Sock Decoys

How many of you have children that “borrow” your clothes, never to return them?  I would probably be flattered if my daughters borrowed anything of mine.  I’m “hopelessly quaint” or “delightfully old fashioned” they say, with a wink to each other. Yeah, I know.  I wear Mom pants.  I’ve given up the sweatshirts with flowers and birds on them though.  So there is hope for me yet.

 

But when our daughters were teenagers, they borrowed stuff way too liberally for our tastes.  Even my husband was not immune from their purloining little fingers.  Especially when they needed to do their laundry.  His socks would start disappearing.  Eventually we’d find them in piles on their floor.  They’d do their laundry and ours too with vast and sweeping apologies.

But my husband could not keep his socks kept disappearing. Being crafty and wise old geezer, my husband HID his socks.  That didn’t work.  His stash of socks was discovered and disappeared regularly.

But he is really clever as well as crafty and wise.  Next time they did the laundry and put his socks in their usual place, he knew they would have their own socks for a little while.  He hid all but one pair of his own socks, which he set in their usual place as a decoy.  Our daughters were not brazen enough to take his “last” pair.  The rest he hid in several different places. 

He blithely wore fresh socks from his secret sock hiding places, and they never discovered the sock decoy trick.

Costuming Society of America Western Regional Symposium

On March 17, 2012, I joined Doreen Beard-Simpkins and Nancy Keller-Scholz to present a talk at a symposium of the Costume Society of America, Western Region.  The symposium's theme was “Interpreting History through Costume.”

Our talk was titled A Lady’s Layers at English Camp: 2011 Meets 1860.  It was a “presentation about a presentation” that was made at English Camp in the San Juan Islands, wherein a member of English Camp’s visiting audience was sought as a model willing to be dressed in period clothing.  Out of many willing volunteers, a model was chosen and asked to stand upon a box in shorts and a tank top.  She was then dressed by us in proper ladies attire of the 1860’s.  This included a chemise, corset, petticoats, drawers, undersleeves, dress, collar, parasol and shawl.  The model also had her hair done in an appropriate 1860’s style.  The result never failed to have the model assume proper manner and deportment.  The casual slouch of modernity was replaced by an elegant air of feminine gentility.  Our newly attired lady was ready for visiting or a pleasure excursion.  While we did not replicate this exercise at the symposium, we were allowed to present a power point show of it.

The audience at the English Camp presentations was enthusiastic about learning about what goes into the proper silhouette of a lady of fashion in the 1860’s.  Many questions at English Camp were asked and it allowed us to dispel myths and concerns regarding corsets, heat prostration, and trips to the necessary.  The presentation’s appeal crossed the boundaries of age, gender and social class.  We found that our presentation at English Camp made the reenactors more approachable to visitors who were afraid to ask questions.

The Costume Society’s conference included other talks, including a comparison of costumes worn for performances of “The School for Scandal” by Corrine Larson.  The presenter showed how men of the theatre are better believed when dressed in a historically correct manner, but the theatrical costumers prefer to dress the women in current fashions and pass them off as historic with a few token ringlets.  Other talks included discussions of Mexican rebozos, Indian saris, Greek identity in the 19^th century, and researching a mysterious French designer named Rouff.

The conference was held in Santa Clarita, California at the ranch of William S. Hart, a silent movie actor who was film’s first cowboy.  We toured his ranch house and saw artifacts not only of his movie career, but also his extensive collection of Western artwork, including many by his friend Charles Russell.  

The conference organizers included curators from the Smithsonian Museum and National History Museum of Los Angeles.  The National History Museum of LA loaned the conference artifacts, including a hat worn by Thomas Jefferson, gloves worn by Jefferson Davis, a vest worn by Charlie Chaplin, a helmet from Max Sennett’s Keystone Cops, and brain-tanned Indian child’s pants made by Oklahoma Indians that were also worn in early films.  We saw many artifacts not only from the William S. Hart films, but also from the current Academy Award winners Hugo and The Artist.

Hat worn by Thomas Jefferson

Vest worn by Charlie Chaplin

Keystone Cops helmet

We were treated to a screening of William S. Hart’s last movie, Tumbleweeds, made in 1929.  Accompanying the film was a live piano player.  Thrills!  Spills!  Daring rescues! 

Fort Nisqually was prominently represented, and many people were eager to learn more about and visit our site.  Nancy Keller-Scholz brought Fort Nisqually brochures that were featured on the registration table.  It is hoped that our journey allowed the name of Fort Nisqually to be more widely recognized, and has stirred curiosity among a wide variety of curators and costuming professionals.

Mystery Surrounds the Magnificent Marble Bust of Geo. Washington

Was this really the famous bust of George Washington that was presented to the American people by the French in 1828? 

The original bust, after sitting on the West Front of the Capitol building in Washington DC for 23 years, was in a terrible fire erupted Christmas Eve at the Library of Congress.  The burned up bust was discarded and sat as scrap marble in someone’s backyard in the mud and rain for years.  

Eventually it was sold to James Klaber, a marble dealer, who cleaned it and considered that it was quite a lovely piece.  He asked art experts their opinions.  They informed him it was indeed art.  Mr. Klaber’s son wrote about the bust in Art and Archeology, which eventually resulted in the bust being sold by a New York Gallery to Henry Huntington. 

The discovery and sale of George Washington’s famous bust made national news headlines. 

In 2010, the Huntington Library had John Griswold, an art 

conservator, clean and analyze it.  The marble has indeed been exposed to high heat and is crystalized.  It has indeed very likely been in a fire.

Could this be the famous marble bust of Washington?  A bronze replacement was made after the original disappeared and is on display in the entryway to the House of Representatives at the Capitol.

It has been on display at the Huntington since June of 2011.

 

From the Huntington Library’s blog:

1827 - The government of France gathers money through national subscription to have Pierre-Jean David, called David d’Angers, sculpt a bust of George Washington to be given to the United States on behalf of the French people.

1828 - David d’Angers sculpts a model for the bust in plaster. Soon afterward, the marble version of the bust is presented to the United States and is said to have been placed on view in the Library of Congress, at the time located on the West Front of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

1851 - Christmas Eve fire breaks out in Library of Congress.

1852 - Marble bust is apparently discarded with debris from the fire.

1904 - French officials give the United States a bronze copy of the bust as a replacement for the marble that was believed destroyed. This bronze bust is presently on display in an entryway to the House Chamber at the Capitol.

1914 - New York–based marble dealer James Klaber acquires the marble for $25 from someone who had kept it in the backyard of his private residence. After cleaning the marble, Klaber asks the advice of art experts who tell him it is a genuine work of art.

1918 - John J. Klaber, son of the marble dealer, writes in Art and Archeology about his father’s discovery and says that the piece is actually a work by David d’Angers, thought to have been lost in the fire of 1851. The bust is given on commission to Mitchell Kennerley of New York’s Anderson Galleries.

1924 - Kennerley sells the marble to Henry E. Huntington. The work’s discovery and sale to Huntington make national headlines.

1984, 2001–07 - The bust is on public view in the loggia near the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art at The Huntington.

2010 - The work is sent to Los Angeles conservator John Griswold for cleaning and routine analysis.

2011 - Griswold determines the bust had been subjected to intense heat, possibly a fire, thereby providing scientific evidence supporting what had been argued about the work in early newspaper articles and other documents. Catherine Hess, chief curator of European art at The Huntington, places the work on public view on June 8 in the Huntington Art Gallery.

Hobie's Heated Blanket

Everyone in the neighborhood seems to like our cat, Hobie.  We have people driving by our house when he is sitting in the yard, stop their car, and call him.  “George!” they say.  “What are you doing in the neighbors’ yard?  Get home.” 

Hobie obligingly wanders over to their car and they take him to their house, only to have him reappear here.

We did in fact get him as a kitten when his name was Oliver.  We called him Hobie Cat, after the sailboat.  He’s grown into an enormous orange beast with a nicked ear.  Quite a mouser, even a ratter at times.  Our ivy remains pest free with Hobie around.

One of the neighbors tells us that Hobie shows up every night at happy hour when he and his wife are having a cocktail.  They feed him tidbits from their cracker and cheese tray.

Another neighbor tells us that every morning, Hobie is sleeping on their deck and their children let him in for breakfast.

But Hobie’s favorite friend, Katherine, buys him special turkey treats and heats up a blanket in the dryer for him to lie upon.

I can’t say I begrudge the neighbors their time with Hobie.  I am happy to share our garden cat.  I’m not jealous at all. 

Well, a little jealous.  I want a heated blanket.  

Where Have All the Children Gone?

As I drive by parks, I never see any children.  Oh, there are the few toddlers now and again with the nannies who tend to be talking or texting on their cells.  But elementary school kids playing without structure or adults watching?  It doesn’t happen anymore.

We’ve heard so much about “Stranger Danger” that few parents will let their children out unsupervised.  Doris Bergen, in her article entitled “Play as the Learning Medium for Future Scientists, Mathematicians, and Engineers” in the American Journal of Play, says: “In recent years, playful methods of learning have almost disappeared from school classrooms, and active, creative, extended playtimes during recess, at home, and in neighborhoods have also greatly diminished. This disappearance of play is especially unfortunate because it is happening at the very time that professionals in many scientific, mathematical, and engineering fields articulate the need for creative and innovative thinkers in their professions and advocate for the use of playful learning methods to assist students in developing the intellectual abilities required for excellence in these fields.”

Oh sure, there are plenty of structured sports.  There are many parents who sign up their children for sports simply to help build their resumés.  Camps have changed from learning to swim, water ski, canoe or horseback ride to offering more sedentary courses that look good on a college application.

Play is not so important because it can be used to teach a specific set of skills, such as dribbling a ball.  Rather it is important because it is the way in which children can develop their ability to problem solve, how they express themselves, and learn to communicate. Basically it is the medium by which they grow.

Researchers believe that there is a correlation between a child’s playfulness and creativity.  Can the next Leonardo DaVinci be arise in empty playgrounds, soccer camps, or from playing computer games?

How can we best let children have free play in our modern society where we don’t dare let them out?