FIDM Museum Blog

Out & About: FIDM Museum at The Making of a Monarchy for the Modern World conference

 

 

What a busy summer! In early June, we attended the Costume Society of America symposium, which Kevin described in his recent blog post. Immediately after the conference, Kevin and Christina (our curator and associate curator, respectively) flew to London to present research at another conference, The Making of a Monarchy for a Modern World. In today's blog post, Christina takes us to London with a lively, illustrated overview of their trip, including conference details, and museum exhibitions visited. Thanks Christina! We can't wait to hear about your experiences at the upcoming Costume Colloquium in Florence, Italy.

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Kevin Jones and I flew to London after participating in the Costume Society of America’s Annual Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia. We arrived on June 4—right in the middle of the Diamond Jubilee festivities!

 

A trip to the hospital

 

Last week, FIDM Museum staff traveled to Good Samaritan Hospital Los Angeles with precious cargo in tow. The cloth-of-gold court bodice worn by Lady Mary Douglas to the coronation of George III in 1761 had an appointment in Radiology! This extremely rigid bodice is heavily boned with baleen and covered with cloth of gold, a fabric woven with real gold filaments and silk. Silver embroidery and hand-punched sequins depict overflowing cornucopias at the neckline and stylized roses and thistles—all symbols of the British Empire. The bodice is part of the Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection, which we are currently raising funds to acquire.

Johann Hummel court suit, c. 1810-14

 

Since our FABULOUS! exhibition opened in September, we've featured selected exhibition highlights on our blog. As FABULOUS! closes tomorrow, this post will be our final installment in the series. Want to revisit favorite pieces from the exhibition? Click here for a complete listing of FABULOUS! blog posts.

This final FABULOUS! post features a stunning early 19th century court suit with a fascinating provenance. Consisting of a jacket and breeches of aubergine silk velvet decorated with silk and metallic embroidery and a cream silk faille vest, this court suit would be a highlight of our collection with or without a known provenance. But its excellent condition and documented provenance make it even more historically important. Created late in the reign of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (r. 1804-1814/15) by handloom weavers and master embroiders, its uncut voided velvet with gold, silver, rhinestone, and sequin decoration is truly regal. It was donated to the FIDM Museum in 2008 by the family of Johann Hummel's great-great grandson, Michael Hummel. We featured a glimpse of this court suit on our blog in 2009, a few months after it was donated.

Court suit
Uncut voided silk velvet, silk faille, silk embroidery floss, gold & silver embroidery purl & frieze, rhinestone & metal sequins
c. 1810-14
Paris, France
Gift of Yvonne Hummel
2008.947.2A-C

Court gown and train, 1907

 

Ladies attending Their Majesties' Courts will appear in Full Dress, with Trains and Plumes.¹

 

Court gown & train
London, England
Redfern
1907
Museum Purchase, Funds provided by Yvonne Hummel
2008.932.19AB

Worn only during the ceremony in which selected individuals were introduced to the King and Queen, court dress was an elegant, highly regulated uniform. Adhering to the spoken and unspoken regulations governing court dress was almost as important as having the "correct" background. Each European court had its own version of court dress, which was more or less elaborate depending on the wealth of the particular court. The court gown and train pictured above are both on display in FABULOUS!, our current exhibition.

We are fortunate to know the provenance of this court gown. It was worn by American Ann Bloomfield Gamble Post during her 1907 presentation to King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom. Edward was a popular leader; his accession to the throne in 1901 transformed the somber court of his mother Queen Victoria into "an exceptionally brilliant spectacle."¹ Alexandra exerted a major influence on fashion. Presentation at their court was a eagerly anticipated social privilege.