FIDM Museum Blog

The Empire Era Silhouette

Our recent exhibition Majesty & Mystery: Saving a Napoléonic Court Gown introduced visitors to the magnificent royal court of Napoléon Bonaparte and Empress Joséphine. The gold and silver splendor seen in the court ensemble on display (currently the focus of our Operation 1804 fundraising campaign) was a marked contrast to the evening dress also shown in the gallery; this fine white muslin creation perfectly illustrated the shift towards simplicity in early 1800s fashion.

"Marie Antoinette in a Chemise Dress," 1783
Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (French, 1755 - 1842)
Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Even before the Revolution, French fashion was gradually embracing more streamlined silhouettes and humble fabrics. Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun’s 1783 portrait of Marie Antoinette captured the monarch wearing her infamous ‘chemise à la reine,’ a layered white muslin frock that represented the queen’s love of the countryside and her idealized view of peasant life. Though the painting subsequently caused a public outcry because the queen’s attire so resembled an undergarment, members of high society eagerly adopted the gown’s looser style and lightweight fabric. Post-Revolution, this simplified silhouette morphed once again as society looked to the Democratic ideals of ancient Greece and Rome, resulting in fashions that emulated marble statues and Ionic columns. White, semi-sheer, form-fitting gowns with high waistlines directly under the bust were now worn over pale slips, echoing the casually draped garments of ancient civilizations.

Muslin evening dress, c. 1803
FIDM Museum Purchase
2009.5.6

These stark dresses became the perfect canvases to show-off accessories such as fine cashmere paisley shawls, unique headwear, and of course, eye-catching shoes. The slender cut of skirts ensured that shoes would certainly be visible, thus emphasizing the need for brightly colored and beautifully trimmed footwear.

Kid leather shoes, c. 1800
FIDM Museum Purchase
2017.5.123AB

Majesty & Mystery

The FIDM Museum History Gallery is a treasured part of our institution. It gives us the ability to showcase our vast Permanent Collection, or, in the case of the History Gallery’s current exhibition, an object that we hope to acquire! In the coming months, we are thrilled to take you behind-the-scenes of Majesty & Mystery: Saving a Napoléonic Court Gown. This unique exhibition introduces the Museum’s newest proposed acquisition: an extremely rare c. 1804 court gown possibly worn by Empress Joséphine, wife of Napoléon Bonaparte. As visitors explore the gallery, we share the historical importance of this gown, our research to confirm its provenance, plans for future conservation, and our fundraising efforts to make the gown part of our Permanent Collection. For those readers who are not local to Los Angeles, join us today for a virtual walk-through of the exhibition.

After a distinguished military career and surprising coup d’état, Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was crowned Emperor of France in Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, on December 2, 1804. Beside him at the coronation was his wife Marie -Joseph-Rose de Tascher de la Pagerie de Beauharnais (1763-1814), whom he called ‘Joséphine’. Emperor Napoléon’s reign lasted until 1815; together, he and Empress Joséphine ushered in a remarkable era of artistic expression. A strict dress code was mandated at imperial court functions and the Empress was the ultimate arbiter of style. For formal occasions, ladies wore fashionable high-waist gowns and trains made from yards of French-produced silk satin, lace, velvet, and net with precious metal embroidery motifs that symbolized the rulers: Bees, Roses, and—seen here—Tulips. The astonishingly rare Napoleonic court ensemble at the focus of this exhibition was worn by a high-ranking member of the imperial circle—possibly even the Empress herself.

Skirt
France, 1804-1809
Metallic embroidery & silk net
FIDM Museum Proposed Acquisition, L2017.9.1

The court ensemble is said to have been made for Empress Joséphine by her court dressmaker Louis Hippolyte LeRoy, who worked with designer Jean-Baptiste Isabey. It descended in a British family which stated a relative purchased it after Napoléon complained of its exorbitant cost and refused to pay the bill. The skirt is made of silk net embroidered with gold and silver in geometric and stylized floral patterns. Sheets of metal were pounded and sliced to create thin strips, which were passed through the net yardage while stretched across a frame.

Bodice
France, 1804-1809
Metallic embroidery & silk net
FIDM Museum Proposed Acquisition, L2017.9.1

The extremely short cut of this bodice confirms it was made in the first decade of the nineteenth century. Embroidery fragments suggest the spiraled silk sleeves probably had additional net over-sleeves. The dark staining on the proper left side of the bodice indicates that the area once had metallic embroidery. 

Train
France, 1804-1809
Metallic embroidery & silk net
FIDM Museum Proposed Acquisition, L2017.9.1

Intern Report Part Two: The Dress Detective

We are so excited to share Part Two of intern Kasia Stempniak's blog series; in this post, she shares her findings after completing The Dress Detective method on a 19th century Parisian couture gown. Make sure you read Part One about Kasia's summer internship at the FIDM Museum!

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I always saw, I always said
If I were grown and free,
I’d have a gown of reddest red
As fine as you could see,

Dorothy Parker’s poem of sartorial bliss in a red dress might have resonated with the owner of the vibrant velvet gown below.[1]

Velvet Evening Gown, P. Barroin
Paris, France, c. 1897
Gift of Jane Riggs
2013.1098.1 

This gown is one of four pieces in the FIDM Museum’s permanent collection attributed to the Parisian dressmaker P. Barroin. In my last post I discussed learning about object handling and research during my internship at FIDM. In this post, I apply what I learned to this exquisite French gown using the three steps set out by the book The Dress Detective.

*This post will be an abridged version of the method.

Crimson Peak: Part Two

Welcome back for another look at one of the most popular installations in our 24th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibition: Crimson Peak! In Part One, Costume Designer Kate Hawley generously shared her personal workroom photos, mood boards, and character inspirations for her work on the grand Gothic romance. Today, we're revealing the surprising FIDM Museum connection to the film. 

But first, something for Tom Hiddleston's legion of fans: Hawley used this painting as one of her inspirations for the brooding character Thomas Sharpe, owner of the Allerdale estate, brother to Lucille, and mysterious husband to Edith. She told us, "Thomas appeared in Buffalo as if he had just stepped out of one of Edith’s romance novels," but the grim truth and darkness of the Sharpe family is revealed to Edith once she arrives at their ancestral home. 

Now, how did our Museum play an unlikely role in Crimson Peak? As Museum staff unpacked the costumes and prepared condition reports (you can read more about our exhibition process here and here), we noticed something very familiar about Edith's black and gold 19th century boots. In fact, we realized they were an exact match to a pair of 1870s boots in our Permanent Collection! The boots were featured on this very blog in 2012.

Side-button boots
c. 1870-79
Museum Purchase
2010.5.16AB

We had to contact Hawley - they were just too similar for her design to be a coincidence! We sent a picture of our boots, and Hawley confirmed, "Yes - they are the boots! They felt so perfect for Edith in Buffalo...slightly early in period for Edith, but perfect for character. Pompei shoes in Rome made ours." L.C.P. di Pompei is a famous Italian shoemaker founded in 1932, known for crafting high-quality footwear for Italian cinema and international film alike. We were so delighted that our Museum had a hand in inspiring Hawley's wonderful costumes that we decided to display the Crimson Peak boots next to their historical doppelgängers. 

FIDM Museum boots (left); Crimson Peak boots (right)

As the previous blog post mentions, these gilded boots with scalloped edges were most likely made to match a smart walking ensemble. You can just imagine the eye-catching front of the shoe peeking out from a woman's skirts as she promenaded down the street. The Museum's boots on the left are noticeably smaller than the costume pair; this is something we are often asked about. It is important to remember that people in the past were not necessarily smaller than we are today! Just like in the modern world, some 19th century women had smaller feet than others. Hawley's interpretation of the FIDM Museum boots are a perfect example of how museum collections inspire designers, both on the runway and on film. We hope to make this research process all the more accessible when we launch the FIDM Museum online collection database in the coming month.

Make sure to stop by the Museum and see the twin boots in person before our Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition closes April 30! Once again, our sincere thanks to Kate Hawley for giving our readers an in-depth look at her design process. 

 

 

Behind the Music

In honor of Museum Week, we are excited to share the story behind one of the most exquisite and rare objects in our collection: Austrian composer and pianist Johann Hummel's three-piece court suit, dating to 1810-14!

The ensemble was donated by a member of the Hummel family in 2009, thanks to a combination of perfect timing, location, and luck. Yvonne Hummel is married to the great-great-great grandson of Johann Hummel (1778-1837), and she had recently cleared out the family's property in Italy of furniture, clothing, and antiques. Yvonne lived down the street from the FIDM Museum in downtown Los Angeles, and her neighbor Mary had previously visited our annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition. Mary suggested Yvonne call the Museum to see if we would be interested in these family heirlooms. She made an appointment, but didn't mention what she was bringing. On the day of the appointment, Yvonne and Mary walked down the street with the donations in a rolling cart. Once everyone was settled, our curators remember Yvonne pulling the coat out of her bag, and suddenly everyone in the office stopped what they were doing! They thought there was no way it could be authentic, or a complete ensemble. But sure enough, next came the breeches, followed by the waistcoat...and indeed, it was a complete, elaborate court suit belonging to a famous European composer - in pristine condition, no less!

Autograph sketch-leaf composition 
1800-1820
Gift of Yvonne Hummel
SC2010.947.21  

These suits are insanely difficult to find, particularly with the fine silver and gold embroidery, rhinestones, and sequins on uncut voided silk velvet showcased in this example. Not only did this suit walk straight into our front door, it is also completely documented directly from the Hummel family! In fact, Yvonne generously gave the Museum a lithograph of Johann Hummel with a lock of his hair, and a folio of original hand-written music. The music is an unfinished and/or unknown composition, but in another stroke of luck, our very own Associate Curator Christina Johnson is an accomplished flautist! Christina played the short piece for us, which you can listen to here: Download New Recording.

Out & About: Fashion Council Royal Tea

In today’s tech-centric world, it is nearly impossible to imagine a life before instant communication was available. When we want to speak with a friend, we can pick up the phone – or if that is too archaic, we can send a text, a tweet, a Facebook message, an email…the possibilities are endless! Last Friday, members of the FIDM Museum Fashion Council took a step back in time and learned how women of the 19^th century communicated before the era of Snapchat through the Silent Language of Fans.

After an elegant (and delicious!) catered tea in Grand Hope Park, guests were treated to a lecture by fashion historian Maxwell Barr on how women used fans to communicate specific meanings. A model wearing reproduction 1880s attire demonstrated the graceful and subtle movements; armed with fans, the audience was able to attempt the silent language for themselves. For example, to flutter the open fan towards oneself indicates “dance with me,” and to direct the open fan towards the floor says “I despise you!” The next time you’re feeling amorous, place your hand over your heart while holding the fan open in front of your eyes – this gesture tells your partner “I love you.” So much more romantic than emojis!

"Fabulous Fashion" Lecture Series

In honor of their current exhibition Fabulous Fashion: Decades of Change: 1890s, 1920s, & 1950s, the Pasadena Museum of History's Textile Arts Council is proud to partner with the curatorial staff of the FIDM Museum to present a three-part lecture series featuring fashions throughout the decades. Tickets now on sale!

Courtesy Kevin Jones

Dressed in Diamonds: American Princesses & Gilded Age Fashion

January 19 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Join Kevin Jones, Curator at the FIDM Museum, for a fascinating lecture on the opulent fashion of “The Gilded Age,” a term popularized by prolific writer and social-commentator Mark Twain. The Industrial Revolution’s greatest asset—money—helped to gild American and re-gild European societies. And, for the most part, this highly reflective gloss was applied with layers of elaborate dresses and overlapping jewels worn by the "Dollar Princess" daughters of "Robber Barons," five of whom are discussed in this lecture: Jennie Jerome, Consuelo Yznaga, Consuelo Vanderbilt, Helena Zimmerman, and May Goelet.

Evening dress
Havet-Agnѐs
c. 1927
L2011.13.351

Gatsby’s Women: Fashionable Ideals of the 1920s

January 26 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, reflects a time of dramatic feminine transformation. Christina Johnson, Associate Curator at the FIDM Museum, will provide an overview of Jazz Age fashion, Hollywood film icons, and 1920s high society. Johnson will describe how the fictional characters in Fitzgerald’s best-selling novel represented the decade’s new, fashionable ideals.

Hat worn by Jean Simmons in Young Bess
Walter Plunkett

1953
Gift of Stacey Behlmer
2003.798.1    

Pulling Down the Curtain: Exploring Walter Plunkett’s Hollywood Legacy

February 2 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Walter Plunkett—a man responsible for hundreds of celebrated designs in more than 260 films over a 40-year period—is not a household name. Plunkett’s career as a self-taught costume designer included one of the most iconic film costumes of all time: Scarlett O’Hara’s Curtain Dress. Yet the question remains why Walter Plunkett has not achieved the same prominence as his peers. Join us as Joanna Abijaoude, Museum Associate at the FIDM Museum, brings Walter Plunkett’s legacy out from behind the shadows and illustrates why his work made a lasting and relevant impact in the world of costume design.

All lectures: Textile Arts Council Members $10; Museum Members $15; General $20. Advance reservations required. Tickets include entrance to the Exhibition Galleries starting at 6:00 pm and a wine and cheese reception.

Fundraising Friday: The Philadelphia Story

It's traditional to end a fashion show with a wedding gown. The FIDM Museum is in the last days of a major fundraising campaign to purchase the Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection, a private collection of 1,400 historic garments and accessories from four centuries. Each Friday, this blog has presented an exquisite piece from the Larson Collection. This is our final Fundraising Friday post, and your last chance to donate to save 400 years of fashion history.

Wedding Gown
Sharpless and Sons, Philadelphia
c. 1879
Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection

This elaborately beaded and pleated wedding gown of brocaded satin has a train and a small padded bustle, both elements of everyday fashion at the time. Matching slippers of silk satin with glass beads have been preserved with the gown. The ensemble was purchased from Sharpless & Sons, a Philadelphia "dry goods" store. Founded by Townsend Sharpless in 1815, it became "T. Sharpless & Son" in 1841, when it relocated to 30-32 South Second Street; the second Sharpless son, Charles, a talented amateur artist, joined the business the following year. At the time, the store was described as a "wholesale ware room, clothes, cassimeres, merinoes, silks and vestings." But Charles transformed the business, working tirelessly "to advance the reputation of Philadelphia as compared with New York and other large cities in the way of Dry Goods trade" and, in the process, becoming "one of the most successful and distinguished merchants in his native city."¹ By the time this dress was created, Charles was running the family business in partnership with his own two sons.

Robert F. Reynolds
Advertisement for T. Sharpless & Sons, South Second Street and Trotter's Alley, Philadelphia
1846
Courtesy of The Library Company of Philadelphia

The FIDM Museum has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire this rare and beautiful piece--and many more like it--before the Larson Collection is dispersed forever or sold into private hands, inaccessible to students, researchers, and the general public. But we still need your help to save the Larson Collection! Please make a contribution online or by mail, or join our #4for400 social media campaign to donate $4 (or more) by texting "Museum" to 243725. Donations are tax deductible; if your company or organization has a matching gift program, your support will go even further. You can also help by spreading the word on social media, using the #4for400 hashtag. The FIDM Museum has until the end  2015 to finish raising the necessary funds, so please join the campaign and help save 400 years of fashion history!

¹Encyclopaedia of Contemporary Biography of Pennsylvania (New York: Atlantic Publishing & Engraving, 1890) II.272.

Black Beauty

Though often used as a synonym for black, "jet" refers to a type of semi-precious stone formed from coal derived from fossilized driftwood. The finest jet came from Whitby, on the northeast coast of England, and could be polished to a smooth, matte finish or faceted to sparkle like black diamonds. "Many imitations in glass or other inferior materials have been made," an 1884 travel guide declared. "But, on account of the beautifully soft, velvety polish and intense blackness of the Whitby jet, it is not likely to be superseded.... The best Whitby jet will wear for years."¹ An inexpensive substitute, called "French jet," was actually made of glass. It was easily detected, however, because it was cool to the touch; real jet felt warm. 

Jacket
c. 1855
Museum Purchase
2008.5.44

Because of its ink-black hue and matte finish, jet was often worn as a substitute for colored stones, diamonds, and reflective trimmings during mourning, an important social ritual in the Victorian period. The use of jet on mourning garments seems to date to just before the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband; the heartbroken queen popularized elaborate and prolonged mourning. Jet was used sparingly until the 1880s, when dresses were literally encrusted with jet beads, whether matte for mourning or faceted for fashion. The FIDM Museum has several jet-trimmed garments, including a reception gown by Charles Frederick Worth, a mantle by Emile Pingat, and the jacket above, which was probably a mourning garment. It is made of handmade floral-embroidered black net embellished with velvet ribbons and jet beads.

Sautoir
c. 1885
Museum Purchase
2008.5.13

Jet jewelry enlivened drab, black mourning garments; in the later stages of mourning, it could be faceted for added visual interest. This necklace composed of a long rope of faceted jet beads with fringed triangular pendants at each end was worn draped over the wearer's neck, with the ends hanging down the front of her gown, below her knees.

  Detail

With its vivid red hue, the velvet toque below could not be mistaken from mourning dress. But, by the 1880s, jet was at the height of its popularity as a high-fashion ornament. Four rows of large, faceted jet beads edge the front of the hat; a few beads have fallen off over the years.

Toque
American
c. 1885
Museum Purchase
2009.5.10

A black mesh overlay is embroidered with fringed roundels of small faceted jet beads and straw-work knots. But the fashion for jet inevitably passed, and the decline of mourning rituals after World War I spelled the death of the Whitby jet industry.

Detail

¹Thomas N. Bradley, Bradley's new guide to Whitby (Whitby: T. N. Bradley, 1884) 27-28.

Out & About: "Hooped" with the Fashion Council

The FIDM Museum Fashion Council's annual study day celebrated the Hooped: Dress of the 1860s exhibition, on view at FIDM's Orange County campus through February 20th. After a southern-inspired luncheon, Council members and their guests toured the gallery and heard talks by Curator Kevin Jones, Museum Associate Joanna Abijaoude, and Textile Conservator Cara Varnell. 

A girl's embroidered dress of c. 1865 and a satin corset of c. 1868 in Hooped: Dress of the 1860s

Fashion Council Chair Mima Ransom and committee member Linda Knoth

A girl's hoop petticoat of c. 1863-68

The speakers shattered myths about southern belles and their style secrets. In his talk on mourning dress in the Civil War era, Kevin noted that while one gown in the Hooped show has an 18-inch waist, 24 inches is the average of surviving garments from the era, and they all required corsets. Joanna demonstrated how Walter Plunkett--who designed the costumes for Gone With the Wind, among other historical films--took inspiration from 1860s fashion plates, while adapting Civil War styles to 1930s tastes and figures. And Cara--who conserved the movie's costumes, now housed in Austin's Harry Ransom Center--revealed that Vivien Leigh's dresses actually had 24 1/2-inch waistlines, even though her character, Scarlett O'Hara, claims to have a 17 1/2-inch waist.  

 

A gingham silk taffeta gown from c. 1865 with an 18-inch waistline

Southern-inspired salads

Petite desserts for Scarlett O'Hara-sized waistlines

Non-alcoholic mint juleps

The sold-out event was the final gathering of 2015 for the Fashion Council, but an exiting new year of programming will begin in February with the annual "Royal Tea." Membership in the Council--the FIDM Museum's primary support group--is free. The group gathers for four events annually, plus exhibition openings and study tours. (A New York trip is planned for 2016!) Why not join this charitably chic club?

Flowers worthy of a belle's boudoir