Gothic to Goth: Romantic Era Fashion & Its Legacy
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Gothic to Goth: Romantic Era Fashion & Its Legacy March 5, 2016–July 10, 2016 Wall Label Text Press Contact: Taryn Bunger, (860)-838-4081, [email protected] Thomas Cole American, born England, 1801–1848 The Past, 1838 Oil on canvas Mead Art Museum, Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts. Museum Purchase, 1950.189 Enthusiasm for a mythologized past permeated the period’s culture and was expressed in both the fine and the decorative arts. Cole, who personally felt that human civilization had reached its height in the medieval era, captured the excitement and valor of a jousting tournament in this painting. (The companion painting, The Present, appears in the “Nature and the Picturesque” section of this exhibition.) Pelisse, c. 1820 American Silk Purchased through a gift from Gloria Gworek, 2012.24.1 Walking shoes, c. 1815–20 English Kid leather Collection of Mary D. Doering Purse, c. 1820–40 European for the American market Stamped leather and steel Gift of Mrs. Willard Jones, 1963.227 Romantic-era fashion demonstrated an escapist fascination with the medieval and Renaissance periods. This 1820s pelisse, or coat-dress, exemplifies how Romantic costume mixed elements from five hundred years of clothing design. It features Renaissance “slashing” in the collar, Tudor-style sleeves, and “vandyck” edging. Bonnet, 1820–30 French Silk on buckram foundation, silk ribbon, and metal wire Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The Elizabeth Day McCormick Collection, 45.293 Romanticism embraced the imagination. Large bonnets not only balanced the appearance of leg-o’ mutton sleeves and full skirts, but also offered ample space for creative embellishments, including layers of ribbon, faux flowers, feathers, and jeweled ornaments. Sir Walter Scott, The Lady of the Lake (Edinburgh: 1810). Watkinson Library, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut Sir Walter Scott, The Waverley Novels (London: 1836). Watkinson Library, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley novels are a series of more than twenty historical dramas about chivalrous knights and fair maidens (including Rob Roy, Ivanhoe, Kenilworth, and The Lady of the Lake). Written between 1814 and 1832, they fed the public’s imagination and thirst for romantic escapism. William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lyrical Ballads (Philadelphia: 1802, first published 1798). Watkinson Library, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut The British poets William Blake (1757–1827), William Cowper (1731–1800), William Wordsworth (1770–1850), and Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) were among the first Romantics. Their poetry evoked the beauty and godliness of nature, imagination, and emotion, and was eagerly consumed by readers on both sides of the Atlantic. Lord Byron, The Bride of Abydos: A Turkish Tale (London: 1813). Watkinson Library, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut D. W. Kellogg & Co. American, Hartford, Connecticut, active c. 1830–1842 Byron and Marianna, 1837–40 Lithograph Gift from the estate of John H. Sage, 1925.938 Lord Byron (1788–1824) set young women’s hearts aflutter with his poetry and his “mad, bad, and dangerous to know” reputation (as stated by his jilted but married lover, Lady Caroline Lamb). This lithograph pictures Byron with another married lover, Marianna Segati, of whom he wrote in 1817: “My dear Tom, I really cannot go on; there is a pair of black eyes looking over my shoulder so that I must turn and answer them instead of you.” Lilly Martin Spencer American, 1822–1902 Reading the Legend, 1852 Oil on canvas Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts. Gift of Adeline Flint Wing, class of 1898 and Caroline Roberta Wing, class of 1896, sc 1954:69 In Reading the Legend, a young woman gazes longingly toward an ivy-covered Gothic ruin as her beau reads a romantic novel to her. (The ruin is actually Blarney Castle in Ireland, which burned in 1820, and probably looked much like this picturesque image at the time of Spencer’s painting. It was rebuilt in the 1870s.) Thomas Sully American, born England, 1783–1872 Daniel Wadsworth, 1807 Oil on canvas Gift of William P. Wadsworth, 1976.79 One of Romanticism’s preeminent artists, Sully received early patronage from Daniel Wadsworth. The costume and pose in this portrait readily identified Wadsworth as a romantic tourist to his contemporaries. The knot with which he tied his cravat was of the sort used for traveling, later termed “à la Byron.” His buff leather gloves with red stitching were also of the type worn when traveling. The dreamy gaze, tousled curly hair, and nonchalant pose all add to the painting’s romantic sensibility. E. B. & E. C. Kellogg American, Hartford, Connecticut, active 1840–1847 and 1855–1867 Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Conn., 1845 Hand-colored lithograph Gift of James Junius Goodwin, 1935.434 Wadsworth’s enthusiasm for Romantic imagination carried over to the design of the Wadsworth Atheneum—his gift to the people of Hartford, which opened in 1844. One of the first public Gothic Revival structures in Hartford, it was designed by Ithiel Town (1784–1844), and Alexander Jackson Davis (1803–1892)—both leading practitioners of the style. The tracery windows, arched entrance, and crenellated towers and roofline all reference a medieval style, combining the appearance of a fortified castle and a Gothic cathedral. Dress, c. 1810 American Cotton Costume and Textile Purchase Fund, 2012.31.2 Reproduction neck ruff Romanticism had its origins in the eighteenth century, at the same time that Neoclassicism came into prominence. The two movements share a passion for human freedom and an interest in history and historic design. Even while Neoclassicism held sway, Romanticism crept into fashion details with such items as neck ruffs of the type worn in Renaissance Europe, but this time worn with empire- waist dresses, as seen in this dress and the image of Harriet Wadsworth. Attributed to John Trumbull, American, 1756–1843, Harriet Wadsworth, c. 1790–91. Pencil on paper. Source unknown, 1980.72 Dress, c. 1815–20 American, embroidery probably produced in India Embroidered cotton muslin Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Clifton M. Bockstoce, 1963.511 Shawl, 1818 Indian Embroidered cotton muslin Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John G. Pennypacker, 1965.115 Renaissance “slashing” inspired another early example of Romantic style. The original manner of creating this look required pulling a fine linen smock or shirt through the slashes of an outer garment to make puffs. In early nineteenthcentury costume, a similar effect was achieved by gathering fine cotton muslin in vertical puffs, as seen in the sleeves of this dress. Reproduction fashion plates, “Morning Dress/Evening Dress/Dress of Queen Elizabeth” from American Lady’s Magazine, March 1831. Courtesy of Old Sturbridge Village Research Library Ladies’ magazines informed readers about the inspiration for current modes. They could read essays about medieval and Renaissance costume or compare sideby-side illustrations of historic fashions and new designs. Note the hairstyles with masses of curls at the temples, and the leg-o’-mutton sleeves, which are very full at the shoulder and taper to a narrow wrist. Alessandro Allori Italian, Florence, 1535–1607 Portrait of a Noblewoman with her Son, 1574 Oil on panel The Ella Gallup Sumner and Mary Catlin Sumner Collection Fund, 1988.14 A comparison of these two portraits shows some of the elements that Romantic design borrowed from sixteenth-century fashions. The same neckline shape and edging, as well as the straight sleeve capped with a short puff, can be seen in both. Attributed to Alvan Fisher American, 1792–1863 Mrs. John Bliss (Anna Watson), c. 1826 Oil on wood Bequest of Miss Rosa Watson and Miss Cecile A. Watson, 1948.528 A comparison of these two portraits shows some of the elements that Romantic design borrowed from sixteenth-century fashions. The same neckline shape and edging, as well as the straight sleeve capped with a short puff, can be seen in both. Wenceslaus Hollar Bohemian, 1607–1677 The Four Seasons: Autumn, 1644 Etching on paper Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, 1955.1992 Samuel Waldo American, 1783–1861 William Jewett American, 1792–1874 Mrs. Charles (Martha Kingsley) MacNeil, 1834 Oil on wood Bequest of Clara Hinton Gould, 1948.182 Compare this 1644 etching by Hollar with the 1834 portrait by Waldo and Jewett. Mrs. MacNeil wears a hood-like cap and folded white scarf that perfectly echo the hood and collar of Hollar’s subject. In the Romantic era, large collars that draped over the shoulders were called “pelerines,” from the french word “pèlerin,” meaning “pilgrim”—an appropriately Gothic term connoting piety and history. Dress, c. 1832 American Printed cotton Gift of Mrs. Charles H. Kremer, 1964.200 Day cap, c. 1830 American, probably Massachusetts Plain weave cotton Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Miss Ellen A. Stone, 99.664.89 Puffed sleeves and wide collars reminiscent of the seventeenth century are seen in this dress; the decorative tab edging of the collar is similar to the edgings of men’s clothing in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The 1832 fashion plate shows a dress with a similarly styled collar. Renaissance slashing, which was achieved by pulling an underlying linen smock through slashes in an outer garment, is simulated in the puffed construction of the day cap. Reproduction fashion plate from Godey’s Lady’s Book, November 1832. Courtesy of The New York Public Library Parlor stove, c. 1844 American, Albany, New York Made by Francis S. Low and John S. Leake Cast iron American Decorative Arts Purchase Fund, 1985.62 Parlor stoves, a luxury for only the wealthy until about the 1840s, were often cast with decorative detail reflective of the period’s reigning fashion. This Greek Revival stove features rounded shapes and foliate motifs like those seen in the nearby ball dress. Ball dress, c.