I thought of titling this entry 'three days in a corset' but decided against that, LOL! The Christmas Tea is over, and despite low attendance Friday night because of threatening weather, we had great traffic both Saturday and Sunday. As always, the House looked resplendent: Tony outdid himself downstairs with an all naturally decorated tree he and Jeannie spent hours on! Two of the rooms on the main floor were decorated by area antiquers/collectible vendors in a very warm, cozy, homey style that many visitors said they enjoyed a lot. The dining room was done in silver, white and gold by Debbie and Carol, and their inspiration and creativity was amazingly lovely. You can see a bit of the dining room in the photos, below.
The photos are of me (big surprise). The green and gold silk brocade gown (1781) was worn Friday evening.
The bottle green silk and black lace Victorian walking suit (1870's)was worn Saturday.
The gold gown (1780) was worn Sunday.
But I must say that for me personally, the biggest thrill of this year's Tea was the reception given to the Period Clothing Exhibit by our visitors: they loved it. Even people who didn't know much about period clothing were fascinated. And to my delight (and relief) those who DID know about period clothing, like the head of the county's Historical Society no less, raved about not only the clothing, but the way we displayed it. Kudos to my 'partner in crime,' Nancy, who helped with the display!
Since the PCE was my baby, I was of course very pleased. We have even been asked if we would loan out some pieces to display at the county seat, possibly later this year. This would be free advertising for The Oldest House, so I'm considering it. Everyone seemed genuinely enthralled by the exhibit, and really impressed with the quality of the clothing, so I guess I did all right at those auctions!
Meanwhile, with the final event of 2013 concluded, we volunteers at the House have already started planning for next year. I was glad to learn that Debbie and Tony have a vision for the front room, and Carol has an idea for the dining room. The 'River Room' will likely hold House genealogy as it generally does, and also river related displays as in previous years.
This means MY creative talents can be poured into the upstairs (the ground floor Keeping Room is always kept in the style of 1781).
While I've acquired some summery pieces of period clothing to swap out with some of the heavier ones, which will change the look of the PCE, I had a brain wave last night and set about exploring a couple of avenues. I'm happy to report that, barring some unforeseen circumstance, we will not only have a seasonally appropriate display of (some) different period clothing when we re-open in May 2014, we will also have a special exhibit of wedding gowns from the Civil War period through the Edwardian Era.
I'm hopeful that a couple of local residents might loan us their grandmothers' gowns, if they are sturdy enough to be displayed, and if they are from 1910 or earlier.
That will generate local interest.
Meanwhile, the House itself will have three gowns and veils in its regular collection: a Victorian gown with leg of mutton sleeves, an Edwardian type gown and veil, and a late Edwardian gown and veil.
I'm planning on creating (I think, we'll see how much time I have) silk flower bouquets appropriate to each time period for each of the 'brides.' And I've found a reasonable source for some full body mannequins with heads: I'll probably buy three of these for the gowns to be featured on, and a couple more backless torsos for any of the really tiny gowns. (I'll just have to do the best I can with veils on these, which don't have heads. Possibly I can display the veil on one of the hat forms we have, placed next to the gown).
The bridal exhibit will be in the largest bedroom, where the Civil War dresses are now. I think I'll take the mourning outfit display apart and possibly make a Civil War/Victorian display in the hallway and at the top of the stairs. I don't want to crowd things too much, but I think I will have room to add a couple of things on hangers and maybe one standing mannequin.
The Civil War wedding gown we have in the House's collection will lead off the bridal display, with the others following behind in that largest room.
At least, that's my vision!
What do you all think? Let me know. I've got until April to acquire wedding gowns for the Permanent Collection as well as contact people to loan us heirlooms for a month or two for the special exhibit.
