I can understand that such a lovely evening bag would not necessarily have any signs of wear even though it may have been used many times; some people do care great care of things and the curators would have done a good job as well. Nevertheless, the problem with clothing in a museum is that it is usually in excellent condition. So then I wonder if that is because it was never used, used once only, or if it has been heavily restored. It seems to me that the clothing found in museums are garments nobody liked, so they were not worn and enjoyed. Without the provenance, the display presents a false image of the period and the designer. If after you die some of your clothes were displayed in a museum, would they be garments you wore often and loved or would they be the uncomfortable never-again clothes which remain in great condition? Which would be donated?
Louise, I think your raise some interesting questions. My experience has been that collections often search for garments that represent a certain period of clothing or style. Contributors usually donate a garment that has been lovingly saved by family members and the museum actually must accept the donation. There is alot of research that goes into these displays.
I can understand that such a lovely evening bag would not necessarily have any signs of wear even though it may have been used many times; some people do care great care of things and the curators would have done a good job as well.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, the problem with clothing in a museum is that it is usually in excellent condition. So then I wonder if that is because it was never used, used once only, or if it has been heavily restored.
It seems to me that the clothing found in museums are garments nobody liked, so they were not worn and enjoyed. Without the provenance, the display presents a false image of the period and the designer.
If after you die some of your clothes were displayed in a museum, would they be garments you wore often and loved or would they be the uncomfortable never-again clothes which remain in great condition? Which would be donated?
Louise, I think your raise some interesting questions. My experience has been that collections often search for garments that represent a certain period of clothing or style. Contributors usually donate a garment that has been lovingly saved by family members and the museum actually must accept the donation. There is alot of research that goes into these displays.
ReplyDelete