FIDM Museum Blog

Young Bess French hood

Released in 1953, the film Young Bess is a fictionalized biography of Queen Elizabeth I. Focusing on her life before she was crowned queen, the film is set in the late 1540s and stars Jean Simmons as Young Bess. The lavish, historically inspired costumes were created by Walter Plunkett, who had already earned a name for himself with his widely admired Gone With the Wind (1939) costumes. Plunkett began his career in film with a semi-successful attempt at becoming an actor in the early 1920s. He made the shift to costume designer in 1926 when he accepted a position as a wardrobe assistant at RKO Studios, eventually moving to MGM in the 1930s. Plunkett had no obvious background in costume design, apparently teaching himself the necessary skills on the job. This lack of formal training was clearly not indicative of his talents, as he quickly gained a reputation for creating historically evocative costumes for period films.

French hood worn by Jean Simmons in Young Bess
Walter Plunkett
1953
Gift of Stacey Behlmer
2003.798.1

Morning gown, c. 1895

For the Victorian woman, correct dress was an essential component of social acceptance. Women of the aristocratic classes and the nouveaux riche changed outfits multiple times each day, always with the knowledge that dress played a crucial role in determining social standing. Understanding the correspondence between the details (trim, fabric, neckline, etc.) of a particular gown and a specific social occasion was valued knowledge, "from which one could not depart without appearing lacking in education."¹ Fortunately for the "uneducated," magazines like Harper's Bazaar and Godey's Magazine contained articles on dress and etiquette for all occasions. The gown pictured below is of a type called a morning gown, intended for breakfast at home with the family and possibly some light housework or correspondence.

Morning gown
1893-1897
Gift of Marilyn Habicht
S2002.41.1

Textile swatches

Today's post features a hodge-podge collection of textile swatches presented with a minimum of commentary and contextualization. We'll be back to our usual posts next week. In the meantime, enjoy these striking textiles!

Designed as European countries moved towards the fierce battles of World War II, these toy soldiers were probably used to decorate the bedroom of a young boy.

Printed cotton, probably a furnishing fabric
C. 1938
Gift of Roberta Tuller
2006.865.9

This whimsical cat and mouse print is very similar to some of the prints seen in the Miu Miu Spring 2010 Ready-to-Wear show. The paper tag seen at the top of the image indicates that this was a sample. Three of the five colorways are visible.

Silk crepe textile samples
c. 1938
Gift of Roberta Tuller
2006.865.14

Do nautical motifs ever go out of fashion?

Printed cotton
c. 1938
Gift of Roberta Tuller
2006.865.10
 
The textile below is another of our Wiener Werkstatte textile swatches. We are still in the process of documenting this large collection of textile swatches! Wish us luck!

"Gazelle" textile pattern
Franz Fochler
Wiener Werkstatte
1911-12
Gift of Robert Fortunoff
99.274.99