Sunday, November 8, 2009

What am I? The Mystery Thingee


Susan reports:

Since you've all been enjoying guessing Loretta's mystery workshop, we decided to offer up another guessing-game.  Or perhaps you won't be guessing at all, but will be able to identify this mystery-object right away.

My only hints: it's from a trade shop in Colonial Williamsburg, and a modern variation of it is still in use today.  Good luck!


Coming Attraction Alert: Since we NHG were in CW for nearly a week, we had the rare
 opportunity to watch the mantua-maker (aka the dressmaker) and her assistants cut, stitch, and fit an entire 18th c. gown.  It's lovely, a pale pink sack gown in the fashionable style so often painted by the French artist Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) that it's frequently called a gown a la Watteau or a robe a la Francaise.  Later this week, I'll be posting a series of photographs here that show this gown's step-by-step creation and fitting -- tres cool!

Right: detail from Les deux cousines by Antoine Watteau, 1718, Musee du Louvre

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