|
|
Costumes of Tudor Place: A Look at the Textile Collection
From clown outfits to Indian garb, the Peter family knew how to dress for a costume party. The recent exhibition, “Trick or Treat: Costumes from 1900 to 1930,” which was held October 14th to November 18th, featured a sampling of costumes from the extensive Tudor Place textile collection. Anne Webb, the archivist, said there are “examples of textiles from all the generations of the family,” in the collection.
According to Leni Preston, director of educational programs, costume parties were “very popular through the first half of the twentieth century.” Two generations of the Peter family were avid fans of costume parties and “dressing up” did not stop there—Caroline Peter also participated in amateur theatricals. Although few, if any, of the costumes in the exhibition were worn specifically for Halloween, the Tudor Place staff decided that the season was an appropriate time to highlight this segment of the textile collection.
Costumes
One of the costumes featured in the exhibition is presumed to have been worn by Caroline Peter. Referred to as the “Black Cats” costume, the floor-length loose-fitting dress with matching hat was made of ivory satin with black velvet appliques. The profile of a hissing black cat, its back arched, decorated the back of the bodice of the dress. Black kittens were sewn on both sides of the skirt. The kittens’ heads are connected to the dress with springs, which created the appearance of movement when the wearer walked—a wonderful illusion!
Next to the Black Cats dress was an excellent example of a Pierrot costume. The white satin clown outfit has five oversized black velvet buttons on the placket of the jacket; the outside seams of the pant legs echo this design. The outfit was topped with a matching cone-shaped hat that also featured the black-button motif.
Another costume in the exhibition was an Indian outfit, one of several children’s costumes on display. Armistead Peter, III was shown in an accompanying photograph wearing this costume as a young boy. Made of brown twill, the matching jacket and pants feature red and yellow detailing on the cuffs and seams, along with ornamental fringe. The elaborate headdress, which hangs half way down the back, has multicolored feathers.
Photographs of members of the Peter family, fully costumed, accompanied several of the exhibited costumes. Mrs. Preston explained that “the photograph collection is invaluable in giving us an understanding” of the uses of the objects in the textile collection.
Displaying Textiles
The costumes were available for viewing in the upstairs bedrooms during house tours; they were exhibited only a few weeks because they are so sensitive to light. Fran Scott, a volunteer who came to Tudor Place 18 months ago to catalog the textile collection, “did virtually all of the work to get [the costume exhibition] up and out,” said Mrs. Preston. She explained that preparation of textiles for display is very difficult because of their fragility. Ms. Scott also worked on the preparation and exhibition of last year’s textile display, “Something Old, Something New: 200 Years of Tudor Place Family Weddings,” which opened Fall Garden Day, 1994 and was on exhibition in the Library through last January.
The items associated with weddings ranged from silk stockings worn by America Peter to several vintage wedding dresses. The oldest dress on exhibit was the elegantly simple gown worn by Britannia Peter in 1842.
The Collection
These two exhibitions give visitors an idea of the “depth and breadth of the collection” at Tudor Place, explained Mrs. Preston. The textile collection is made up of hundreds of objects, including clothing, household linens, fans, lace, rugs, curtains, and hats. The collection covers the “whole time span of the history of the house,” Mrs. Preston said.
Future exhibitions will use the textile collection to illuminate the past for visitors to Tudor Place.
|
