Spring 2002
The Art of French Fashion at
the Wadsworth Atheneum
Museum of Art
Atheneum from March 16 through August 18, 2002.
For information, please call (860) 278-2670, or visit
www.wadsworthatheneum.org. TDD is (860) 2780294.
The latest costume exhibition at the Wadsworth
Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut, features twenty
examples of excellence in costume workmanship
from France dating from the 1760s through the
1920s.
Carol Dean Krute, Curator of Costume and Textiles
at the Wadsworth Atheneum, notes several “waves”
of Franco-mania by Americans throughout this
almost two hundred year-period. The first wave
occurred in the eighteenth century, and is represented
by a woman’s brocaded silk gown, and a man’s tan
velvet suit. An American craving of all things
French reached another apex in the mid-late
nineteenth century, with the opening of the
International Exhibition in Paris in the late 1860s.
One innovation from this period is the princess line,
which eliminated a waist seam, seen on the garment
in the accompanying figure, above.
Day dress, c. 1867
Label: Enout & Cie./Robes & Confections/25 Place
Vendome/Paris
Bright blue silk grosgrain, chenille fringe
Gift of Miss Elizabeth Russell Hooker, 1962.344
Perhaps the most well-known wave of French style in
America occurred around the turn of the twentieth
century. It was about this time that couturiers such as
the House of Worth, Doucet, Chanel, Lanvin, Patou,
and Vionnet, among others, cast their spell on
American women (a sub-theme of the exhibition
touches upon the role of women in running many of
the couture houses at this time).
The exhibition also features the transition of jewelry
in French fashion, with examples of Victorian, Art
Nouveau, and Art Deco jewelry.
The exhibition was inspired by the loan exhibition
Matières de Reves: Stuff of Dreams from the Paris
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which is on view at the
museum from June 1 to August 11, 2002. The Art of
French Fashion will be on view at the Wadsworth
Evening dress, c. 1925
Label: Jeanne Lanvin/Paris Hiver 1925-26
Balck silk with pink rose appliqués
Gift of Mrs. Frank W. Crocker 1961.714
Costume Society of America
Region I Board Members
President
Jeffrey Butterworth
Vice President
Susan Jerome
Secretary
Jacqueline Field
Carrie Alyea
Joanna Cadorette
Rebecca Fifield
Karen Herbaugh
David Lazaro
Maryann Sadagopan
Past President: Claudia Iannuccilli
Appointed Officers & Committee Chairs
Treasurer
Pat Baker
Newsletter Editor
David Lazaro
Programs
Susan Jerome
Publication Sales
Joan Walther
The Region I Newsletter is published three times a
year. The deadline for the next issue is August 15,
2002. Please send exhibit listings, new book notices,
professional news, etc., to:
David E. Lazaro
234 Florence Road
Florence, MA 01062
lazaro@historic-deerfield.org
The newsletter editor is seeking volunteers to help
with the Region I newsletter. If interested, please
contact me at lazaro@historic-deerfield.org
President’s Message
Dear Fellow CSA, Region I Members:
I must begin with offering my thanks to the outgoing
members of the Board of Directors: Barbara Broudo
and Cynthia Cooper (Barbara graciously completed
Cynthia's term,) Donna Bartsch Locke, who not only
served as Region I Newsletter editor, but goes on to
bigger and better things as President of the National
Board of Directors, and the fabulous Adrienne SaintPierre, the best Vice-President I have ever had. I
would also like to thank the Nominating Committee,
including Barbara Broudo, Jacqueline Field, and
headed by John Burbidge as Tally Chair. The five
candidates were all splendid and I heartily welcome
the incoming directors: Carrie Alyea, Joanna
Cadorette and Rebecca Fifield.
If you are getting the feeling, from this list of people
that it takes a great many to run this organization,
even on a regional level, you would be correct.
Why isn't your name among them?....volunteer! Ned
Lazaro needs volunteers to help with this newsletter.
Again it would be a great help if some individuals
would take the responsibility for reporting on, and
keeping up with, the costume related activities of
their areas (ie. Western Massachusetts, RI, etc.)
Another example of need that would bring important
balance to the organization is for a non-Board
member to serve on one of the various committees
that plan and organize regional activities and
functions. Why not co-chair a symposium?
Webster's New World College Dictionary (1999)
primarily defines a volunteer as "a person who
chooses freely to do or offer something." The fourth
sub-definition has the legal implications, "a person
who chooses freely to enter into a transaction with no
promise of compensation..." Luckily, as volunteers
for CSA, one is compensated with fraternization with
colleagues - an experience of estimable value.
The next Region I event is our Fall Symposium at the
American Textile History Museum in Lowell
Massachusetts on Saturday, November 16, 2002.
The subject will be costume treasures and problems
or questions. The format may include shorter
presentations than the usual twenty to thirty minutes,
so if you have ever wanted to present, but balked at
the length of time required, this may be your best
chance. The call for papers is in this issue of the
Newsletter.
Thank you!
(continued on page 3)
President’s message continued…
If you have any ideas about future symposia, or any
suggestions regarding the organization, please let
one of the Directors know. Again, this is your
organization, but we need your input and
participation.
American Textile History Museum
Exhibition Gives Thought to the
Uniform
Have a wonderful Spring and I hope to see you all in
Lowell in the Fall.
Sincerely yours,
Jeffrey A. Butterworth
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RISD Museum Features Asian
Textiles from the Collection
The Rhode Island School of Design Museum will
feature Asian clothing and textiles donated by Lucy
Truman Aldrich, the eldest daughter of Rhode Island
Senator Nelson Aldrich. The objects, mostly
collected by “Miss Lucy” in the 1920s, were given to
the museum between 1935 and her death in 1955.
Pictured below is a fabric detail of a Japanese kesa,
or vestment. For more information, please call
(401)454-6348 or mmontgom@risd.edu
Fabric detail of a Japanese kesa, or vestment, 19th c.
silk and metallic thread; 81” x 46”
Rhode Island School of Design 35.272a
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Photo of welder Rosie Taggi, wearing leather
overalls and jacket, helmet, and ID badge, c. 1944.
Loaned by the Richmond Museum of History
The American Textile History Museum in Lowell,
Massachusetts, is featuring the exhibition All for One
& One for All! Uniforms in Fact and Fantasy.
Curated by guest curator Nancy Rexford, who was
assisted by Kathleen McDermott and Elizabeth
Fragala, the exhibition displays more than 50 items of
clothing that explore the concept of the uniform in
Ameican society.
Among the pieces on display are traditional military
uniforms, including arny fatigues worn by Secretary
of State Colin Powell. There are also those uniforms
worn by people in non-military capacities, such as a
nurse’s uniform from the early twentieth century and
a 2001 New York City firefighter’s uniform, the
latter garment taking on a special significance in light
of recent events. There is also a traditional nun’s
habit, in the style before the late 1960s. The habit
was made especially for the exhibition, from
memory, by Sister Irene Ledoux.
There are also pieces that challenge the traditional
definition of a uniform, but take on a uniform quality
in light of the exhibition. One example includes the
display of three dresses from the late 1950s,
“uniforms” for young women in social settings at that
time. All three garments are very similar in their
fabric, cut, and appearance given to the wearer.
Another example, seen in the accompanying photo,
includes the “uniform” of a real-life “Rosie the
Riveter”, from about 1944. The exhibition also looks
at the “uniforms” worn by young people in the
twenty-first century, including baggy cargo pants and
rave wear.
All for One & One for All! Uniforms in Fact and
Fantasy is on view until May 27, 2002. Please call
(978)441-0400 for more information.
silk@email.smith.edu or the Textile Society of
America at tsa@dol.net
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In the Region…
The Harvard Historical Society in Harvard,
Massachusetts has been awarded a Scholar in
Residence Grant, which is supported by a
collaborative grant program of the Massachusetts
Foundation for the Humanities and the Bay State
Historical League. The project scholar, Deborah
Saville, will perform research for the Society's
upcoming exhibit Captured in Clothes: the Legacy of
Mary Olney Abbot. Ms Saville is completing her
Masters Degree in Historic Costume and Textiles and
is the recipient of a 2001 Stella Blum Research Grant
from the Costume Society of America. Containing
over 20 items of costume including several highfashion gowns from the 1880s and 1890s, this exhibit
will contrast the lifestyle and clothing of Mary Olney
Abbot with those of her four children. The exhibit
will open in September 2002.
Save the date of Saturday, November 16, 2002, for
the Fall Region I Sympoisum, entitled “Show & Tell
and “Mystery” Objects”. The announcement is
inserted into this newsletter.
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Northampton Silk Project Silk Unraveled! Smith
College, Northampton, MA. The Northampton Silk
Project (www.smith.edu/hsc/silk), in celebration of
the city’s important silk history (1832-1932), will
host a symposium on September 25-28, 2002, when it
welcomes the 8th Biennial Symposium of the Textile
Society of America: “Silk Roads, Other Roads.” For
more information, please contact Smith College at
David E. Lazaro, Region I Editor
234 Florence Road
Florence, MA 01062
Exhibitions in the Region…
Connecticut
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut, will feature the exhibition The Art of French Fashion from March 16
through August 18, 2002 (see cover story). For more information, please call(860)278-2670, or visit
www.wadsworthatheneum.org TDD is (860)278-0294.
Windsor Historical Society, Windsor, Connecticut, is featuring the exhibition What Windsor Wore: Exploring
History Through Dress until August 16, 2002. For information, please contact the Windsor Historical Society at
(860)688-3813.
Maine
The Old York Historical Society in York, Maine, features some of the clothing worn by Elizabeth Bishop Perkins,
the benefactress of the organization, in the house where Ms. Perkins lived while she was in Maine. Examples
include European couture dresses, as well as pieces from China, Japan, India, and Africa. For more information,
please contact OYHS at (207)363-4974.
Massachusetts
The Armenian Library and Museum of America, 65 Main St., Watertown, "From Hayastan to Hindustan: The Art of
Armenian and Indian Interlaced Embroidery", May 19, 2002 - January 12, 2003. The opening day (May 19) will
feature an Armenian and Indian embroiderer. Gallery hours are Sun., Tues., and Fri. from 1 to 5 p.m. and Tues.
evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., other times by appointment. (617)926-2562 x25.
The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, is offering a lecture and tour entitled The Fabric of Family
Life: Textiles at the Ropes Mansion, to be held on Tuesday, June 11, at 1 p.m. Paula Richter, curator of textiles and
costumes, discusses the Ropes family collection of textiles, and what these objects reveal about the age in which
they were created and the lives of the people for whom they were made. Space limited, reserve early. For more
information, please call (800)745-4054, ext. 3011, or visit www.pem.org This program will also be offered in
August at a date to be determined.
The Porter-Phelps-Huntington Foundation will be featuring an exhibition entitled Inside and Out: A Look at Three
Centuries of Style at the Porter-Phelps-Huntington Foundation, June 21-October 12, 2002. This exhibition features
women’s clothing on display from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries, and investigates the influence
of fashion on dress construction. For more information, please contact the museum at (413)584-4699.
The Trustees of Reservations will feature an exhibition highlighting the summer of 1897 at Naumkeg House in
Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Naumkeg, located in the Berkshires, was the summer home of the Choate family,
where in 1897 President McKinley paid a visit. On display will be historic clothing inspired by the period of that
presidential visit. For more information, please call (413)298-3239.
Rhode Island
The Rhode Island School of Design will feature A Tribute to Miss Lucy: Asian Textiles from the Permanent
Collection in four installments, through June 22, 2003. See story inside for more details. For information, please
contact (401)454-6348 or mmontgom@risd.edu.
Canada
Bright Kids: Smart Clothes! From May 17 until September 22, the Marsil Museum will present an exhibition
showcasing clothing designed by the pupils of grade 4 at l'École des Saints-Anges of Saint Lambert and innovations
from Philips Design, CHRISTINA America and Dockers (Levi Strauss & Co.). For more information, please contact
Isabelle Guibert, Communications Officer (450) 923-6601 / marsguibert@globetrotter.net
project currently underway at the Museum of Fine
Technology and the Management of
Arts, Boston. Ms. Fifield gave participants a step-byCostume Collections provided
step overview of the work needed to digitally
photograph the costume and textile collection at the
innovations to participants
museum.
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On Saturday, April 13, about 55 participants attended
the Costume Society of America, Region I,
symposium, held at the Connecticut Historical
Browser’s Corner
Society (CHS). Made up mostly of members from
Incidentals seen, heard, discussed, read or
Region I, but also drawing Region II members, as
read about…miscellaneous books, TV,
well as non-CSA members, the symposium explored
movies, etc…by Jacqueline Field
the innovations and uses of a wide range of
technological improvements to assist in managing
BOOKS
costume collections.
Jenny Balfour-Paul, Indigo, British Museum Press.
This wonderful, highly informative, and very
The morning presenters offered a wide range of
readable book traces the history of the plant, trade in
technological solutions in dealing with historic
indigo, and the business and “art” of indigo across
costume and textiles. Kathi Martin, the keynote
the globe from antiquity to modern times. Soft back,
speaker, presented the process through which she
large scale (11 x 8 ½”), with numerous beautifully
designed the historic costume website for Drexel
colored illustrations of ethnic textiles and garments.
University. Kathi presented some of the many
Would be a much-appreciated present for a friend
challenges she faced. The website provides an
interested in textiles (or a useful treat for yourself!).
innovative look at costumes in the collection through
search criteria such as designer, fabric, and year, to
Robert Chenciner, Madder Red: A History of Luxury
name a few. Harold Mailand provided a
and Trade, Curzon Press. Packed with information
retrospective talk on conservation in the United
about the plant, its primary locales, the history and
States. Throughout his career as a conservator,
the development of madder red dyes. The major
Harold has had the responsibility to design costume
focus is on Russia and Caucasus. Small balck and
storage to replace those that are cramped or
white illustrations, maps, and diagrams- also
insufficient. His slide lecture took us through some
appendices with some trade statistics, notes, and a
of the processes involved in that aim. Harold also
bibliography. A book to dip into-a reference sourceprovided insight into the history and evolution of the
very dense-a compendium of details. Hardback.
coat-hanger! Joy Emery presented her research (and
hard work) developing the commercial pattern
Jane Farrell-Beck and Colleen Gau, Uplift: The Bra
archive, in her talk. The lecture touched upon
in America, University of Pennsylvania Press. There
Emery’s technological needs for the project, and
are 51 black and white illustrations in this very useful
served as an introduction to developing a specific
addition to the history of lingerie/underwear.
database.
The mid-day activities kept participants active and
(hopefully) well-fed. Participants were able to tour
costume storage at the Connecticut Historical Society
with Lynne Bassett, Costume Specialist at CHS.
Karen Hudson, Collections Manager at CHS, gave
participants a first-hand look at the CHS database for
costume and textiles, The Museum System.
The afternoon lectures juxtaposed the technological
needs of both big and small institutions. Barbara
Broudo and Adrienne Saint-Pierre combined forces
to present on technological solutions for small
museums, including the databases PastPerfect and
File Maker Pro. The final lecture of the day was
given by Becky Fifield on the digital documentation
MOVIES
Gosford Park. While it is impossible to follow what
is going on in this movie, it is not unpleasant to spend
time enjoying the 1930s clothing-from the cook’s and
the maid’s outfits, to the men’s tweedy weekend
shooting gear, to the women’s slinky evening gowns.
BROWSER’S CORNER welcomes contributions.
Email your input to jrobert4@maine.rr.com
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