Thursday 24 May 2012

Some 17th century clothes I would like to see

I think that it’s great that Digitalt museum is around so I can search in the collections of Swedish and Norwegians museums, but the search function is awful! Difficult to navigate and it doesn’t pick up everything. An example from today: I know for a fact that Nordiska in Stockholm has two children’s gown from the second half of the 17th century. I know that because they were photographed for a book years ago. I search for them with every search word I can think of, gown, children, fashion, clothes and nothing comes up. Then I widen the search so I get the items that haven’t been photographed and get a children’s gown without photo. Still nothing, but you also get suggestion for similar clothes when you look at an item and there I see one of the gowns. This one:



Yay! And lo and behold, it is tagged with the very search word I used, so why hasn’t it showed up before? The information is also sadly lacking, not a peep about material and colour. *grumble grumble*

I have also found a few interesting things that doesn’t have pictures like the gown I mentioned before, which is also dated to the 1660’s and is made out of silk velvet. Gold and embroidery is also mentioned. (NMA.0045037)

A hip roll in cotton, linen and horsehair, dated 1600 (NM.0087051)

Rather intriguing, a fashion doll painted in oil on a copperplate with 12 additional gowns painted on sheets of mica. You lay a sheet on top of the fashion doll to change its clothes, much like a modern paper doll. Dated 1630-1660 and “Queen Christina” is painted on its box. Wouldn’t it be great to actually see what this looks like? (NM.0266394)

What I haven’t been able to find, though I have seen it before, is a pair of stays in brown leather. The museum dates it to the 1720’s, but they have an inscription on the inside with the year 1687. Without a picture it’s impossible to say anything about its real date. And I’m very annoyed with myself for forgetting to write down its number.

Finally, a delightful knitted silk jacket from Norway. Isn’t it just amazing?

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