For Immediate Release:
January 16, 2007 (for February listings)
Lectures & Education (Fashion / New England History)
Contact: Kristen Sherman
617.482.6439
ksherman@osmh.org
Old South Meeting House presents February’s Middays at the Meeting House series:
Fashion Conscious: A History of New England Style
In the 18th century, for the small-waisted look,
women laced their stay very tightly
BOSTON, Mass. - No one would ever accuse a Bostonian of being fashion conscious, but Old South is doing just that. Fashionistas everywhere are invited to February’s Middays at the Meeting House, a lunchtime lecture series, from November through March, at 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., all lectures are $5 adults, $4 students/seniors. Old South Meeting House is located at 310 Washington Street in downtown Boston. Fashion Conscious: A History of New England Style will explore styles from the 17th century to the 20th century – from how fabrics were acquired, how styles changed, international influences and personal histories.
Thursday, February 1, 12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m., $5 adults/ $4 students and seniors
Comfort and Style: 17th & 18th Century Fabrics
From a simple shift to an elegant open gown, textiles were at valued commodity in the colonial era. In an illustrated lecture, Diane Fagan Affleck, Senior Research Associate at the American Textile History Museum, discusses the complex means by which fabrics were acquired and the myriad styles and designs available to American colonists.
Thursday, February 8, 12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m., $5 adults/ $4 students and seniors
A Social History of Victorian Costume
Using images of prints, furniture, and architecture, textile and costume historian Lynne Bassett explains why the Victorians were so enamored of historical periods and exotic cultures, especially the Middle East. See how bold fashions for women and men reflected these various “revival styles” from the 1830s through 1900.
Thursday, February 15, 12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m., $5 adults/ $4 students and seniors
When the Girls Came Out to Play: The Birth of American Sportswear
While corsets and petticoats were fine for women to play “ladylike” games, the emergence of sports like basketball, required less restrictive clothing, such as “knickerbockers”. Patricia Campbell Warner, Professor of Theater at UMASS Amherst, discusses her new book, When the Girls Came Out to Play and the distinctly American style known as sportswear.
Book-signing to follow.
Thursday, February 22, 12:15 p.m. -1:00 p.m., $5 adults/ $4 students and seniors
Needles and Pens: The Sewing Diaries of Four American Women, 1883-1920
Karen Herbaugh, Curator at the American Textile History Museum presents an illustrated look at the sewing diaries of three New England women, and one young girl. Hear how these diaries provide insight on everything from fashion and sewing to relationships and language in the late-19th and early-20th centuries.
General Museum Information: Old South Meeting House (OSMH) is open daily, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (November through March) and 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (April through October). General admission is $5 adults, $4 students and seniors, $1 for children ages 6 - 18. Under age 6 is free. OSMH is wheelchair accessible and conveniently located to the State St. and Downtown Crossing stops on the MBTA. For more museum information call 617-482-6439 or visit www.oldsouthmeetinghouse.org.
Old South Meeting House is a non-profit museum and historic site, located on the Freedom Trail, dedicated to sustaining the building's tradition as a community-gathering place for the free exchange of ideas and to provide a place where people can connect the issues of the past with the issues of today. It receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency, and other public and private sources.
Kristen Sherman
Director of Marketing & Events
Old South Meeting House
310 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02131
(617) 482-6439 x 15
www.oldsouthmeetinghouse.org
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