Getting Started

I had an unexpected opportunity to make a start on my research in earnest this afternoon. Being able to lay the garment out in a clean safe environment and having the time and space to study it in detail has been a real treat. We put out acid free tissue on the table and were able to spread the shirt out fully.

I have been resisting the temptation to peek at and handle the shirt before I was fully ready to begin the research. This being only the third time I had looked at shirt my memory of it was at odds with reality. I was surprised by just how fine and delicate the shirt is, especially the miniscule stitching. I felt a real sense of awe and wonder, both at the the shirt itself and also that I am lucky enough to be studying it.

Observing the fine quality of the fabric and construction I feel sure it must be a high status artefact, but that is getting ahead of myself and not consistent with my methodology. Still I felt it was important to make some notes about my responses while it is fresh in my mind.

Chiefly today was about starting the recording process; documenting the shirt with photography, taking measurements and making sketches. Here are a couple of my quick, working sketches, not in proportion but these should be useful for developing a better understanding of the garment.

Click on an image to enlarge.

Bradford Textile Archive

Yesterday I had a really interesting meeting with Helen Farrar, curator of Bradford Textile Archive. As the archive is situated within Bradford College this is a really handy resource, and one which I hope to use as a base for some of my research project.

Although the scope of the collection does not have many direct relationships with my project (being mainly later examples and fancy designs) Helen has kindly offered to allow me to use the archive space as a study space for analysing the shirt. Helen has also been able to recommend some further areas of research and identify books in the collection that may be helpful. I am also hoping that further down the line there may be opportunities to share my findings through the archive.

Although I have had a frustratingly slow start it seems as though some things are falling into place. I am so excited about really starting this project in earnest.