Dress In Upper Canada 1790-1840

This MRP aims to uncover unknown details of Canada’s early dress history in the lives of early colonial settlers in Niagara and surrounding Upper Canadian settlements between 1790 and 1840. This study explores the access they had to goods and services, their loyalty to the imperial parent nation of Great Britain, and their adaptability to the conditions of a rudimentary frontier. The central conclusion is that relationships to fashion and dress were remarkably sophisticated in early Upper Canadian societies.

Dress In Upper Canada 1790-1840

This MRP aims to uncover unknown details of Canada’s early dress history in the lives of early colonial settlers in Niagara and surrounding Upper Canadian settlements between 1790 and 1840. This study explores the access they had to goods and services, their loyalty to the imperial parent nation of Great Britain, and their adaptability to the conditions of a rudimentary frontier. The central conclusion is that relationships to fashion and dress were remarkably sophisticated in early Upper Canadian societies.

Fashioning the Academic and Private Self: The Clothing of Johanna Westerdijk in the Context of her Biography

This article aims to analyze the clothing of Dutch botanist Johanna Westerdijk (1883–1961) in connection with her biography, academic career, and character. A thorough analysis of changes and constants in her clothing reveals her personal style and approach to fashion, made possible due to the significant number of Westerdijk’s portraits — the primary source for this study. Her sartorial sense, as seen in these photographs, mirrors the manner in which Westerdijk defined herself, both as a woman and scholar. The variety of Westerdijk’s portraits allow us to analyze her clothing during official ceremonies, at work, in daily life situations, her travel outfits as well as her dressing-up and cross-dressing practices. This article indicates that these visual sources provide interesting insights into how Westerdijk fashioned herself. The purpose of the article is to investigate the extent to which research into biography and dress history can be mutually illuminating.

Drawing as a Creative Approach to Researching Extant Garments: A Case Study Involving John Ruskin's Clothing

Reading the clues embedded in extant clothing demands both imagination and patience since the subtle marks of wear, use and alteration may only become evident with extended observation and reflection. During the course of a project undertaken in conjunction with the bicentenary celebrations of John Ruskin's birth culminating in the exhibition of Sarah Casey's drawings in Ruskin's Good Looking! (8 February–7 April 2019), the authors studied the garments of John Ruskin at Brantwood, his former home in the Lake District. The life-sized drawings of these garments produced by Casey mapped the absent presence of the former wearer, allowed visitors the opportunity to better see and reflect on Ruskin's clothing, and also revealed the hidden histories of Ruskin's garments. Drawing, the making of marks with meaning, is not an obvious research tool in dress history and curatorial practice but, as this case study shows, can expose subtle details and reveal new insights.