before us lately. We have a lot to learn from those who have studied before us, if we pay attention. No need to reinvent the wheel when the original is amazing and still works.
Stella Mary Newton, an English fashion designer and dress historian, was an advisor to the National Gallery, a guest lecturer for Cambridge University and founded a postgraduate course in the History of dress at the Courtauld Institute of Art. She brought the use of history of fashion to bear in art history to the dating of paintings. In her article, “The Study of Costume in Painting” for Studies in Conservation, Newton discusses the study of dress in works of art. Here are some notes of commentary from the article. There are three primary venues for the study of period dress: literature, extant garments, and works of art. Literature refers to sumptuary laws, letters, diaries, writings of moralists, and inventories. Extant garments referring to any articles of clothing that can be scientifically dated to be within the period studied. Finally, works of art, any creation--sculpture, paintings, drawings, frescos, illumination, etc. (I believe any recreation must consider all three venues of information.) Newton reviews the limitations of each venue. Limitations of Literature 1. In literature, the study of dress is hampered by technical language. Without context, original meaning is lost. Have you ever heard someone refer to an unknown item? It becomes a "Thing", a "Whatisit", or we refer to it by some mashup of words. I think of how we describe pants that are short, i.e. bloomers, pedal pushers, knickers, clam diggers, capris, floods, etc. Some of these terms are related to a purpose for wearing. I can only assume since we attempt to define with a string of descriptive terminology, so did those in the past.
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Baronessa Franca DonatoVandy Pacetti-Donelson is a milliner, costumer, illuminator and calligrapher, and researcher who is interested in all that is the Italian Renaissance. A true Florida Native originally from Saint Augustine, she now calls Daphne, Alabama her home. Vandy is known in the Society for Creative Anachronism as Baronessa Franca Donato, OL and resides in the Barony of the Osprey in the Kingdom of Merides. Archives
March 2021
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