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.
The January AGM and supper was a great success with 63 members attending. Our Honorary President, the Lord Willoughby de Broke, chaired the business part of the meeting and received reports from the Treasurer and Chairman. The Chairman reflected on the achievements of the past 21 years of the group, and looked forward to a healthy future. Our President then conducted the elections of officers and committee members (click Committee on the menu to the right of the webpages to see the elected officers and committee). Supper was provided by Isobel Gill and her helpers and was much appreciated. Following the supper our President gave an entertaining talk outlining the work of the House of Lords, where he sits as one of the 90 hereditary peers. Ilona Sekacz then gave a fascinating 15 minute presentation, with music, of more than 200 photographs and interviews collected as part of the Kineton Snapshot Project in 2008. This represented a small part of the material collected and showed the range and potential of the project (click http://www.kinetonheritage.co.uk/kinetonsnapshot2008.htm for more information). The committee would value any feedback on this topic (or any other). Please use the Contact Us page for comments directly to the committee or post a blog on this page. David Freke
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