From the Shoulders of Giants

It's the theme of the NAI (National Association of Interpretation) Region 9 conference. From the giants in the industry, Tilden, Enos and others you have take their principles and your skills and run with it. Sooo here I go, running with it, presenting a workshop.

When I saw the theme of the workshop the first thing that popped into my mind was, giants, giant ships, like cruise ships. The workshop ended up with the title "From the Shoulders of Giants to the Decks of Giant Cruise Ships and Corporations"

St Patty's day will be spent in Yosemite National Park enjoying the company of other NAI 9ers, other presenters, the Park and a good time sharing information.

Living History Organization

Several of you who read the blog enjoy Living History. This group Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums (ALHFAM) is group you may want to explore. They have a regional group here in the west.

Their mission statement The Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums (ALHFAM) shares practical knowledge and skills among those who make history relevant to contemporary lives. We draw strength from our diverse network of members, sharing experience, research and passion for participatory learning.

I have not yet had to opportunity to attend a conference but look forward to doing so. Their Profession Interest Groups (PIGs) that peaked my interest of course is, FPIPN (pronounce it "pippin") First Person Interpreters Professional Network. Go look at their site and poke around, they even have some job listings.   

Interesting Picture to Interpret

I was in Portland OR this weekend and spent a couple hours poking through antique shops with Maridy and we found this photo. I found it interesting for a few reasons. 1. Very rarely do you find a full figure photo, most of the hundreds of old photos are head shots, or some group pictures 2. Most of the studio photos if they are a full figure shot are indoor clothing 3. This is a studio shot, outdoor clothing, she has all her accessories - hat, gloves, purse, fur piece. Her hat, gloves and shoes appear to be white, all coordinated. And she is posing!

Just an interesting picture to me. So what date would you put on this? I think around the late teens due to the length of her ensemble, her purse, hat, and fur piece. Her boots did throw me off at first. I didn't think boots were sold or really worn in late teens and high button boots seem a little late for such a stylish lady. Not to say one couldn't pull out a favorite pair of boots or shoes from a few year previous if you really found them comfortable to year. It is hard to tell in this picture of a picture but they are boots.  I did find this picture below at New York Public Library collections. It is dated 1918. The suit is so similar to the lady above.

 

I did find these boots as late as 1917 from the New York Public Library.

So to put two and two together and hopefully not come up with five, I would date this around 1918ish give or take a year.  My deduction can be off so I don't mind standing corrected if someone else has a better date.

Roaring into the 1920's - Barnstormers to Bootleggers

Another fun program! I love working with the National Automobile Museum. Their programs are historical and make for an interesting afternoon. Any historical program they organize is a fantastic event to receive CEU's if you are an educator. This event is Barnstormers to Bootleggers. Now on to pulling this together with power point, music, dancing, and costumes. We have a lot to do! This is Interpretation at it's best with some of Lauren's costumes.

Synopsis for National Automobile Museum symposium
           program, March 29, with Lauren, American Duchess

The Bee’s Knees and the Cat’s Meow, Fashionistas 1920’s Style

The 1920's - a time that is often referred to as the "Roaring Twenties" - a boisterous period characterized by rapidly changing lifestyles, financial excesses, and the fast pace of technological progress. 

A new woman evolved in the twenties, redefining womanhood. It was more acceptable for her  to smoke and drink in public, wear shorter hair styles and make-up, and skimpy and shorter dresses.  There was also a greater participation in the workforce because the new woman of the '20s wanted to work, not because she had to.  This all contributed to the new breed of woman in the twenties.

Fashion also kept up with the fast pace of change in the 20’s.  It was the beginning of a new era of fashion freedom for women. Women would shed the confining corsets and multi under layers of foundation garments of the teen’s to the minimal under garments that produced the boyish silhouette that so stylizes the twenties. Men on the other hand would settle into the silhouette of the three piece suit that is still the epitome of proper business attire today. 

The “little black dress,” has its birth in the twenties and still survives today as a fashion necessity, with plenty of accessories, the ticket to being fashionable in the twenties. And the flapper dress, what was that and who wore it?  The proper names of clothes to have in your closet in 1921 were: the one piece coat dress, the waist line dress, the tuxedo-scarf dress, the long waist dress, a Kimono Waist-Line Dress, and a tunic dress, quite different from today's typical jeans and t-shirts.

During this presentation, we will move through this decade of fashion, and explore these fashions as they interact with society.  From the Speakeasy to the lawn party, dancing the Charleston or the Foxtrot, listening to Jazz, the Devil’s music, and dealing with that inconvenient Prohibition, we will look how fashion collided with daily life, the night life, and the law.

 Some originals fashions will be displayed and fashions will be modeled of the twenties.

National Automobile Museum

Finally down loaded 350 pictures of the camera. This project was last summer. The National Automobile Museum the Harrah's Collection wanted a model for a photo shoot for Horseless Carriage Magazine. "No problem" says I, as the back of my brain is quickly going through my stash. They wanted 1904, that meant "pouter pigeon" look. I found a material in my stash that mimicked a crepe. The color is a little brighter than the mauve, pinkish color the magazines of the time talked about, but I thought I could make it  work. 

The very modern hat from Dillard's and the illustrations of what I needed to turn this hat into.

I liked the clam shell effect in the books - so I tried it on this

Front clam shell

Mimic of the clam shell in back, I did add more feathers a couple of months ago hang down across the back.

sorta my base - needed that fullness in the back and flatter front.

Cutting out the mock up on material

Mock up - trying to get drape and flat front panel

flat front panel - lace over lay is some old curtains in stash

messing around with drape in back

Figuring out some type of decoration with use of some old flat lace

Blouse was off of a wedding pattern

Deer in the head light look - but the "pouter pigeon" is there

They do wrap covers - the little boy was a cutie