Textile Workshop March 20th in Brockville

This looks fun:

EVENT – Learn more about 19th-century textiles at Fulford Place

Saturday, March 20, 2010 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with one hour for lunch

In this workshop, Sotheby's-trained instructor Janet Carlile looks at 19^th-century textiles. Learn about samplers and the iconography used on them. Explore early Canadian pictorial wool work. Find out how Irish linen is made – and how to remove stains and care for it. Hooking and hooked rugs, quilts and coverlets will also be examined. You will also discover ways of determining the age of textiles. Each participant may bring one textile item to be appraised.

Janet Carlile has lectured throughout the United Kingdom and Canada. She taught a course at Lancaster University called Artefacts and Implements Relating to Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian Social History. Carlile has undertaken appraisals of government department collections and is an appraiser for the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the American Embassy, the House of Commons and has worked for Rideau Hall – the official residence of the Governor General. She has also appeared as an expert on the Canadian Antiques Roadshow.

The cost of the session is $65 per person. Pre-registration is required. Seating is limited. Bring a bagged lunch.

To purchase tickets or receive more information, call 613-498-3003.

Fulford Place – a National Historic Site – is owned and operated by the Ontario Heritage Trust, an agency of the Government of Ontario, dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage.

For more information about Fulford Place and other Trust activities, call 416-325-5000.

(Posted on: http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_1_10170_1.html)

The Great Purse Mystery

A friend of mine emailed me about a vintage purse given to her by her aunt (shown in the photos below).

She wasn't exactly sure why it had a strap running straight along the back. I hadn't seen anything like it myself. The big questions were how was it supposed to be held and what was the strap for?

After some looking around in my reference books I came across an example in a 1908 Sears Roebuck catalogue and an illustration on how to wear it (see bottom photo). It's apparently called a vanity purse and you slip your hand straight down with the palm of your hand facing the side of your body. Since I did not come across any photos like this on the Internet or references to "vanity purses" as Sears had referred to this style I thought I would share the reference (excuse the quality).

The vanity purse seems a bit awkward to carry which might be why we don't see this style anymore. Today we see the more common clutch purse for evening wear which you simply wrap your hand around and hold.







(1908 Sears, Roebuck Catalogue: A Treasured Replica from the Archives of History, Ed. Joseph J. Schroeder, Jr., published by Digest Books Inc. Northfield Illinois, 1969. Vanity purses listed on page 1000.)

Talk on Victorian Costume - Dec 10/09 London Ontario

This looks like fun and free:

Victorian Costume: Demonstration and Talk
Thursday, December 10, 7:30 pm
Lorraine Ivey Shuttleworth Community Gallery

After graduating from the Fashion Arts Program at Niagara College, Karen Harley dedicated 25 years to theatre, working in various venues such as the Stratford Festival and the Grand Theatre. She now teaches sewing, history of costume and textile science in the Fashion Design Program at Fanshawe College. Karen will speak about why people dressed the way they did in Victorian times, and will elaborate upon the styles, influences and attitudes of the era. She will display a collection of Victorian costumes from the Stratford Festival, and will show us what it took to get undressed as a woman in this period.

Admission: FREE

(Source: http://www.museumlondon.ca/d.aspx?s=/Programs_Events/Listen_Learn.htm)