THE ALICE LOOK AT THE MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD

The Alice Look 
2 May – 1 November 2015 

2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the first publication of one of Britain’s best-known and most-loved children’s books, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. To mark the anniversary, the V&A Museum of Childhood’s display The Alice Look will bring together garments, photographs, rare editions and illustrations to show Alice as both a follower of fashion and a trendsetter.

Using photographs by Annie Leibovitz, book cover designs by Vivienne Westwood and Japanese Lolita clothing, The Alice Look will show how Alice has always embraced contemporary style. The display will also show how she has strongly influenced the way people dress and inspired designers and stylists the world over. The display culminates with a new commission by Josie Smith, pattern-cutter for Roksanda Ilincic, who will make fashion literally out of fiction, producing a 3-D version of Alice’s Wonderland outfit using fabric printed with text from the book.

The display will be divided into four parts: Beginnings will twin early editions of the Alice books with children’s garments from the Victorian period. Sir John Tenniel’s illustrations will be brought to life alongside the distinctive trademark elements of the original Alice look – striped stockings, apron, full-skirted dress and T-bar shoes from the V and A’s collections.

Follower of Fashion will show how illustrators have kept Alice relevant and up-to-date for contemporary audiences through a selection of 20th-century editions of Wonderland.

Inspiration will use magazines, photographs, posters and fabrics, as well as a compilation of films and still shots, to show how a vast array of people dress like Alice or wear clothes adorned with her image. A series of photographs that Annie Liebovitz shot for US Vogue featuring Natalia Vodianova and styled by Grace Coddington will sit alongside images of Lizzy Jagger in GQ. A selection of fabrics and supporting artwork from the Liberty Spring Summer 2015 Alice-themed fabric collection will demonstrate how Carroll’s work continues to excite and inspire. There will also be a film showing clips of pop videos and catwalk shows inspired by Alice, featuring Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne and Aerosmith among others.

Global Alice will combine costume and text to show how Alice’s appearance alters according to her location: Provençal Alice wears tropézienne sandals and a sundress, whilst a Swahili Alice dispenses with crinoline and opts for a local kanga. A complete Lolita-style outfit from the 1980s will show the pervasive influence of Alice on Japanese sub-culture.

On Saturday 9 May 2015 a one-day conference will be held at the Museum exploring Alice as both follower of fashion and trend-setter, with papers spanning the century and half since the publication of Wonderland. It will look closely at what Alice wears and what this can tell us about her, and at some of the diverse practices of dressing as Alice in different parts of the world. It will also explore the extent of and reasons for the profound influence of the Alice books on the world of fashion. Confirmed speakers will include Will Brooker, Aneesh Barai, Shahidha Bari, Ellen Kirkpatrick, Emma Mawston, Clare Rose, Mark Richards, Josephine Rout and Kiera Vaclavik.

You can visit the Museum of Childhood’s website here.

LOOSE IN LONDON: BELOW STAIRS AT OSTERLEY PARK

Kristine here, picking up at Osterley Park where Victoria left off. We took the train out to Osterley and walked to the estate from the station. It was a glorious walk and seeing the grounds from different viewpoints was indeed special.
MAP OF ESTATE, CROPPED
As we began our walk towards the house, we noticed horses loose in the paddock and, of course, we were compelled to speak to them, to pet them and to take about 718 photos of them.

As you can see by the photos, the horses were quite friendly. I was a tad surprised
 to see a Palomino in England, but then, why shouldn’t there be?

Further up the drive, we spotted a pair playing table tennis. 
At last, we reached the house, as you are well aware after Victoria’s fabulous photos that ran in last Friday’s post. The house was just stunning and I spent much of our time there taking pictures of the architectural details and of the views from various windows, all of which I’ll be sharing here soon.
Osterley’s downstairs is as fabulous as its upstairs as the domestic areas in the basement remain relatively in their original state – and there are so many of them, more than can be seen in other stately homes.

I apologize for the shaky photos, but they may still go a ways towards showing you how well turned out some of the “servants” rooms were. Above is the game keepers room, the house keepers salon below. 

You can tell that the servants were valued at Osterley Park – 
they actually had windows to provide light, fresh air and a view. 

Here is the wine room – barrels of wine and beer would have been fitted into each compartment. 

More wine! And champagne! Sadly, there was no tasting on this tour. 

Even the Osterley horses were well regarded, as evidenced by the grand stable block above, now fitted out with a gift shop and tea room.  
As you can see by the photos below, Victoria and I stopped by the Osterley farm stand on our way back to the station.  The fruit and veg were simply gorgeous and Victoria and I snapped away with our cameras until I had a laughing fit. 
“What’s so funny,” Victoria asked as I doubled over with laughter.
“We’re taking a hundred pictures of cabbage,” I said, tears running down my face.
“So?” Victoria replied, snap snapping away with her camera.
“Oh, God,” I said, “Veg! We’re photographing veg. Would you take pictures of cabbage and potatoes if we were in the produce section at Publix?”
Victoria finally saw the humour and began laughing herself. “But it’s British veg.”
“I know! That’s what’s so funny. If anyone saw us, they’d think we were from some third world country where onions are a luxury. Thank God no one else is here – they’d think we were mad.”
“Now you’re worried about that? It’s too late. People who know us already think we’re mad.”

More Loose in London Coming Soon!


WATERLOO WEDNESDAY: SEAN BEAN TO STAR IN WATERLOO DOCUMENTARY

Actor Sean Bean has been spotted filming at Chatham’s Fort Amherst. The star joined dozens of re-enactors at the Napoleonic fort to make a Battle of Waterloo documentary.

Fort Amherst was used extensively during the filming of acclaimed television series Sharpe in the 1990s, which starred Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier in the Napoleonic Wars.

Actor and director Sean Bean
Actor and director Sean Bean

He was back at the Fort in Dock Road to front the two-hour show to be aired on History UK.
Through the analysis of present-day military experts and the use of historical eyewitness accounts, the programme is planning to provide a ground-level perspective on the events of June 18, 1815.
It will air on the 200th anniversary of the battle in June this year.

Sean spent the day working with a team of soldiers and experts, testing the weapons and tactics that shaped the outcome of the battle. Guns and cannons were fired throughout the day. He said: “I am excited to be following the footsteps of Sharpe and those who fought in the Battle of Waterloo to tell the story of this iconic battle on History.”

Guns and cannons were fired throughout the day and could be heard all around Chatham during the filming on Sunday. Chairman of Fort Amherst Trust Les Snowdon said: “It was freezing cold but everyone stayed in great spirits all day, including Sean who arrived at 9.15am and didn’t leave until about 6pm.”

The Fort was filled with reenactors
     

The Fort was filled with re-enactors. Picture: Colin Davis

The filming at Fort Amherst
     
The filming at Fort Amherst. Picture: Colin Davis

Edmund Gulvin, a trustee and a Napoleonic re-enactor, enjoyed the day from start to finish.
He said: “It was amazing to see the artillery being used surrounded by so many uniformed soldiers.
“It really brought history alive – and as that’s one of our main objectives here at Fort Amherst we’re very grateful to the documentary makers for choosing our site for filming.”

Executive producer Patrick McGrady said: “We are excited to be embarking on a partnership with History to tell the story of Waterloo. “His interest in this period makes Sean Bean the perfect choice to present this special program.”



From the website The Mighty Bean:

Actor Sean Bean is to present a two-hour documentary marking the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo for pay-TV broadcaster History.

The A+E Networks UK channel has commissioned Wavelength Films, which produced BBC4’s Stephen Fry And The Gutenberg Press and Suggs’ Italian Job for Sky Arts, to make The Battle Of Waterloo Presented By Sean Bean (w/t).

It will air in June 2015 around the anniversary of the epic battle, in which Napoleon’s French Army was defeated in Belgium. Game Of Thrones star Bean will be familiar with the story, having played Richard Sharpe in ITV’s Napoleonic War drama Sharpe, based on Bernard Cornwell’s novels about a fictional soldier.

History and H2 director of programming Rachel Job said Bean was top of the list of talent to front the documentary. “We didn’t go after him in a massive way because we thought he’s really busy and really famous, and then Wavelength came to us with him and the idea about Waterloo,” she said. “It’s about picking the subject matter that the talent wants to do, and he’s always been interested in Waterloo and the Napoleonic War.”

The Battle Of Waterloo Presented By Sean Bean will use evidence from eyewitness accounts alongside present-day military experts to tell the story of the battle. Bean will work with these experts to test the weapons and tactics that shaped the outcome of the conflict and compare them with modern strategies.

Job said the commission highlights History’s strategy of presenting traditional documentaries “through a different lens” and follows Bannockburn, a graphic novel-style film produced by Sky Vision and Arcadia Content.

The Battle Of Waterloo Presented By Sean Bean has also been prebought by History’s sister channels in Germany, Latin America, Italy, Iberia, Australia and New Zealand. Job said although it is a UK commission, these deals will help boost the show’s budget. “As soon as I mentioned it to the other channels, they jumped on it. Game Of Thrones is massive around the world,” she added. The doc begins filming in the UK and Belgium this month. It will be executive produced by Wavelength Films’ Patrick McGrady.



HAPPY 200TH BIRTHDAY TO ANTHONY TROLLOPE

Anthony Trollope (24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was a remarkable man. After an unhappy childhood, and an unpromising start to his career, he went on to write 47 novels and rise to the top of his profession as a senior civil servant in the Post Office. Visit The Trollope Society here.

Victoria here, marveling at the achievements of a prolific author whose work is familiar to me more from the television adaptations than from the novels themselves. Shame on me. But I excuse myself on the grounds that a year of Dickens, Elliott, Hardy, et. al.  in a college English Victorian lit class filled my head with so many characters I dared not take on Trollope.  So now is the time for all those novels, a delightful prospect ahead.

The Pallisers was filmed over 13 months and shown in 1974 in 26 episodes.  It is available wherever BBC CDs are sold or streamed. Many of your favorite British stars are featured: Susan Hampshire, Derek Jacobi, Penelope Keith, Anthony Andrews, Anna Massey, and Jeremy Irons.,

The Barchester Chronicles was broadcast in 1982, also by the BBC. It combined several of Trollope’s novels set in Barsetshire: The Warden, Barchester Towers, and others.

I was surprised to see that many consider the series to be Alan Rickman’s break-out role.  He plays Rev. Obadiah Slope, an oily character who duels verbally with Mrs. Proudie, the Bishop’s wife.

In the series, Geraldine McEwan plays Mrs. Proudie, with other stars such as Donald Pleasence, Susan Hampshire, and Nigel Hawthorne in starring roles.

To watch an excerpt here, click on the arrow on the BBC site.  Clive Swift appears as Bishop Proudie, Geraldine McEwan as Mrs. Proudie, and Alan Rickman as Obadiah Slope.

In the above illustrated set, Barchester Chronicles is combined with two additional Trolloppe stories produced by the BBC, both scripted by Andrew Davies.

The Way We Live Now :Trollope’s story of power, greed and corruption set in the political and financial world of London is startlingly contemporary, with many parallels to recent city scandals. Its four episodes won the BAFTA for Best Drama Serial in 2002, and featured David Suchet.

He Knew He Was Right  2004, was also scripted by Andrew Davies and had four episodes

Trollope wrote every day from 5-8 am before going to his job in the Post Office. this is an example I would dearly love to emulate. Alas, I have too little self-discipline!

Trollope traveled the world in his capacity as an inspector for the post office.  He also instituted the use of the famous pillar box in 1853, familiar to all travelers in the UK.

One of many varied styles of Royal Mail Pillar Boxes

Anthony Trollope’s mother, Frances Milton Trollope (1779 – 1863) was an English novelist and travel writer. She took her children to America to live in a utopian community, but their fortunes fared no better there than in England.

Fanny Trollope by Auguste Hervieu c. 1832

After their return to England, she wrote Domestic Manners of the Americans (1832), which sold well. Subsequent novels were also moderately successful and she is cited as an influence on the anti-slavery movement. Her novels generally dealt with social issues, though she was also well known for her travel writings; her books number over a hundred. She spent most of her later life in Florence where she died and is buried.

The contemporary British novelist Joanna Trollope (b. 1943) is an indirect descendant of Anthony Trollope.  She has written almost twenty novels and received an OBE from the Queen in 19996.

Joanna Trollope, 2011

She is the author of last year’s re-working of Jane Austens Sense and Sensibility, part of a project to have illustrious modern writers re-do the famous plots and characters of the Austen novels after 200 years. Her website is here.

Angela Thirkell ia not in anyway related to Anthony Trollope, but she is a popular writer who has used his imaginary Barsetshire as the setting for many of her novels.

Angela Thirkell by John Collier, 1914

Her novels are witty and often ironic examinations of county and parish life in 1930’s, 1940’s and post-war England. Educated in London and Paris, she moved to Australia with her second husband. Never happy there, she returned to England in 1929 and stayed. High Rising, her second novel, published in 1933, was the first of many set in upper middle class circles.Getting to know here work is a delight.  I am a proud member of The Angela Thirkell Society; click here to learn more.

Pomfret Towers by Angela Thirkell
, a good place to start if you are not familiar with her work

To return to our birthday boy, I am sure it will be easy to find a readers group pursuing a deeper knowledge of Anthony Trollope in this bicentennial year.  Want to join me?

Royal Mail Stamp to be issued soon
It seems only fitting that the Royal Mail will issues a stamp honoring Trollope on his bicentennial, After alll, he was one of their own.  For more information, click here,

WATERLOO WEDNESDAY: THE COSTUME SOCIETY CELEBRATES WATERLOO


Saturday, May 9th

To celebrate the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo, the Costume Society is holding the first of their Jubilee Year Study Days in Bath.
The morning will have Uniformly Splendid: Dress and Death on the field of Waterloo. Nigel Arch, former Director of Kensington Palace and a military dress historian, will be considering the Battle of Waterloo, fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, as the last great encounter between European armies wearing the superb uniforms of the eighteenth century.

 Rosemary Harden, Manager of the Fashion Museum, will be discussing A Brilliant Affair: Dress and Fashion at the Waterloo Ball, looking at some of the dresses worn at the Duchess of Richmond’s famous ball held in Brussels on 15 June 1815 just before the Battle of Waterloo. Two of these dresses are now in the collection at Bath.
In the afternoon there will be a ‘dressing’ of two of Bath’s residents in outfits of the period from their linens out.

You are invited (encouraged even) to come in costume – rest assured that you will not be alone! But you might need a bit of time to arrange an outfit.

 Some members have agreed to join in with advice and possible hands-on help. If you’d like to help (with or without professional charges), can provide advice or even an outfit, please contact Fiona Starkey: email membership@costumesociety.org.uk who is compiling a list of the willing and the wanting.

 And if you really want to push the boat out – the Jane Austen dancers are holding their Waterloo ball in the Assembly Rooms, Bath on the same evening. www.janeaustendancersbath.co.uk for details.

For more information download the poster Waterloo_trailer.pdf

The Study Day is being held at The Old Theatre (Masonic Hall) in Orchard Street, Bath BA1 1JU. Five minutes’ walk from Bus and Train stations and worth a visit in its own right.

10.00 Coffee on arrival
10.30 Rosemary Harden on A Brilliant Affair: Dress and Fashion at the Waterloo Ball. Ballgowns in the fashion museum
11.30 Nigel Arch on Dress and Death on the field of Waterloo: military uniforms12.30 lunch break. Buffet available as an option (see booking form)
14.00 The ‘Crinoline’ group with two 1805 outfits (his and hers) recreated and dressed on stage from shirt out. Based on Janet Arnold patterns.
15.15 tea
16.00 end

 
 
 
 
 
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