We have just had a visitor to the TRC who paid great attention to the TRC’s pop-up exhibition, which is based on items from two recent donations. Most of the new garments (altogether some 1700) derive from southeastern Europe and the Caucasus. His (yes, HIS) main comment was how boring Western clothing has become for men. And I would add, for both men and women. There is a general lack of colour, texture, movement (a few swirls to add dimension), decoration on the BACK as well as the front, and all in all that extra bit of oomph.
Embroidered man's wedding shirt from Mezokovesd, Hungary, mid-20th century (TRC 2022.0198).
He was looking at some men’s garments including an embroidered shirt, short jacket with tassels and a brightly coloured sash. Not difficult to put all the items together, but oh what a change from a t-shirt with jeans. A man’s embroidered wedding shirt with very large sleeves (literally a shirt you cannot work in), left him thinking hard! And perhaps even dreaming of walking through Leiden swinging his arms and sleeves.
Someone has asked for the return of the waistcoat as an everyday item of clothing – again for both men and women, because you can do so much with one! Materials, a fine satin or velvet, or a heavy woollen cloth! Embroidered, appliquéd, with passementerie? Long or short, with a collar, fringe or rounded neckline. Perhaps a single row of buttons, or double breasted?
Woman's festive waistcoat from Kalocza, Hungary, mid-20th century (TRC 2022.0449).
The various TRC volunteers and visitors have different favourites. One, for example, has fallen in love with a kalocsa outfit from Hungary. It has bright, happy flowers on a white ground in connection with cutwork lace and this decoration certainly makes a statement. Another volunteer is taken by the long black dresses from Georgia in the Caucasus, with its closely and minutely embroidered chest panel. Others find the Romanian embroidered blouses irresistible. Yet another volunteer fell in love with a heavy, black velvet belt from Albania.
Black velvet belt with beading, passementerie, embroidery, and applied ornate buckle, from the Xhubleta region, Albania, mid-20th century (TRC 2022.1028).
My own favourite? Hmmmm, just to walk around in, I would go for an embroidered blouse; just to look at, then it must be a gold embroidered waistcoat.
Embroidered woman's blouse from Humor, Romania, mid-20th century (TRC 2022.0687).
What I am certain about is that vol. 5 of the Bloomsbury World Encyclopedia of Embroidery, which is about Central and Southeast European, Russian and Caucasian embroidery is going to be very different from what I had envisaged a few years ago. I knew there was a wide variety in embroidery forms in this part of the world, but I had never imagined the diversity, detail, complexity and colour combinations that existed and can be examined as a result of these two donations.
And shortly we will be picking up another donation of garments, this time from former Yugoslavia, so adding even more details to Volume 5!
The pop-up exhibition will be on display until the end of May 2022. A film about the exhibition will come online this week. More details to come.
Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, Director, 27 April 2022
