Material Culture, Dress and Fashion History
Modern and historical descriptions of Queen Anne (r. 1702–14) have left us with the caricature of an overweight, awkward and prudish woman whose court was unattractive to artists, courtiers and politicians, and whose reign was marked by ill-health and an over reliance on her court favourite Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough.[i] The general Whig picture… Continue reading Queen Anne: Dowdy and dull, or early 18th-century fashionista?
Depicting Elizabeth I as mother of her people featured in many discourses during the Tudor queen’s reign. She had responded to her minister’s inquiries about marriage only days into her first parliament in 1559 by stating that she was content to remain a virgin and ‘a good mother of my Country’ until the time came… Continue reading Queen Elizabeth I as Mother, Nurse and Caregiver of the Realm
I'm delighted to announce that my new edited volume, Embodied Experiences of Making in Early Modern Europe: Bodies, Gender, and Material Culture, co-edited with Serena Dyer, has been published by Amsterdam University Press. You can read the foreword and introduction for FREE, here. This volume focuses on the body of the maker to ask how… Continue reading New Publication + Free Preview
Come and make a 16th-century Spanish farthingale with me using historically accurate materials and methods, including hoops of bent!! 🧵 🪡 On Saturday the 15 March, I’m teaching a one-day workshop at the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades in a partnership between Australian Catholic University in Ballarat, Australia. Int he workshop you will… Continue reading Make a 16th-century Farthingale with me!
I recently sat down with Bernadette Banner to chat about maternity corsetry. Check out our video below! https://youtu.be/VCuWQ8t3dUI?si=g22uTvvBvzKRtArm
I've decided to launch a YouTube Channel where I will be talking about all things early modern dress, fashion and material culture. I've just released my first video on my top 5 books for those wanting to make 17th-century dress. https://youtu.be/_ubdtSEiXVg?si=8uwFzwoJHdLsILIs Please like and subscribe!
Sew with me! 1650s English bodice and gown reconstruction tutorial and notes.
I am doing a brief survey asking how people engage with and use my research (including resources and posts on my blog) as well as social media such as Instagram (@sarahbendall_dresshistory). If you would like to take part, it would be very much appreciated! The survey should take less than 5 minutes and is accessible… Continue reading Research Engagement & Impact Survey
I'm delighted to let you all know that PI Dr Serena Dyer and I (Co-I Sarah Bendall) have just launched the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded 🪡 Making Historical Dress Network 🪡 today! We are so excited to be putting together a series of workshops, online talks, and a festival of remaking over… Continue reading Making Historical Dress Network
A question I see pop up often, and one that continues to spark much debate in online costuming communities and between historians of dress is: Did early modern women wear anything under their skirts? If so, did they wear drawers? Susan North's recently published book, Sweet and Clean?, is one recent scholarly text that has… Continue reading Did Seventeenth-Century English Women Wear Drawers?