HEAD to TOE - Costume Society of America

Costume Accessories:
HEAD to TOE
March 13–16, 2011
Be part of the story.
Cosponsored by
Costume Accessories: Head to Toe is designed to complement the newest
exhibition in the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum. Fashion Accessories
from Head to Toe features Williamsburg’s collection of men’s and women’s hats,
gloves, purses, handkerchiefs, pockets, shoes, stockings, jewelry, and wigs from about 1650 to 1850. These
objects, presented generally in chronological order, are accompanied by large-scale reproductions of
period images showing similar pieces in use.
Invited scholars from the United States, Canada, and England will present 10 lectures over two and a half
days. A day of hands-on workshops and related behind-the-scenes tours will follow. This symposium will
explore the production, consumption, and historic value of these varied objects of personal adornment.
The two-day seminar, A Reconstructed Visitable Past: Re-created Period Attire at Historic Sites, will take place
on Thursday and Friday.
While the study of historic dress tends to begin with the examination of changing cut, silhouette, textile,
and decoration, the details of costume accessories are often the most reflective of time, place, and person.
Accessories are generally precious, ephemeral, or both. Many incorporate the newest fashions and trends
more quickly than the clothing that they accompany, yet certain pieces are classics used by successive
generations. Frequently the product of the most current technologies and employing a bewildering range
of materials, costume accessories become mirrors of social and economic, ethnic and cultural, public and
personal concerns. They are intimate; they are fascinating. When viewed with a historian’s eye, they are
vastly revealing and provide invaluable details in the story of dress and adornment.
T he Program
Saturday, March 12, 2011
All bus trips depart from the Williamsburg Lodge Conference Center entrance on South England Street.
8:30 a.m.–6 p.m.Optional Costume Society of America Study Tour: Accessories (and More!) from Four Centuries
Departs 8:30 a.m. with organizer Colleen Callahan, curator emeritus, costume and textiles
of the Valentine Richmond History Center (VRHC). This study tour to Richmond,
Virginia, will explore the rich costume holdings of two Richmond museums and a private
collection plus include tours of two museums and three historic houses. Our first stop is the
VRHC for a special showing of 19th- and 20th-century accessories from the 30,000-piece
costume and textile collection and tours of the collection storage and 1812 Wickham House.
We then travel two blocks to the Museum of the Confederacy (MOC) to tour the museum
and White House of the Confederacy and view unique costume and textile pieces from the
MOC’s domestic/home front collection. After a box lunch and tour of the Wilton House
Museum (WHM), collector Mary D. Doering will display accessories from the late 1600s
to the early 1900s from her exceptional private collection.
Cost: $135 for Costume Society Members; $150 for nonmembers.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
10:30 a.m. or 11:30 a.m.Optional Costume Society of America Study Tour: Costume Holdings of the JamestownYorktown Foundation
Departs 10:30 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation’s Central Support
Complex in Williamsburg. Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the rare 17th- and 18thcentury costume pieces in the collection of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation (JYF).
Led by JYF registrar Jane Hohensee and collections manager Roberta Hair Granger,
the showing will include a 1628 beaded purse, 17th-century lace fragments, and a number
of 18th-century pieces: three pairs of stays (one a child’s), calashes, women’s gowns, a
striped cotton jacket, and a man’s red wool cape.
Tour limited to 15 people per viewing. Cost: $40 for Costume Society Members; $50 for nonmembers.
2–7 p.m.Program registration. Introductory Gallery at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts
Museum, 325 West Francis Street, Williamsburg, VA 23185.
5 p.m.Program welcome. Ronald L. Hurst, vice president, collections, conservation, and
museums, and Carlisle H. Humelsine Chief Curator, Colonial Williamsburg.
Not Just another Pretty Hat! Studying and Curating Dress Accessories. Susan North, curator of
fashion, 1550–1800, Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
6 p.m.Opening reception. Central Court, DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum.
Monday, March 14, 2011
9 a.m.DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum opens for conference registrants. Coffee
service available.
9:30 a.m.From Head to Toe: The Colonial Williamsburg Collection. Linda R. Baumgarten, curator,
textiles and costume, Colonial Williamsburg. Hennage Auditorium, DeWitt Wallace
Decorative Arts Museum.
10:30 a.m. Coffee break. Central Court.
11 a.m. Y
eoman and Merchant: Clothing and Accessories from a 1690 New England Shipwreck. Phil
Dunning, material culture researcher, Parks Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
NoonLunch on your own.
2 p.m.Dressed to the Hilt: The Production and Consumption of Men’s Accessories in the 18th Century.
Mark Hutter, journeyman tailor, and Erik Goldstein, curator, mechanical arts and
numismatics, Colonial Williamsburg.
3 p.m. Afternoon break. Central Court.
3:30 p.m.From Medieval to Machine Age—A Revolution in Shoemaking. D. A. Saguto, master boot and
shoemaker, Colonial Williamsburg.
4:30 p.m.Programming concludes.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
9 a.m.DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum opens for conference registrants. Coffee
service available.
9:30 a.m.Off with Their Wigs! Traditions and Revolutions in Hairstyles, 1748–1804. Dr. Ann Bissonnette,
assistant professor in material culture and curatorship, and curator, clothing and textiles
collection, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This presentation is generously
underwritten by the Costume Society of America’s Midwestern Region. Hennage Auditorium,
DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum.
10:30 a.m.Coffee break. Central Court.
11 a.m.A Prescription for Health and Fashion. Robin Kipps,
supervisor, Pasteur and Galt Apothecary, Colonial Williamsburg.
11:30 a.m.Lunch on your own.
1:30 p.m.An Accessory to Health: Clean Linen and Its Role in Dress, Disease, and Gentility. Susan North.
2:30 p.m. Afternoon break. Central Court.
3 p.m.Shawls, Sashes, and Scarves. Cynthia Cooper, head, collections and research, and curator,
costume and textiles, McCord Museum of Canadian History, Montreal, Quebec.
4 p.m.Question and answer session.
4:30 p.m. “ Of All Things Millinerial”: People, Product, and Public Perception. Janea Whitacre, mistress
of the millinery and mantua-making trades, Colonial Williamsburg.
5:30 p.m.Reception and book signing opportunity.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Optional Programs will be held at the following locations (Transportation is not provided):
• Bruton Heights School—301 First Street
• DeWitt Wallace Collections and Conservation Building—309 First Street
• Costume Design Center—138 First Street
• DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum—325 West Francis Street
• Archaeological Collections Department—339 North Botetourt Street
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. C
elebrating the Mysteries of 18th-century Hair and Beauty Secrets. This workshop is presented
by Elizabeth Myers, journeyman wigmaker, and the Colonial Williamsburg wig shop staff.
Attendees will learn the art of 18th-century hair weaving, styling, and dressing in order to
make queues and curls and how to apply these pieces—to create an authentic hairstyle—
all without breaking the bank. Attendees will be allowed to try on wigs, hairpieces, and
other items to complement a variety of period looks. At the end of the day, a member of
the class will be transformed from the 21st to the 18th century using techniques learned in
class.
A
ll materials will be provided. If you’d like to learn more about the maintenance or upkeep
of a wig or hairpiece you own, please bring it to the workshop. Bruton Heights School.
(Limited to 20 participants).
9:30–10:30 a.m.Costume Design Center Tour. (Limited to 20 participants).
Fashion Accessories behind the Scenes. Join textile and costume curator Linda Baumgarten
for a special tour of costume accessories in the collections of The Colonial Williamsburg
Foundation. The tour will begin with a brief viewing behind the scenes of the costume
storage room, where costumes and accessories are housed when not on exhibit. The
tour continues upstairs with a peek into two additional storage areas that house small
accessories and mannequins. From there, the tour will explore the exhibition Fashion
Accessories from Head to Toe, with discussions of some of the unusual accessories and the
special exhibition techniques and mounts used to support and display them. The group
will finish with the study-storage drawers housing costumes and needlework samplers.
Participants are asked to leave behind or check all large bags, water bottles, ink pens, and
cameras. Bring flashlights, paper and pencil, and eyeglasses, if desired. DeWitt Wallace
Decorative Arts Museum. (Limited to 20 participants).
Textile Storage Tour. Go behind the scenes with Kimberly Smith Ivey, associate curator,
textiles and historic interiors, Colonial Williamsburg, to see how and where most of
Colonial Williamsburg’s stellar collection of more than 8,000 textiles is stored. Highlights
of the tour include embroidered aprons, pocketbooks, and waistcoats, Indian painted
and dyed cottons, jewelry, and fashion prints in addition to schoolgirl samplers, American
quilts, and household textiles. DeWitt Wallace Collections and Conservation Building.
(Limited to 15 participants).
T
extile Conservation Laboratory Tour. Loreen Finkelstein, conservator, textiles, Colonial
Williamsburg. Guests may bring one textile-related object for discussion. DeWitt Wallace
Collections and Conservation Building. (Limited to 15 participants).
11 a.m.–noonTours repeat.
1:30–5 p.m.“Button, Button . . .”: A Hands-on Workshop of Historical Button Making Techniques. Join Colonial
Williamsburg’s tailors, Mark Hutter and Neal Hurst, and learn to reproduce a variety of
17th- and 18th-century buttons. An illustrated lecture will explore the remarkable diversity
of original buttons made from a few simple materials: wooden and bone moulds with silk,
mohair, and linen threads. Participants will make common thread buttons as seen on
undergarments throughout the period, globular buttons from 17th-century doublets, silk
examples of the “death head,” “star,” and “basket wove” patterns as found on 18th-century
men’s garments and ladies’ riding habits, and more. Come and make one of each, or a
dozen of one style; use them on your reproduction historic garments or find inspiration
for contemporary jewelry. All materials provided. Bruton Heights School. Limited to 15
participants.)
For Fashionably Warm Hands: Silk Muffs of the 18th and 19th Centuries. Join the milliners
and mantua-makers of Historic Trades for an afternoon of making this often forgotten
fashion accessory. Participants may choose to make copy of an 18th- or early-19th-century
muff or create one of their own design. Materials for the silk muff, its wool stuffing, and
various ribbons, fabrics, trims, beads, etc., will be provided for making this practical,
stylish accessory. Participants should bring their own scissors, needles, pins and thimbles,
pencils, and basting threads. Bruton Heights School. (Limited to 15 participants).
Stomacher Embellishment. Explore the variety of ways to decorate a lady’s stomacher—an
18th-century fashion accessory. Ribbon and thread flowers, ruched, pinked, and applied
lace trimmings will be taught. Trim your provided premade stomacher with the elements
you will learn. All sewing supplies, trimmings, and silk stomacher provided. Instructor
is Jean Hogge, accessories team leader, Colonial Williamsburg. Bruton Heights School.
(Limited to 12 participants).
The Beaded Watch Chain. Christina Westenberger, assistant manager, museum education,
Colonial Williamsburg. Looking for the perfect accessory to go with your 1830s gown?
Can’t get enough of beading? Interested in figuring just how those watch chains are made?
During this workshop, participants will explore the world of fashion in the 1830s and learn
how watch chains came into fashion. Then, they will begin work on their own beaded
watch chain. All supplies included. DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum. (Limited to
15 participants).
Self-guided Tours of Historic Area Trade Shops. A detailed map with location descriptions
will be included with conference materials.
1:30–2:30 p.m. and 3–4 p.m.Tours of Archaeological Collections. Kelly Ladd-Kostro, associate curator, archaeological
collections, Colonial Williamsburg. This is an opportunity to view the archaeological
holdings of Colonial Williamsburg with particular emphasis on costume-related items,
such as buttons, buckles, shoes, and wig curlers. Archaeological Collections Department.
(Limited to 15 participants).
Thursday, March 17, and Friday, March 18, 2011
A Reconstructed Visitable Past: Re-created Period Attire at Heritage Sites
DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum
325 West Francis Street
For more than three quarters of a century, Colonial Williamsburg has dressed its frontline
interpretive staff (formerly called “hostesses”) in re-created attire of the mid-18th century.
Initially used to create and enhance period ambience, this practice has become an integral
component of many heritage site interpretive programs. At its best, re-created dress now
serves to instruct visitors on the social, economic, political, and personal lives of the
inhabitants of the past, illuminating the layered and complex message that dress imparts.
In conjunction with the Accessories Symposium and in recognition of the 75th anniversary
of costumed interpretation, Colonial Williamsburg will host a conference on the use of
costume and reproduction dress at historic sites. Our purpose is to examine the use and
function of this practice—past, present, and future—on Thursday and Friday, March
17 and 18, 2011. Prospective speakers are invited to submit abstracts for paper or panel
presentations on a variety of subjects relating to this topic, including but not limited to the
following headings:
• The Past Addressed—exploring the use and development of re-created dress at heritage sites
• T
he Present Observed—examining the current use of re-created dress
• T
he Future Considered—contemplating the future use of re-created period attire
Lodging, Dining, and Spa
The following special rates are available at the Colonial Williamsburg Hotels for conference registrants. Hotel rates are for single or
double occupancy, per night. (Rates do not include applicable taxes.)
LODGING OPPORTUNITIES
Williamsburg Lodge
Colonial Williamsburg’s most recently restored and expanded hotel is known for its southern charm and hospitality.
• Superior $154
• Deluxe $174
Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel & Suites
Located adjacent to the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center, this moderately priced hotel includes a daily continental
breakfast and an array of recreational amenities. • Superior Room $94 • Suite $115
DINING
Distinctive dining options are offered throughout Colonial Williamsburg’s restaurants and historic dining taverns. Dining
reservations can be made by calling 1-800-261-9530, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. (ET).
SPA SERVICES
The Spa of Colonial Williamsburg provides a full menu of services. A team of experts has collaborated to create a spa that exudes
southern charm, harmonizes with its historical surroundings, reflects its colonial heritage, and honors traditions of wellness
and relaxation throughout American culture. Experience the wonders of our spa for yourself by calling 1-800-688-6479.
Registration Information
Four Easy Ways to Register and Make Room Reservations
Online
Mail history.org/conted Phone 1-800-603-0948 Fax (757) 565-8921
Office of Conferences, Forums, and Workshops
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Post Office Box 1776, Williamsburg, Virginia 23187-1776
REGISTRATION
Preregistration and payment in full are required. Payment can be made by check or charged to American Express, Discover,
Visa, or MasterCard. Accessories symposium registration includes the opening reception, coffee breaks, afternoon
refreshments, closing reception, presentations proposed in this brochure and a Colonial Williamsburg admission pass valid
for the duration of the conference. A Reconstructed Visitable Past registration includes four coffee breaks, one reception, and a
Colonial Williamsburg admission pass valid for the duration of the conference.
CANCELLATION POLICY
If notice of cancellation is received in writing before February 28, 2011, Colonial Williamsburg will refund your registration
fees, less a $50.00 administrative fee. Refunds will not be made after February 28. Travel and/or trip interruption insurance is
recommended. Check with your travel agent for details.
HOW TO REACH WILLIAMSBURG
Williamsburg is easily accessible by plane, train, and car. Located in eastern Virginia, Williamsburg is about 240 km (150
miles) south of Washington, D.C., and midway between Richmond and Norfolk. The Williamsburg area can be reached via
many major airlines, with more than 200 flights arriving daily, to three airports just 25 to 45 minutes away: Newport News–
Williamsburg (PHF), Richmond (RIC), and Norfolk (ORF). Each airport has rental car and limousine services. Amtrak also
serves Williamsburg with trains daily to and from the northeast corridor.
Registration Form
❒ Costume Accessories ❒ A Reconstructed Visitable Past ❒ Both
One person per form; duplicate as necessary or include a second sheet of paper
Mr./Dr./Mrs./Ms./Miss______________________________________________________________
(Print full name)
Address _ _________________________________________________________________________
City, state, zip/postal code_ __________________________________________________________
Daytime phone (_ _____ ) ___________________ Email address_____________________________
I would like my name badge to read:
Name_ ___________________________________________________________________________
City, state_________________________________________________________________________
Registr ation Fee and Payment
Costume Accessories conference
Registration fee ($295 per person) • Registration fee CSA members ($265)
A Reconstructed Visitable Past
Registration fee ($125 per person) • Registration fee CSA members ($100)
Special registration fees when registering for BOTH programs
Registration fee ($395 per person) • Registration fee CSA members ($340)
Total of enclosed check _ _______________________________________ (Payable to “The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation”)
Total credit card charge_ _______________________________________
Circle one: Discover Master Card Visa American Express
Credit card number____________________________________________ Expiration date Cardholder name (please print) _ ________________________________
Cardholder signature __________________________________________
Saturday Optional bus trip ❒ Richmond, Virginia ($150 per person, $135 CSA members)
Box Lunch Options for Richmond trip ❒ Chicken ❒ Beef ❒ Vegetarian
Sunday Optional bus trip
C
ostume Holdings of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation ($50 per person, $40 CSA members)
❒ 10:30 a.m.
❒ 11:30 a.m.
Archaeological Collections Tour ($20)
❒ 1:30–2:30 p.m.
❒ 3–4 p.m.
Wednesday Optional Activities
Costume Design Center Tour ($20)
Exhibit Tour ($20)
Textiles Storage Tour ($20)
Textiles Conservation Tour ($20)
18th-century Hair and Beauty Secrets ($100)
Buttons Workshop ($50)
Silk Muffs Workshop ($50)
Stomacher Workshop ($50)
Beaded Watch Chain Workshop ($50)
❒ 9:30–10:30 a.m.
❒ 9:30–10:30 a.m. ❒ 9:30–10:30 a.m.
❒ 9:30–10:30 a.m.
❒ 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
❒ 1:30–5 p.m.
❒ 1:30–5 p.m.
❒ 1:30–5 p.m.
❒ 1:30–5 p.m.
❒ 11 a.m.–noon
❒ 11 a.m.–noon
❒ 11 a.m.–noon
❒ 11 a.m.–noon
If this information is a duplicate mailing, please pass it along to a friend.
© 2010 The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
10/10-6843573