This is a really busy week. I went to the Tate today (on the wrong day at the wrong Tate venue for an exhibition) but it was fortuitous as I discovered something unknown.
The Tate had a wonderful exhibition room about Sylvia Pankhurst, her art, and her work for the Women's Social & Political Union, for suffragettes. She gave up her art as she did not want to be financially beholden to bourgoise women, but rather focus all her energies on the campaign for Votes for Women. There were examples of her art, but also a brooch she designed for women once they were released from prison for offences such as arson in the name of the cause. The brooch was about 1"square, of a portcullis (representing Court and justice in the UK) with a convict arrow coloured with green, white and purple stripes, mounted on top. Absolutely beautiful. Purple for dignity, white for purity, green for hope.
Also there was always a celebratory breakfast when a woman was released from prison, and there was a promotional tea set in Suffrage colours, stamped with a Pankhurst design. Also very interesting was a 4 page letter from Olivia Pender and Hester Reeve from the Women's Library arguing the case for a display of Pankhurst's work by the Tate as representing an interesting phase in social/political artwork within history. Very, very well written and just the sort of stuff aspiring graduates should read.
Also in this room (off Room 1890) was a display of work researched in 1973-5 by Margaret Harrison, Kay Unit and Mary Kelly. Women & Work, A document on the Division of Labour in Industry. This was a couple of videos of women doing basic manual machine operation in a tin box factory in Peckham, with a lot of stills of hands doing manual work of different types, eg feeding a hopper with tin lids, attaching a bent metal handle etc. The population of women was very diverse, as shown by head and shoulders shots of women on the shopfloor. The display noted how many women and men did each type of job and commented that men did higher paid jobs. There was a display of attendance sheets, and you could see that although people were sent home or to hospital sick, everyone returned the following day. I suspect there was no sick pay! Another lovely exhibition. Just what I like.
This week's lecture at the V&A was "Simple stitches used in a complicated way. Double running and buttonhole stitch".
We were shown an embroidery of a man and woman dated 1661. It was different on the back to the front, as it had originally been worked in double running stitch, then had been overworked in buttonhole stitch on the front. Double running stitch, or Holbein stitch is where running stitch is worked twice, giving a continuous line, both front and back. I find it only really works if worked in the same direction, as if you sew out and back, it messes up the tension. Double running stitch gives a much neater reverse side than back stitch, and uses less thread. The alternative name, Holbein stitch, dated from when painter Hans Holbein painted affluent patrons in their finery, with black line embroidery on their cuffs and collars in the 19th century.
We were shown various embroideries from assorted countries. The Mamluk dynasty produced a lot of kerchiefs. In this culture there were no pockets in garments so objects were tied into a kerchief and stuffed in a sleeve, for easy carrying. These were decorated in double running stitch, mostly geometrics, also bird and branch band patterns (stripes are vertical, bands horizontal). This was an Islamic culture, but it was ok to use animal imagery on textiles for general use, so long as it was not a textile for a religious artefact.
Pattern darning uses running stitch packed closely together. This is more robust and survives longer than double running stitch. Johann Scholsperger in 1523 printed the first textile pattern book. He owned a textile and paper mill, and as the patterns are the same from the surviving textiles, and the embroidery pattern book, it is assumed he used the same blocks. The V&A had one of the 3 remaining first editions. The 2 others are at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
By 15th century, the was a demand for new designs. Publishers saw the opportunity for printing textile pattern books. Books were traded, altered and republished (to avoid copyright infringement, even in those days!) therefore designs appeared cross-continent. Pattern books gave designs but no insturctions. Henry VIII clothing looks like it is worked with double running stitch. Swirly and flowing embroidery is on clothing up to 1530, and it is believed that Catherine Howard worked this on Henry VIII's clothing.
Buttonhole stitch was used on broderie anglais - a mind boggling labour intensive form of fabric. Cutwork came into vogue in the 16th century. Cut away an area, put in diagonal and buttonhole stitch over bars to make patterns. Linen cloth and thread were required to make this robust. Strong and starchable. This became a favourite virtuous pastime for Italian gentlewoman.
Henry VIII had a massive impact on the market for embroidery. As he changed the faith of the country from Catholic to Protestant in order to divorce Catherine of Aragon, he consequently dissolved the monasteries, which led to reduced work for professional borderers. There were no vestments to work for the church. By 1561, Elizabeth I had granted a Royal Charter to the Broderers Company. Once the Guild was functioning, they inspected work by members, and in order to maintain standards, destroyed shoddy work. As the Elizabethan church declined, the merchant class increased. Itinerant embroiders travelled the country, working freelance in the big houses.
Embroidery was deemed a fitting occupation for a lady, mainly in applied work, embroidery and stumpwork. Cushions were important in the big houses. Furniture would be wooden, and cushions were portable and added comfort. Motifs were attached to fabrics, particularly to fabrics that were difficult to stitch through, eg velvet and silk satin. Embroidery motifs were worked on linen, then applied using slip stitch to a ground. These motifs "slips" were cut out and it is believed this is how slip stitch got its name. Plant cuttings are known as slips, and most of these motifs were of small plant sections. Also, if the ground fabric wore out, the slips could be cut off and recycled.
Mary Queen of Scots (imprisoned by Elizabeth I for 19 years) created the Oxburgh Hangings and used mottos and symbols frequently in her work. Often worked the marigold facing the sun, as it was her personal symbol.
Elizabeth I is portrayed with blackwork sleeves laced to her bodice. Genteel girls did geometric patterns in double running stitch, using black English silk. This is very rare, and special care is required for the V&A archive examples. English black silk of this date was mordanted with iron and other metallic salts, and over the last 500 years this has rotted due to the action of the mordants on silk. Spanish silk was mordanted with less iron so has lasted longer. Blackwork styles varied over time. Density of pattern was popular first, then by 17th century speckle stitch was used for shading. This is believed to copy the wood blocks of the time, which were shading by speckle and line.
We were shown an amazing image of Margaret Layton painted in 1620. In the early 17th century fashions changed. The jacket in the image had been made in 1610 and was completely covered in a twining flowering plant. By 1620 waistlines had risen, so in the painting she wore an elaborate overskirt. There were many different stitches, padding and spangles, so this was a labour intensive, very expensive piece of embroidery. The skirt no longer exists so was probably large enough to be cut up and restyled, whereas the jacket was fitted and too small to be refashioned. Many jacket designs were drawn and embroidered then cut out and stitched.
A selection of coifs were shown. They were worn over the hair, either on their own when at home, or under a hat when out. Coifs had a casing along one edge, which meant they were tied at the back of the neck, not under then chin.
Nightcaps were worn by men. These were worn inside the house, both for fashion and warmth. It was an item of informal clothing, worn in the evening, but not in bed. The only time men were bareheaded in imagery, was when it demonstrated madness or emotional distress. A Biggin is a woollen hat worn in bed.
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