Greetings all,
In the new issue of Costume (the journal of the British Costume
Society), there are four--count them, four!--articles of interest to
Elizabethan mavens. The first is a very short posthumous article by
the great Janet Arnold on the stays and drawers from QEI's effigy.
She cautions that as the drawers are nailed on (ouch!), the pattern
may be inaccurate. A very interesting editor's note to this article
reads in part: "It is an important piece of work to which she had
given a substantial amount of time, but it does not fit with her
plans for the forthcoming volume of Patterns of Fashion: The Cut and
Construction of Linen Clothes for Men and Women*
*Work on this volume is progressing well and should be with the
publisher by the end of 2007. It is hoped that a second volume and
remaining patterns can be completed by November 2008."
Whether this means any more than the previous "we're working on it"
messages we've gotten about this material is anyone's guess, but I
thought I would pass it along.
The other articles are:
'To Cap it All': The Waterford Cap of Maintenance
This cap was given in 1536, and the journal includes color pictures
of a Mad Hatter-ish velvet hat and details of its materials and
construction. I've not read the article in detail yet, so I can't
tell you much more than that.
Rainbow for a Reign: The Colours of a Queen's Wardrobe
Queen Elizabeth I's wardrobe, that is--this is an analysis of the
colors mentioned in the New Year's Gift Rolls, and there is a color
page with names and little colored boxes. Also very useful are the
appendices, which are tables of color definitions, years of
appearance and what colors appeared on which garments, color
combinations and what years they were used, and locations and
shelfmarks of extant New Year's Gift Rolls (of which there are many
more than I thought!). Also very interesting is a note saying that
the author, Jane A. Lawson, is preparing a full annotated transcript
of all the New Year's Gift Rolls, which will be published by the
British Academy in their series Records of Economic and Social
History. It doesn't say when, but the annotation will include
indexes of people and biographical sketches.
The Merchant Taylors' Company of London under Elizabeth I: Tailor's
Guild or Company of Merchants?
I have not so much as skimmed this yet, but the intro says "Part I of
this article examines briefly the origins, nature and functions of
the sub-company [of the yeomanry within the guild]. Part II explores
the degree to which this body represented the continuation of the
traditions of the medieval guild of London tailors and continued to
embody the aspirations and interests of its artisan members."
Melanie Schuessler
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