We inerrupt your usual programming for a historical geek-out

So, we all know that Senator Stephen A. Douglas (currently residing on the right side of this blog, warding away untoward advances) called my fair Chicago his home during his later years.  It stands to reason, then, that many of his personal papers and affects remained here.  And I just now got around to finding out where: the University of Chicago, which he was an integral part of founding!

Red lipstick+shades=ready to research and smash the patriarchy

Of course, this necessitated a field trip to rummage through the collection boxes in the lovely U of C Special Collections Library.  I even got my own little glass cubicle so that people wouldn't be annoyed by my little freak-outs ('oOOH MY GODDDD THIS IS FROM JAMES MADISON CUTTS!!!1! oh this is a bill for CARRIAGE REPAIRS! OOOOH!)

 They had a piece of his cravat!  That he actually wore!  And touched!  Oh goodness!

 ... This was only about a third of the alcohol list at a party thrown in his honor.  And we still wonder why he was an alcoholic?

 A super rad lithograph of him from a hence lost daguerreotype

 Misc. cards and objects

Everybody talks about Mary Todd Lincoln's spending habits, but WOW, here's the bill for Adele Douglas' notions. And yes, these are all for sewing or wearing, and this is only about half the list!  (I do suppose that Douglas was a good deal better off than Lincoln, but STILL!)

*breathes heavily*


There are many more pictures, but I'm sure that most people don't share my deep, abiding love for my homeboy from my hometown.  But I just get so excited over research projects...

Making some fun for myself in Minnesota

I'm making a family trip up north, and an eight and a half hour car trip necessitates some way to pass the time.  So, hand-stitching it is.
I won't give any spoilers about what I'm making, but if it turns out (after many fitting fiascos) I'll wear it to this weekend's Days of Napoleon reenactment.  I've done some figuring, and I have a skin-out outfit that is ENTIRELY hand sewn!

Here's a little picture of the lining and my teensy weensy backstitches.  I was really, really bored.

But one notable commodity that they do have in Northfield, Minnesota, is antique stores!  There's really nothing better than the anticipation of going into a really great looking antique store.  Ugh, it's wonderful...

 First, an antique parasol/umbrella - I need to remove and clean the cover and cut down the handle.  It's newer then several they had there, but my mom liked this one better and, well, she had the  credit card.

Pretty colors!

 And, to my delight, several Victorian needle-books, like in Anna Worden Bauersmith's books.

 This one is teal watered silk-

 This one still has needles in it-

 I got this 1880's ladies magazine for 4$! (I love going up to the cashier to buy something heinously underpriced.   I get a little warm feeling inside.)

 I'll post something about Days of Napopo, and then after that is the Athenaeum Rectory, I promise.

One more round..

I know I post a lot of these pictures here.  I really can't help it, though, this is my first experience with extant garments!  I'm having so much fun and by the end of the month, fingers crossed, I'll have my own little show at the historical society.  So here's a beautiful piece that I found tossed inamongst the Edwardians on the clothes rack in a garment bag that I quickly rescued and brought down - it's in rather poor condition, though stable - almost all the lining of the back is torn off, though it seems sound otherwise.  The accession tag read '1870s,' but I read it more as a late 60's, especially with the sleeve jockeys.

 So here's the inside.  It's a crisp, thin silk taffeta in a lovely chocolate brown color.  You can see the buttons - silk covered, with little rhinsetone?-ey bits.

 Closure always fascinates me, no pun intended.  Little hooks and eyes went halfway up the bodice - maybe the buttons were later additions?

 Aaaand here are the eyes. 

The adorbs sleeve jockeys trimmed with velvet ribbon and lace.

 Sleeve details

 The sleeves are wide coat sleeves and are fully lined.

 Boning on the bust darts - the boning is individually bound and sewn into the slashed-open bust dart.

 Attaching the pleats to the lined bodice.

 The skirt is a mixture of knife pleats, at the front, and cartridge pleats at the back.

 Roughly 10" hem facing.

Most of the 60's dresses I've seen here have self-fabric stand up collars, not replacable white ones.  Here you can also see the piecing- there's a lot lot lot of piecing going on here, not just at the neck (which is a strange place, I'd think) but also on the side pieces and at the top of the skirt, to name a few.

More antiques

I went to Vogue today and got boning for the corset, and found some AMAZING black cotton lawn with a woven stripe for 3$/yard and I got to snatch up a dress length.  I also talked with the woman who works at the Historical Society about the exhibition I'm organizing, and I've decided that since we only have a few mannequins I'll start the rotating show by focusing on Edwardian activewear (our village was established in the 30s, but only became an independent municipality on 1902 - we have LOTS of Edwardian things.)
I spent the whole time categorizing the collection and deciding which pieces to display, and I got even MORE PICTURES!!1!eleven!

Lots and lots of antique pics! (under the cut)

Want to see more pictures like this?  I found some pictures I took of the clothes at the historical society where I docent (and am supposedly organizing a clothes exhibition, but) and they're faboo.