The Tredwell Costume Collection at Merchant’s House Museum comprises more than 400 articles of clothing, including a remarkable 39 dresses documented to have been owned and worn by the women of the family. Many are outstanding examples of the 19th century dressmaker’s art, composed of fine and delicate fabrics and ornamentation. [Read more…] about Featured Collection: Merchant’s House Costumes
Fashion History
Hamilton Descendant Lends Objects to Schuyler Sisters Exhibition
Douglas Hamilton, a fifth great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, has lent objects to be shown in The Schuyler Sisters & Their Circle exhibition at the Albany Institute of History & Art.
The objects, recently on view at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia as part of their “Year of Hamilton” display, include a Society of the Cincinnati Eagle insignia owned by Alexander Hamilton and a gold mourning ring belonging to Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton. [Read more…] about Hamilton Descendant Lends Objects to Schuyler Sisters Exhibition
Shoe Stories from Early America
There’s an old saying that tells us we should walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. It’s a reminder that we should practice empathy and try to understand people before we cast judgement.
As it happens, this expression is right on the mark because it seems when we use shoes as historical objects, we can learn a LOT about people and their everyday lives and actions.
In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Kimberly Alexander, museum specialist, lecturer at the University of New Hampshire, and author of Treasures Afoot: Shoe Stories from the Georgian Era (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018), joins us to help us better understand shoes and what they can tell us about the everyday lives of early Americans. [Read more…] about Shoe Stories from Early America
Albany Institute Extends Victorian Fashion Exhibit
The Albany Institute of History & Art’s exhibition Well-Dressed in Victorian Albany: 19th Century Fashion from the Albany Institute Collection features over forty dresses from the museum’s collection of Victorian period costumes.
The exhibit opened in October 2017 and has welcomed thousands of visitors to see the rarely displayed dresses. The Institute has announced that the exhibition will be extended, and now run through May 20, 2018. [Read more…] about Albany Institute Extends Victorian Fashion Exhibit
How Jewels Have Impacted History
This week on “The Historians” podcast, jewelry designer Aja Raden has an account of how jewels have affected the course of history. Raden is author of Stoned: Jewelry, Obsession and How Desire Shapes the World (Harper Collins, 2015). You can listen here.
“The Historians” podcast is also heard each week on RISE, WMHT’s radio information service for the blind and print disabled in New York’s Capital Region and Hudson Valley. The podcast is recorded at Dave Greene’s Eastline Studio. [Read more…] about How Jewels Have Impacted History
Corset Portraits of the Loves of Aaron Burr
Artist Camilla Huey has a close to the skin interpretation of founding father Aaron Burr. While we know about his schemes to gain and keep political power, Huey tempts us to think about Burr’s gender politics. Was the former Vice-President who shot Alexander Hamilton in a duel, a full-fledged Lothario, or might there be another story?
The film “The Loves of Aaron Burr: Portraits in Binding and Corsetry” premiering at Symphony Space at 95th St. and Broadway in Manhattan on Saturday, November 14 at noon offers a much more complicated and nuanced view of the man and his significant female others. As Thomas Paine wrote in that revolutionary era “If we take a survey of the countries and the ages… we will find the women adored and oppressed. Man who has never neglected an opportunity of exerting his power, in paying homage to their beauty has always availed himself of their weakness… at once their tyrant and their slave.” [Read more…] about Corset Portraits of the Loves of Aaron Burr
18th-Century Fashion & Material Culture
The clothing a person wears tells you a lot about them: Whether they are rich or poor, what kind of work they do, what colors they like, and what they value.
We know that John Hancock was a wealthy merchant and prominent politician, but did you know that his suit reveals even more about his life and personality than the documents and portraits he left behind?
In this episode of the Ben Franklin’s World podcast, Museum professional and textiles expert Kimberly Alexander joins us to explore the world of 18th-century fashion and material culture and what objects like John Hancock’s suit communicate about the past. You can listen to the podcast here: www.benfranklinsworld.com/024