Kineton & District Local History Group

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Dressing Up and Dressing Down, our first talk in the 2009-10 Programme.

Posted by kanddhg at 12:47 PM on February 22, 2009

On Friday 20th February our member Ilona Sekacz gave a fascinating talk to a full Village Hall. Although some male members of the Group may have thought that the topic -- Dressing Up and Dressing Down: discovering costume from old Warwickshire photographs --- was not for them, the men in the audience were given plenty to consider, as well as the ladies. Ilona pointed out that the tight corsets of the late Victorian and Edwardian period were in part developed to "sculpt" women's figures to suit the tastes of men, and the "Rationale Dress Movement" which supported (no pun intended!) more comfortable clothing was close to the suffragette movement. Using old photos from local collections, many contributed by members of the Group, Ilona showed how formal dress was slowly undermined by sport and changes in high fashion, and how this development could be traced in contemporary records. As an aside we learnt how a local butler was passed from one employer to his American successor in The Priory in Warwick, how the Priory stones were bought and partly reconstructed as the headquarters of the Virginia History Society in the USA where it still stands, (bringing envious thoughts to members of the Kineton and District Group committee), and how Moreton Paddox was built by another American and demolished within half a century. One group member recollected having the timber from Moreton Paddox used in the construction of his own house. Ilona also discussed the way women's sporting outfits, particularly tennis and swimwear, had changed over time, again with reference to a wonderful collection of local family photos. Buying clothes led to a discussion of Leamington Spa drapers and outfitters, with the interiors of E Francis and Sons provoking murmers of recognition in many of the audience. Finally we were treated to a photographic review of early 20th century local hat factories, where some of the operatives looked scandalously young. This belied a late 19th century advert for clothes which piously claimed that no sweated labour was employed .... Things sometimes don't seem to change.

The evening was thoroughly entertaining, and showed how local resources of memory and photographs can be used to throw light on the larger movements of history, and conversely how individual decisions contribute to the larger scene.

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