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Veerle van Kersen examining the Quseir textiles with a Dyno-lite microscope, at the TRC in Leiden, February 2020. Photograph by Gillian Vogelsang.Veerle van Kersen is a textile archaeologist who recently passed her MA exams in archaeology at Leuven University, On Wednesday, the 20th February 2020, she wrote:

In the past few weeks I have been spending some time at the TRC to study a collection of fifty medieval textile fragments from Egypt. They were found during archaeological excavations at Quseir al-Qadim in the 1980’s and consist mainly of resist-dyed cottons, manufactured in India for the Egyptian market.

Located on the Red Sea coast, Quseir al-Qadim was an important trading post both in Roman and Mamluk times. These finds come from the latter period, dating between the 13th and 14th centuries AD. I first started by matching the fragments to their excavation numbers, placing them in tissue paper, and giving them a new TRC number.

Next I have been examining the textiles in greater detail, and taking photographs. The textiles have been studied and published before, but modern methods might help to reveal more secrets. For the detailed analysis I made use of a digital microscope. This new instrument, one of which recently acquired by the TRC, has been incredibly helpful for textile researchers, and is often known as a “Dino-Lite” after the most popular manufacturer.

A Maya huipil from Patzicia, Guatemala, late 20th century (TRC 2019.1840).On the 17th February 2020, Dorinda Terhoeve wrote:

To tell the story of the huipil is to tell a story of resilience. This Mayan garment looks simple in its appearance, being a sleeveless rectangular tunic made of only two or three panels.

However, the embroidered colours, local variations, history and its makers are highly intriguing and fascinating. The huipil has changed little since the ancient civilization of the Maya’s. Even the Spanish conquest had little influence on how the garment was, and still is made and worn today by women in parts of Mexico and Guatemala.

Two Middle Eastern women in Capelle a/d IJssel, proudly showing their embroidery.Arab embroidery is an art that is closely linked to the female domain. It's not just a traditional form of dress decoration, but an icon that reflects the woman's identity passed down from mother to daughter for generations.

In the past, traditional embroidery was distinguished by its rich colours, enchanting silk fabrics, golden threads, its geometric patterns and unique motifs that symbolized stories of women and their surroundings, their identity and their position in society.

Carnival's outfit from The Netherlands (TRC 2020.0392a-b).From the 23rd-25th February, people in large parts of The Netherlands, especially in the south, will again be celebrating carnival. This festival is a Western Christian tradition that is especially celebrated in Catholic countries, and takes place just before the liturgical period of Lent (the forty days of fasting before Easter). 

Carnival always ends with Ash Wednesday (this year the 26th February), which is the first day of Lent. The preceding Tuesday is often known, especially in Protestant countries, as Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras, or more popularly, 'Pancake Day'.

Carnival is generally marked by street parades, fancy costumes, and an overall mockery of the establishment. An important aspect of carnival is the fancy costume that people are wearing.

The TRC recently received a carnival's outfit (TRC 2020.0392a and TRC 2020.0392b). We don't  know its origins, it may even derive from the Leiden area. Carnival in the Netherlands is traditionally centred in the south of the country, with a dominant Catholic population. In the more Protestant north, including Leiden, carnaval is not widely observed.

The TRC costume consists of a polyester cotton with a colourful printed design. The skirt is made of straw. In the week of carnival the fancy costume will be on display at the TRC.

Gillian Vogelsang, 13th February 2020.

Berlin wool work chart, mid-19th century, made in Berlin (TRC 2018.1578).On Saturday the 15th February 2020, Gillian Vogelsang wrote:

For the last few months we have been discussing the TRC Library, its future and how to make it more accessible, especially as more and more books are being donated to the Library.

It is rapidly growing into a comprehensive source of information about textiles and dress from throughout the world with books in a wide range of languages.

The Native people of Alaska (USA), known generically as Inuit or Eskimos, live in one of the most challenging environments of our planet. Protective clothing often means the difference between life and death. The Yup’ik are an Eskimo people living in southwestern Alaska, where temperatures range from 20 degrees Celsius in the summer to -14 in winter. Yup’ik women are responsible for clothing production in their communities; Yup’ik girls traditionally cannot marry until they have mastered skills such as hide preparation and sewing. Over the centuries they have developed a distinctive style of clothing that is insulated and durable, waterproof, wind resistant, and comfortable to wear even while hunting or fishing.

Eskimo parka from among the Yup'ik, Alaska (1980s; TRC 2020.0400).

The handmade woman’s parka (TRC 2020.0400) was produced around the 1980s in Emmonak (population 762), near the Bering Sea in Alaska. In 1986 it was given as a gift by a Yup’ik woman to the gussuk (white man), Michael J. Anderson, a lay Roman Catholic worker at the St. Mary’s Mission School, near the confluence of the Yukon and Andreafsky rivers. It was a thank-you for accompanying a group of boys back to their villages, some 80 miles from the boarding school. A parka (an Inuit word meaning “animal skin”, first written down in English in 1625) is a traditional hooded jacket, frequently hip length, made most often of caribou skin (either from the wild caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti) or the domesticated Rangifer tarandus taranduse, or seal skin.

Parade uniform of a Russian senator, velvet and silk. The gold thread embroidery and buttons were considered a sign that the Emperor respected the senator's status. Late 19th-early 20th century.On Sunday, 9th February 2020, TRC colleague Shelley Anderson wrote:

The exhibition “Jewels: Glittering at the Russian Court” may be its most popular exhibition ever, according to the Hermitage in Amsterdam. It is easy to understand why. On display are over three hundred pieces of jewellery and dozens of court ball gowns, many complete ensemble of gowns, shoes, fans and jewellery. Also on display are some hundred portraits that show how the Russian aristocracy used dress to project wealth and power.

The exhibition is stunning. It showcases over two hundred years of royal fashion (mostly women’s fashion, although there are some beautiful examples of children’s clothes, and of men’s. The emphasis is on three important trend setters: Anna Ioannovna (who ruled 1730-1740), Empress Elizabeth (who ruled from 1741 to 1761), and Catherine the Great, ruler from 1762 to 1796.

Opening of the TRC American Quilts exhibition, 5th February 2020, by Marja Verloop, the Deputy Chief of Mission of the American Embassy, The Hague.On Friday, 7th February 2020, Gillian Vogelsang wrote:

The American Quilt exhibition has just been officially opened (5th February 2020) and it was a most inspiring event with lots of visitors!

It started with a lecture by Susan Cave on the history of American quilts. The talk was illustrated with photographs of quilts form the exhibition and numerous anecdotes based on Susan’s long experience of working with quilts.

Additional, and more technical details were provided by Beverley Bennett. Lynn Kaplanian-Buller presented details about Mennonite relief quilts (three of which are on display in the exhibition).