16th century, 17th century, 18th century, 19th century

Romantic Love and Material Culture Workshop

A couple of months ago I was fortunate enough to participate in a one day workshop supported by the ARC History of Emotions called 'Romantic Rituals: Making Love in Europe, c. 1600 to the Present'. By coincidence there were actually four of us who were focusing on the material culture of romantic love from the… Continue reading Romantic Love and Material Culture Workshop

17th century, Bodies and Stays, Busk, Dame Filmer Bodies Reconstruction, Stuart, Tutorial

Dame Filmer Bodies, c. 1630-1650 Reconstruction | Part Three: The Stomacher

The term 'stomacher' can refer to various parts of early modern female dress. The first use of the term refers simply to a V-shaped piece of cloth, usually decorated with embroidery, lace, metallic thread or even jewels, that was worn with open front gowns, waistcoats or bodices (concealing the kirtle, petticoat, bodies or stays underneath) from the sixteenth to late eighteenth centuries.

16th century, 17th century, Bodies and Stays, Busk, Elizabeth I Effigy Bodies Reconstruction, Elizabethan, Experimental History, reconstruction

Effigy Bodies: did they really belong to Elizabeth I? | Speculating about the appearance of Gloriana through Dress Reconstruction

After blogging about the process of reconstructing the earliest pair of surviving English bodies that were found on the 1603 effigy of Queen Elizabeth I at Westminster Abbey, one of the most frequent questions that I received was: do you think these bodies actually belong to the Queen? My answer: no… and yes, maybe. Funerary records… Continue reading Effigy Bodies: did they really belong to Elizabeth I? | Speculating about the appearance of Gloriana through Dress Reconstruction