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
Fiber Arts - Textiles
Artifacts: History’s Primary Sources
George Washington’s brown Inauguration suit may have been plain for the times, but it was tailored from American-made broad cloth. The majority of cloth used in the United States in 1789 was imported from Britain, said Eliza West, an expert on 18th century textiles.
Wearing a suit of British-made fabric would have been a faux pas in the young nation that won its independence from Britain, so Washington asked cabinet member Henry Knox, of Fort Ticonderoga fame, to locate a suit of American-made cloth. The irony, West said, is that the cloth was of such quality that many people would not believe it was American made, and accused Washington of political incorrectness any way. [Read more…] about Artifacts: History’s Primary Sources
Barn Quilt Class at TAUNY in Canton
The Town of Colton’s Tourism & Beautification Committee is set to present a ‘How-To’ Barn Quilt Class on November 1-3, 2018 at The TAUNY Center located at 53 Main Street in Canton, NY.
This class is being held in conjunction with the 2018 Artists’ Studio Tour across St. Lawrence County on November 3-4 organized by the St. Lawrence County Arts Council. [Read more…] about Barn Quilt Class at TAUNY in Canton
Ballots, Bloomers, and Marmalade: The Life of Elizabeth Smith Miller
Across the street from the home where Elizabeth Smith Miller designed the bloomers – the “most important dress reform of the 19th Century” according the historic marker in the yard, a biography of Miller will be presented.
At 2 pm on Sunday, September 25, 2016, at the Smithfield Community Center (5255 Pleasant Valley Road Peterboro, NY) Norman K. Dann PhD will speak about his research for his latest book on Peterboro history. Author of Practical Dreamer: Gerrit Smith and the Crusade for Social Reform, Dann has now turned to research on Smith’s daughter with the Log Cabin Books’ publication of Ballots, Bloomers, and Marmalade: The Life of Elizabeth Smith Miller. [Read more…] about Ballots, Bloomers, and Marmalade: The Life of Elizabeth Smith Miller
18th Century Fashion Show at Knox’s Headquarters
On Saturday, August 13th from 5 to 7 pm, Knox’s Headquarters presents a fashion show of 18th century civilian and military clothing.
Visitors will see elegant ladies gowns of silk, gentlemen officer wear and the patched and worn garments of the lesser sort. Learn who would have worn the clothing, why it is constructed in that manner, and what function it served. Accompanying the clothing display will be a power point demonstration and narrator describing the portraits and research behind the gowns. Staff members of the New Windsor Cantonment and Knox’s Headquarters State Historic Sites have painstakingly researched and constructed by hand reproductions of period clothing. [Read more…] about 18th Century Fashion Show at Knox’s Headquarters
Textile History Forum Planned For Hyde Hall
Hyde Hall, the 1817 Regency Mansion of George Clarke in Springfield, will host this year’s Textile History Forum April 29 through and May 1, 2016.
This year’s Forum will be a hands-on working project to identify, date, and catalog the surviving drapery fabrics and trims from the Dining Room and Drawing Room of the Great House. [Read more…] about Textile History Forum Planned For Hyde Hall
18th Century Material Culture Weekend Planned
Fort Ticonderoga will host its annual “Material Matters: It’s in the Details” the weekend of November 7-8, 2015. The event focuses on the material culture of the 18th century and is intended for people with an interest in learning more about objects of the 18th century and what they can tell us about history. “Material Matters” takes place in the Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center at Fort Ticonderoga and is open by pre-registration only.
A panel of material culture experts comes to Fort Ticonderoga for the weekend to share their knowledge of 18th-century material culture in a series of presentations. Designed for those who want a deeper understanding of the everyday objects that help tell the story of life and the contests for control of North America during the 18th century, the weekend’s informal approach enables attendees to interact with presenters and provides an opportunity to examine 18th-century objects up close. [Read more…] about 18th Century Material Culture Weekend Planned
Traditional Woven Coverlet Symposium Planned
Rabbit Goody and Thistle Hill Weavers have announced that a Symposium on Traditional Woven Coverlets will take place May 1-3, 2015, at Hyde Hall in Springfield, NY. Anyone with an interest in coverlets is encouraged to attend. Participants are especially encouraged to bring their own coverlets and images to share and discuss.
The Symposium hopes to bring together historians, collectors, curators, and enthusiasts for a lively exchange of ideas and information. Goody will also bring a selection of coverlets from her own extraordinary collection to share with the group. [Read more…] about Traditional Woven Coverlet Symposium Planned
Computer Punch Cards And Amsterdam Carpets
Mark Thomann, who has spent much of his working life on restorations of classic carpets, is skeptical of the idea that paper cards used to control carpet weaving in Amsterdam and other places directly foreshadowed development of the computer.
Thomann said, “I have heard that but always thought it a stretch. There is the similarity of the use of punch cards, with a binary system, no hole or hole which would determine position of a strand of yarn. But I have never seen evidence that someone familiar with that industrial technology was at all involved in making computers.” [Read more…] about Computer Punch Cards And Amsterdam Carpets
Schuyler Mansion Lecture Series Begins Saturday
This Saturday, March 28, 2015, Schuyler Mansion will host “Fabric For Furniture: Historic Choices,” presented by Elizabeth Lahikainen as first of the site’s 2015 spring lecture series focusing on 18th-century interior decoration, Schuyler Splendor: The Making of an 18th Century Home of Good Taste.
Elizabeth Lahikainen, an internationally recognized textile conservator specializing in historic upholstery, will discuss 18th century design trends, fabrics appropriate for different chair styles, and what is available in today’s market. Utilizing fabrics of unusual weave and motifs, she will demonstrate combinations using chairs from Schuyler Mansion’s collection. [Read more…] about Schuyler Mansion Lecture Series Begins Saturday