Reproduction swatches flank the display and invite visitors to touch the textiles |
One
of the many engaging aspects of the The Helen Geier Flynt Textile Gallery (a permanent exhibition
area in the Flynt Center of Early New England Life) at Historic
Deerfield, are four half-scale fashion
or dress 'mannequins.' They are clothed in reproductions based on items found
in the probate inventory of a young Deerfield woman, Sarah Williams (1716-1738),
who died in 1738 at age 21. She was unmarried. Her headstone survives at the Old
Deerfield Burying Ground. [1]
The model displaying "silk" (petticoat, open robe, stomacher) as they might have appeared from Sarah's garments. |
Miss
Williams came from a very wealthy family as may be seen by the number and type
of garments listed in her probate inventory. Among the extensive list: one taffeta robe at 6 pounds; one damask
robe at 3 pounds 15 shillings; one chintz robe; one calico robe; one silk
quilt; one shalloon quilt and cloth cut for a riding habit and trimming.
The reference to one riding hood indicated it was quite costly at 4 pounds 5
shillings. Her inventory also listed three pairs of stays: black, yellow and red.
There are several references to unfinished garments or accessories perhaps
indicating, in the case of “cloth for a
pocket” that Sarah was sewing the item just prior to her death. The range of
items available to Miss Williams in the 1730s certainly calls into question
long held mythologies regarding colonial dress.
The
Gallery is comprised of four sections representing silk, wool, cotton and linen
and the theme is carried through with the half scale mannequins.
1. Additional information provided by Edward Maeder, Curator of Textiles from 2000 to 2008, regarding the four figures wearing clothes inspired by the Sarah Williams probate inventory. Mr. Maeder spent many months working on this inventory and tying it to the customs records of the period. He was able to photocopy the London-New England customs records from 1697 (the 1696 ones were lost in a fire) to 1780 from the Public Records Office in Kew.
1. Additional information provided by Edward Maeder, Curator of Textiles from 2000 to 2008, regarding the four figures wearing clothes inspired by the Sarah Williams probate inventory. Mr. Maeder spent many months working on this inventory and tying it to the customs records of the period. He was able to photocopy the London-New England customs records from 1697 (the 1696 ones were lost in a fire) to 1780 from the Public Records Office in Kew.
The idea to use this information, along with the probate inventory, and to create these figures came out of a 2007 discussion with Kiki Smith of Smith College. She suggested a colleague of hers, Henry Johnson, a talented costume designer at Shakespeare and Company in the Berkshires, would be a perfect person to do the fabrication. They held several meetings, and combining resources, decided on patterns for each of the garments worn by the individual figures. It may be of interest to readers to know that Mr. Maeder himself quilted the yellow silk petticoat worn with the silk mantua. The wool petticoat, embroidered with the crewel design, was stitched by Kathleen Smith, of Montague, MA, and one of the foremost specialist for the recreation of 18th century embroidery.
For
the full inventory, see www.historicdeerfield.org
http://www.historic-deerfield.org/files/4813/7450/7840/WILLIAMS_SARAH_1716-1737.pdf