Two English princes, sons of the monarch, with ducal titles, marry beautiful women who attract the interest of the public at home and abroad. Fashion magazines use them to promote various styles. Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex, 2010s? Nope. Try Clarence and Kent, 1810s. Both duchesses in question hailed from small German principalities--one smaller in…
Not a terribly exciting or very original title, I know: maybe I can think of a better one. In this series, I'll take one garment and look carefully at its textiles, trim, and construction details, including evidence of alterations made to keep up with new trends, or much later changes made for dress-up. (So many…
I call it my "parlor trick." Like any costume historian, I can look at the clues in costume and hairstyles in painted portraits and photographs and deduce a date or a date range for the image. I enjoy being asked if I can help people date their family photos. Is it 2x-great-Granny or 4x-great Granny?…
I have no idea whether these "stuff I've written" posts will be of interest, and I am loath to toot my own horn. I am only thinking that it might add to my credibility if anyone is wondering what my credentials are. I've curated quite a few exhibitions over the years, but most of them…
In this series, I'll do brief posts focusing on a book on costume or social history. Some will be recent releases; others will be classics that I think should be in the library of anyone interested in studying historic dress. Sometimes I'll take something from my far-too-large TBR (to be read) pile (which is not…
Before social media and cute terms like "influencer," there were plenty of people who made names and reputations for themselves as trend-setters, intentionally or otherwise. In each blog post in this series, I'll look at one historical influencer, propelled to fashion fame by the social media of their day: chiefly gossip, monthly fashion magazines, and…
For the first in my series on dating photos and paintings, I've chosen a family photo. This is my great-grandmother Christine Byrne, who I'm told was known as Teen in the family. She first married Joseph Rowan, my great-grandfather (who, it turns out, was a scoundrel) and secondly John Reilly (who apparently was a sweetheart).…
...while [Gerwig and producer Amy Pascal] wanted it to be accurate to the period, they didn't want something that felt too strictly Victorian in a way that meant you couldn't identify with the characters. - — Jacqueline Durran, costume designer, in interview with Ananda Pellerin, CNN Greta Gerwig's new adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic…
My name is Alden O'Brien, and I've been a curator of costume for nearly thirty years at the DAR Museum in Washington, DC (USA). I've been curator of the quilts since about 2003, and of the needlework since about 2017. My undergraduate degree was in Art History, but I took a lot of English and…
The Curator's Curio 