Symposium: "Life and Death in the Piscataqua Region," Portsmouth, NH

Portsmouth Historic Sites Associates 12^th annual Winter Symposium,

"Life and Death in the Piscataqua Region"

Saturday, February 6, 2016

10AM to 3PM

St. John’s Masonic Temple,

351 Middle Street (the corner of Miller Avenue and Middle Street)

Portsmouth NH 03801

Tickets reserved in advance are $15;

$20 at the door the day of the event

(though organizers advise that the event fills up quickly)

The ticket price includes the day-long program of four lectures, continental breakfast

and a lunch of homemade soup, bread and dessert.

This year’s program includes:       

Elizabeth Aykroyd. “The HMS America: Building a Royal Navy Ship of the Line in Portsmouth,” on the story of this ship, a model of which was the first artifact acquired by the Portsmouth Athenaeum in 1820, and its connection to the New England expedition against Louisbourg in 1745 represents an important chapter in the history of mid-eighteenth century Portsmouth. 

Jeff Hopper and Sandra Rux, “Revealing the Warner House,” presenting new research in celebration of the 300^th birthday of the Warner House. 

                                   
Peter Michaud “A National Register District for Portsmouth,” on the progress of the National Register nomination, and what it will mean for Portsmouth.
                                   
Janet Polasky. “Undocumented Cosmopolitans in Revolutionary New England,” draws from Polasky’s research for her new book Revolutions without Borders:  the Call to Liberty in the Atlantic World.               

The annual event, a fund-raiser for the Portsmouth Historic Sites Associates, will also include a preview of upcoming events for history lovers, a raffle, and sales tables including some from member sites:  Historic New England; Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden, Portsmouth Historical Society (John Paul Jones House); Strawbery Banke; The Gundalow Company; USS Albacore Museum, Warner House, Wentworth Lear Association, and the Wentworth Coolidge Mansion.

The Portsmouth Historic Sites Associates partners centuries-old historic homes and vessels, some of the most important in America. Within the architectural treasures, a multitude of rooms with authentic antique furnishings reveal poignant stories of home and work in a thriving seaport community, while the historic vessels detail chapters of Portsmouth’s history afloat.

For more information go to: www.portsmouthhistorichouses.org, or visit us at Portsmouth Historic Houses on Facebook.  For more information, or to reserve a space at this year’s event, call (603) 436-8221. 

Red Pumps With Moosehair Embroidery, 1850-1875

Red shoes -- what is it about red shoes? No matter what the style or the era or material - they hold our interest, perhaps more so than any other footwear (except maybe Cinderella's glass slippers.)

I recently came across this intriguing pair of mid to later 19th century pumps in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. According to the object label, they are a “Pair of red wool pumps with red leather covered Louis heel. The wool with Native American (Huron-Wendat) moosehair embroidery depicting colourful flowers.” Originating in North America, the maker is unknown.[1]

In the design, we see the Victorian style associated with footwear of this period – rich embellishment adorns the uppers with especially detailed ornament at the toe. The skill of the stitching for the red leather clad Louis or French heel is especially interesting in a time when many shoe makers were opting for a “knock on” heel. The shoes are well-made and the design, well-balanced and proportioned – a visual delight.

All images are courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum.

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O361127/pair-of-shoes-unknown/

[1] Additional reading:

Phillips, Ruth B., Trading Identities: The Souvenir in Native North American Art from the Northeast, 1700-1900. (Seattle & London, 1998)

A Red Like No Other: How Cochineal Colored the World: an epic story of art, culture, science, and trade, Padilla, Carmella, ed.. SkiraRizzoli, 2015

A Perfect Red. Greenfield, Amy Butler, Harper-Collins, 2005

A Pair of Colonial Revival Pumps, c. 1920

I find infinite interest in this pair of c. 1920s pumps and have wanted to write about them for some time. They are an excellent example of a "Colonial Revival" or "Georgian Revival" shoe. The leather pumps were of American manufacture by Charles Strohbeck, Inc.

The oversize "Pilgrim" or Cromwell buckle is a main design feature, along with the crackled leather and pointy toe, all referring to the past but re-imagined for the 1920s woman. The high French or Louis heels also refer back to the Georgian period.  Heck, I would wear them today! The Metropolitan Museum label notes that they were kept as samples by the company, perhaps indicative of the high style of the day,  rather than what was actually worn.

Illustrations, courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art

A French Plaid Silk Taffeta Boutis Quilt, c. 1760s+

How many more wonderful textile related words can you squeeze into this title? Plaid. Silk. Taffeta. Boutis. Quilt. Each on its own denotes something special, but when taken together? It is beyond the ordinary, everyday.

This cheerful French silk taffeta, most likely intended for a dress, was in circulation by 1764 --it  appears in Selling Silks: A Merchant’s Sample Book by Leslie Ellis Miller. There is at least one extant example of a gown made from the same or very similar plaid, sold at Whitaker Auction.

 However, at some point -- probably a few decades later than the silk production date—it is transformed into a French quilt (c.1800?). The quilting is of a type known as boutis. Boutis work is a Provençal word meaning 'stuffing', describing the manner in which two layers of fabric are quilted together with stuffing sandwiched between sections of the design, creating a raised effect. [1] This example is charming, and includes hearts at the corners. You can see bits of the cotton wadding or batting used to “puff” out the quilt, typical of boutis work.

Taffeta is a very thin silk. The batting used to quilt the boutis has pushed the silk, causing strain and resulting in damage. However, the design of the hand stitching also holds the silk together. Although damaged due to folds and wear, with tears to the boutis and shattered silk, it nonetheless is valuable as a study piece.

 1. http://www.historyofquilts.com/french_quilt_history.html

Formerly from www.Trouvais.com collection

Nathaniel Soames, Shoemaker of Ludgate: Wedding Slippers, c. 1786

These delightful British wedding slippers (noted as such via the Metropolitan Museum) were made by “Soames, Ladies Shoe Maker, London.” They are typical of their day: leather slippers with a low heel and all the energy focused at the toe. A wonderful fringy silk tassel captures the eye and surely would have been noticed as one promenaded or danced across the floor. The work of Soames is similar to shoes by Bragg & Luckin, and Hoppe, both of Londan. Examples of their work survives at The Bostonian Society, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Smithsonian Institute to name just a few.

The label indicates an increasing specialization between women’s and men’s shoes. “Soames” was most likely Nathaniel Soames, a shoemaker at 9 Ludgate. Soames was able to send his son, Henry (1785-1860) to St. Paul’s School. From there he matriculated to Oxford. He became an eccelsisatical historian. It appears another son, of the same name, continued in the family trade.

While information on Soames may be somewhat spare, we get a sense of the challenges of doing business in the great metropolis in the 18^th century. He shows up in the 1797 records of the Old Bailey – as  the victim of one William Clark, who “feloniously stole” 18 pair of men's leather soles from him, valued at five shillings. The episode tells us a bit more about Soames shop. Clark was a workman, doing some work for the shoemaker.  We learn that Soames had an apprentice or journeyman named John Dupree who testified that he was in his masters shop at the time of the theft. A second employee, named Richard, saw the property on the prisoner’s person as he came up from the cellar. Clark was fined one shilling and discharged.

Scant records indicate that the family business continued and that Soames may have invested in other businesses or acquired property.

All images are courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum.

http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/104730