Husband and I managed a quick visit to the wonderful historical fashion exhibition at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow with promise of lunch at the end of it, although he went for a walk in the nearby park while I enjoyed a glimpse into the past. A Century of Style: Costume and Colour 1800-1899 is running until 14th February and the venue itself is one of my favourite places as it's such a stunning building filled with great art.
The exhibition did not disappoint, although it was predominantly Victorian style with the odd Regency outfit included. I took loads of photos for future research and made sure it was okay to include some on my blog. It was fascinating reading about the different colours and materials used and they even provided little samples of fabric for us to examine here and there. They also provided information on the dyes used throughout the period, with the relevant clothes arranged in colour-coordinated sections.
It was equally fascinating to imagine these sumptuous outfits being part of well-to-do life in Scotland at one time - some of the cards accompanying the outfits told us to whom they had belonged and when they were worn.
Here a few of my favourites
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| Regency dress and spencer |
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| Silk dress |
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| Cotton print dress |
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| Victorian dresses with crinoline |
There are too many to show here and some of the accessories were also interesting - mourning outfits for instance included everything in black from the corset to the jewellery. I'm so glad I didn't miss this as there's nothing quite like seeing original costumes if writing historical fiction!
Rosemary
11 comments:
Oh Rosemary, my favorite pastime is looking back at how life was...
And my husband would also be walking in the park. Thank you for sharing, if I'm ever in Glasgow I'll be sure to visit the museum myself.
Thanks for your comment, Maria. Although the exhibition will end soon, the art gallery and museum is a wonderful place to spend a day - it's out at the university area and the nearby park is lovely.
Those crinolines are gorgeous. When I see this kind of thing I'm often tempted to write something historical - but I'm too lazy!
This sounds like a wonderful exhibition. Much as I like to look at the old fashions, however, I'm SO glad I live now and not then. The idea of being trussed up with all that corsetry fills me with horror. I'll take Spanx over whalebone any day!
I love displays of historical costumes . . . it never ceases to amaze me how short people were, and how tiny the waists and feet!
Looks like a very good exhibition, Rosemary. Wish I lived closer!
Thanks for sharing your pictures too. :-)
Thanks for including those fascinating pictures. Can you imagine what it must have felt like to be encumbered with all that material? Very hot in the summer I should imagine and I don't suppose they were too particular about hygiene.
Seems like an excellent research resource. (Should have said really remarkable research resource!)
I think crinolines, although unwieldy, allowed for a sense of freedom around the legs beneath!
Yes - I'd love to dress up for a while, Julia, in the knowledge I could go back to normal!
That is one of the interesting facts at these kind of displays, Helen!
You're welcome, Carol - you would love it!
That's a good point, Maggie! Fun to experience for a day but we're very lucky to wear what we like.
Excellent for research, Patsy - I was careful to photograph the information too where possible!
It looks a splendid exhibition, Rosemary.
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