My dresses on show

I never really got a chance to show much of what I've done this year, actually not really anything!

Here are a series of pictures showing an assembly I gave for the Middle School in January and a quick presentation for an art center in May.

Fitting and hair practice in advance

Regency

waiting for the big day

Asking questions (the roman dress's tunic is on backwards)

Answering Questions

1913

Regency

1926

1956

1780s

1780s polonaise with my (Philadelphia Classics Society award winning) Greek dress

B.C.E. Greek, 1780s, and 1952 meets 2012.

Women at Cambridge part 2

Earlier I outlined women scholars' entry into the Cambridge world, now here are some memorable female scholars who made a mark on the university.

1931 students of Girton College Life Magazine

Emily Davies (1830-1921) founded Girton College, the first girls college at Cambridge. She was also a renowned suffragist and feminist.

Emily Davies

Anne Jemima Clough (1820-1892) was a suffragist and established Newnham Collage, which started out as a hostel for women traveling to attend lectures at the University.

Anne Clough

Agnata Ramsay (1867-1931) scored the top score in the 1887 Classics Exam. She was the only scholar to score in the highest category. In Punch Magazine a cartoon celebrating her and supporting women's intellectual equality was featured.  

 

Punch Magazine 1887

Philippa Fawcett (1868-1948) made a lasting mark on female education history. On June 7, 1890 she scored the top score on the Cambridge Math Exam. It was the hardest test in it's subject, earlier scholars who had studied for it had suffered from nervous breakdowns or even death after taking the exam. The highest scoring scholar was always awarded the title of "Senior Wrangler", because Philippa was female she was not given the title, the second place scorer received it. Instead she was listed as "Above the Senior Wrangler". This was the first time a woman had scored highest in Mathematics and the last. The exam was discontinued in 1909.

Philippa Fawcett

Dorothy Annie Elizabeth Garrod (1892-1968) was the first woman to be elected a professor at Cambridge as well as Oxford. She was a lauded archeologist and was elected to the Disney Chair in 1939 at Newnham Collage, Cambridge.

Dorothy Garrod

More Info:

http://www.newn.cam.ac.uk/about-newnham/college-history/biographies/content/dorothy-garrod 

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/history/2011/10/the-woman-who-bested-the-men-at-math/

 

http://www.newn.cam.ac.uk/about-newnham/college-history/biographies/content/anne-jemima-clough 

Women studying at Cambridge

So I'm luck enough to be doing an academic program at Cambridge this summer. (!!!!) I live for British History, it's my absolute passion and that's what I'm studying (as well as English lit.)!! Cambridge University was founded in 1209, so academics have studied within it's walls for centuries but female academics only for a drawer's full of decades. 

University of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire UK

Girton, the first Cambridge college for females, was founded in 1869. By 1881 women scholars were allowed to take their examinations but were not accepted as full on Cambridge students. In 1921 women were still not allowed to receive a full degree but in 1948 they were accepted as full members. Until 1972 women could still only attend the women's colleges but after that year they could attend any of the colleges.

 Girton college 1890s

Girton fire brigade (from 1878-1932)

More Information:

http://www.cam.ac.uk/univ/history/19c.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_University#Women.27s_education

http://www.oldukphotos.com/cambridgeshire_cambridge.htm

Bright Young People 1926 Dress

I made this dress when I was almost 13 for my birthday party inspired by Theresa Youngman and the Bright Young People of London's jazz age.

It was made from a 1926 french pattern that I got from Eva Dress. It's in a Mediterranean blue georgette.

 

I'm on the left. I also made the white one but

 in about 24 hours! 

I thought it was an absolute dream then (other than the boatloads of problems) and I still love it!

Vintage '50s party dress listing

I have absolutely no time to make anything because it is exam season!

Instead I can show pictures of a beautiful '50s party dress I listed on Etsy a while ago.

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/97511282/romantic-1950s-strapless-party-dress 

So cute! Unfortunately I have no occasion to wear it to and I can't let it hide in the back of my closet.

The Greek 540 B.C.E. dress

Just a bit more to go on a dress from about 540 B.C.E that I'm making for a classics society art competition. It certainly is not the most historically accurate dress I've made, but goodness have I put a lot of work in to it!

Palmettes are the main motif.

Compliments- You're the Top 1934

The next time you want to drop an unexpected compliment think of Cole Porter's questionably complimenting lyrics! So how about you're cellophane! You're Broccoli! You're Ovaltine! You're a Waldorf salad! You're an arrow collar! You're Whistler's mama! You're camembert!

Flattered or not I'm certainly entertained!

A new year means another 12 months open for projects!

What I might want to make this year...

1. 1930s daywear

2. Regency ballgown

3. 1960s wiggle dress

4. Pink Pet en l'aire

5. Edwardian evening wear

6. Chemise a la reine

7. I'm getting ahead of myself!!

Anyway have a good start to another day!

Cheers!