A CENTURY OF STYLE
Glasgow Museums’ extensive collection of 19th century European Costume is currently on display at Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. Delicate embroidered cottons, elaborate woven silks, beautiful wedding dresses and evening gowns are each exhibited to their full aesthetic potential. As the show is arranged thematically by colour, viewers have the opportunity to really relish the walk through the exhibition, which is supported by a striking selection of accessorises including delicate jewellery, embellished shoes, original draping Kashmir shawls, purses and parasols.
Pieces by leading Glaswegian dressmakers sit alongside exquisite beaded couture dresses designed by their international contemporaries. And the accompanying interpretation explores the context of these designs extensively – how and for whom the clothes were made, together with the many elements which influenced the styles, materials and colours that dominated at different times throughout the century. Beginning with Dreich it starts with the premise that many people’s impression of clothing during the 1800s was brown or grey, possibly because of the black and white photography of the day. It then beings to look at which colours were available via techniques used for creating colourful patterned fabric and different fashions and fabrics to suit different incomes.
An example includes; Miss Armour’s wedding dress made for Jessie Morrison Inglis, 1878 (the mother of John Logie Baird) demonstrates the growing tradition of wearing white to be married after it was worn by Queen Victoria. While the inclusion of a women’s bodice with mauveine trims, about 1858-60, illustrates the discovery of the world’s first synthetic dye, which was coloured purple, meaning choice of colour was no longer dependent on budget.
A chance to see rarely exhibited and meticulously conserved examples of womenswear, menswear and childrens' clothing alongside carefully considered context.
A Century of Style: Costume and Colour 1800-1899
Until 14 February 2016
1. Dress, about 1859–60. Worn by Maria Hughes, the wife of Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel James Pond, London. Silk and cotton. Given by Mrs Harriet Murray, 1934
2. Dress, about 1848–50. Silk and cotton. Given by Mrs D Stevenson, 1981
3. Wedding dress, 1 January 1879. Worn by Anne H Winfield at her marriage to the Rev. Canon Samson Banfield Barradell-Smith, All Saints Church, London. Silk and cotton
4. Housecoat by Miss Martin, Uddingston, about 1890–92. Wool, silk, cotton and metal. Given by Mrs Ann Murray, 1987
Pieces by leading Glaswegian dressmakers sit alongside exquisite beaded couture dresses designed by their international contemporaries. And the accompanying interpretation explores the context of these designs extensively – how and for whom the clothes were made, together with the many elements which influenced the styles, materials and colours that dominated at different times throughout the century. Beginning with Dreich it starts with the premise that many people’s impression of clothing during the 1800s was brown or grey, possibly because of the black and white photography of the day. It then beings to look at which colours were available via techniques used for creating colourful patterned fabric and different fashions and fabrics to suit different incomes.
An example includes; Miss Armour’s wedding dress made for Jessie Morrison Inglis, 1878 (the mother of John Logie Baird) demonstrates the growing tradition of wearing white to be married after it was worn by Queen Victoria. While the inclusion of a women’s bodice with mauveine trims, about 1858-60, illustrates the discovery of the world’s first synthetic dye, which was coloured purple, meaning choice of colour was no longer dependent on budget.
A chance to see rarely exhibited and meticulously conserved examples of womenswear, menswear and childrens' clothing alongside carefully considered context.
A Century of Style: Costume and Colour 1800-1899
Until 14 February 2016
1. Dress, about 1859–60. Worn by Maria Hughes, the wife of Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel James Pond, London. Silk and cotton. Given by Mrs Harriet Murray, 1934
2. Dress, about 1848–50. Silk and cotton. Given by Mrs D Stevenson, 1981
3. Wedding dress, 1 January 1879. Worn by Anne H Winfield at her marriage to the Rev. Canon Samson Banfield Barradell-Smith, All Saints Church, London. Silk and cotton
4. Housecoat by Miss Martin, Uddingston, about 1890–92. Wool, silk, cotton and metal. Given by Mrs Ann Murray, 1987