Autumn Newsletter 2016 1 Contents Page News 3-7 Exhibitions and Events 7-26 Books 26-29 Editor: Paula Martin Contact: [email protected] Front cover image: Corset, cotton, whalebone, about 1890. Museum no. T.90-1984. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Part of Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear 2 News DATS Conference, 3-4 November 2016, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. In response to feedback from DATS members the theme for this year’s annual training conference is ‘Unlocking the Commercial Potential of Fashion and Textile Collections’. Booking is now open at http://www.dressandtextilespecialists.org.uk/event/dats- conference-2016/ In the current financial climate, many museums are facing unprecedented pressure on their budgets, with an increased emphasis on income generation. This year the DATS conference will take place at the National Museum of Scotland, to coincide with the opening of four new art and design galleries, which includes a dedicated fashion gallery. Speakers from a variety of backgrounds will discuss innovative approaches to income generation and share their knowledge and experience with colleagues. We hope that the conference will provide delegates with practical skills and act as a forum for lively discussion. DAY 1 Thursday 3rd November 2016 09:30 – 10:00 Registration and Coffee. Welcome and Introduction 10:00 – 11:30 Session 1 Product Development and Creative Collaborations • Alan Shaw and Helena Brit (Glasgow School of Art) Classic Textiles: Commercialising 20th Century Designs through Digital Technology • Heather Audin (Quilt Museum) ‘Elizabeth’s Dowry’: Creating a new reproduction fabric line from the Mariner’s Compass Coverlet. • Ben Divall (textile curator and director, Kmossed silk scarves) Digital technologies, creativity, and commercial returns : a Kmossed silk commission for 575 Wandsworth Road 11:10 – 11:30 Questions 11:30 – 12:00 Tea and coffee 12:00 – 13:00 Session 2 Engaging New Audiences: Exhibitions and Events • Ciara Phipps and Claire Reed (Southend Museums) ‘Beauty and the Beach’ - Touring historic swimwear: how and why! • Kathrin Pieren (Petersfield Museum) History on the catwalk: a fundraising event inspired by a dress collection. 12:40 – 13:00 Questions 13:00 – 14:00 Lunch (provided) 14:00 -15:30 Session 3 Copyright, Intellectual Property and Commerce • Roxanne Peters (Victoria and Albert Museum) Fashion and IP: Creator, Curator, Consumer- Behind the scenes at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. • Catherine Gillies (Dunolie Museum) Tartan Gold Dust: from Discovery to Costume Bonanza. 3 • Rebecca Shawcross and Eilidh Young (Northampton Museums) Virtually Shoes: Is the future E-commerce? 15:10 – 15:30 Questions 15:30 – 16:00 Coffee 16:00 – 17:00 Session 4 Creative Approaches to Publishing • Celia Joicey and Dennis Northdruff (Fashion and Textile Museum) How to Draw LiKe a Designer: UnlocKing the Commercial Potential of Fashion Publishing. Key Note 1 Mark Eastment (Yale University Press) Is it possible to produce and sell a booK to promote a collection, research project or exhibition, cost effectively, well and hopefully even seeing a financial return? 16:50 – 17:10 Questions 17:10 – 17:30 Round up of the day and discussion led by DATS chair Edwina Ehrman Optional Visit to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery Meal at a local restaurant DAY 2 Friday 4th November 2016 09:15 – 10:00 AGM, Registration and coffee 10:00 – 11:30 Session 1 Curator led tours of the new Art & Design galleries at National Museums Scotland 11:30 – 12:00 Tea and coffee 12:00 – 13:00 Session 2 • Mairi MacKenzi (Glasgow School of Art)Title TBC • Key Note 2 Charlotte di Corpo (Glasgow Museums) and Margaret Clift McNulty (National Museums Scotland) Fundraising: the Fabric of your Future Success. 12:50 – 13:00 Questions 13:00 – 14:00 Lunch (provided) 14:00 – 17:00 Session 3 Delegates will be able to choose between trips and tours including: • Dovecot Tapestry Studio Dovecot Gallery Curator Kate Greyner will give an introduction to the history of Dovecot Studios, formerly the Edinburgh Tapestry Company. Delegates will also have the opportunity to view the tapestry weavers in action from the viewing balcony, situated in a restored Victorian swimming pool. • National Museums Scotland Collections Centre and conservation lab Join NMS curators and conservators to view the fashion and textile stores including some highlight objects and the paper and textile conservation lab. • Science and Technology galleries, National Museums Scotland Science and Technology curator Elsa Cox will provide an introduction to the new galleries at NMS, focussing on objects and narratives relating to the textile industry. Please direct any enquiries to: conference@dressandtextilespecialists. 4 Dear Members This is just a gentle reminder that your annual subscription fee to DATS was due for renewal on the 1st of September. Thank you to those who have already paid. For those who still need to renew payment can be made via Standing Order, BACS payment, Paypal (through the website) or by cheque (according to your personal preference). Full details can be found on the website http://www.dressandtextilespecialists.org.uk/membership/ and any queries should be addressed to [email protected]. Membership entitles you to the discounted conference fee rate and to attend any training events or group meet-ups which Regional Representatives organise throughout the year. Members are also added to the group email list. This can be used to circulate enquiries about objects, research and to share information about exhibitions, events, projects and new acquisitions. The DATS committee uses it to circulate the bi-annual newsletter and details about the annual conference. All members of DATS are encouraged to use this email list to request or share information. They can do so by addressing their email to [email protected]. Members who do use the DATS email list to request information are encouraged to share a summary of their discoveries with group via email, or in the newsletter. Best wishes, and many thanks Veronica Isaac (DATS Membership Secretary) The Maharaja’s New Clothes Celebrating success and a thank you to DATS for help with this project. The Maharaja’s New Clothes is a project to recreate the clothing of Maharaja Churachand Singh and his Maharani Dhanamanjuri for an exhibition at Alford Manor House Museum in Lincolnshire. At Alford Manor House Museum we have been investigating the connection between a local man and the Manipuri Royal family which developed over his 20 years’ service in Manipur. We have been given permission to use some black and white photos of the Raja and thought it would be an interesting project to pursue the re-creation of the clothes. I put out an appeal for help on DATS in May 2016; we started to weave the Phanek of the Maharani in July following research and documentation into the attire on the ground in Manipur. The story so far can be found on our Facebook page: The Maharaja's New Clothes and also on the web https://aboutalford.com/about-higgins-india/the-maharajas-new- clothes/ 5 The School of Historical Dress, 52 Lambeth Road, London, SE1 7PP, United Kingdom www.theschoolofhistoricaldress.org.uk ‘Near & Far’ - Postcard Project The School has an elegant staircase running up from the lower ground floor to the top of the building. We are creating a timeline of world dress consisting of postcards that feature images of clothing, textiles, portraits, sculptures and photographs from the origins of the protection and adornment of the human body, up to the present day and beyond. Please send us a postcard and address it to ‘The School of Historical Dress, 52 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7PP, United Kingdom’ and please write a message on the back about why you chose the postcard. We hope that those of you around the world who are too far away to attend our London classes and events will contribute to our new home by adding postcards to this timeline. The postcards will hang on little hooks so that they can be lifted off and the details on the reverse can be read; the two cards in the bottom image are of Charles Dickens, his friends and family. There is room for thousands of postcards on the walls around the staircase and we want as varied a selection as possible, featuring both male and female dress. Costume: The Journal of The Costume Society Please note that effective 1st January 2017 Edinburgh University Press (EUP) will be publishing Costume: The Journal of The Costume Society, previously published by Taylor and Francis. Costume is a dress studies journal published twice a year and edited by Valerie Cumming (Olive Matthews Collection, Chertsey Museum) and Alexandra Kim (formerly Historic Royal Palaces), with Christine Stevens (University of Newcastle upon Tyne) as Reviews Editor. 6 V&A Professional Development Courses vam.ac.uk/CPD These intensive courses provide you with the skills you need to work in today’s museums. Taught by V&A staff, they focus on practical training and use current projects as case studies and examples. Upcoming courses include: Integrated Pest Management Handling Museum Objects Documentation Nightmares and Due Diligence How to Organise an Exhibition Exhibitions and events London Costume Society Study Day Fashion: conform or resist 15 October 2016, 10.30 – 4.30 Rootstein Hopkins Lecture Theatre, London College of Fashion, 20 John Princes Street, London W1A 0BJ Following on from the Costume Society summer conference, which considered the theme