Arts
Continuing our theme of materials, in this episode we welcome Ella Muir (@ellabrookmuir) to the technecast! She shares her research on the study of history through clothing as a form of material culture, the commonality of clothing as a form of communication and how, in the face of historic sumptuary laws and modern-day restrictions, clothing was and remains the single most powerful way in which we materially express ourselves to the world. Clothing in the early modern period was inherently bound up in ideas around status: access to the most sumptuous of materials and richest of hues was controlled by strict legislation, limiting what could and could not be worn by the lower echelons of society. Amidst the vigorous, global economic expansion of the sixteenth century, ideas of nationhood and foreignness began, for the first time, to be attributed to the production, selling and wearing of clothing. This was a world in which a person’s worth could ostensibly be gleaned from what they wore. Ella considers the garments created for, worn by, and observed on the queens of England and France between 1515–1547, at a pivotal point in the history of the two warring nations. Most female consorts came from foreign lands to be wed, and with them they brought the customs, cultures, and communities of their homelands. These women occupied a unique space within the paradigm of the period, and nowhere was this duality more conspicuous than in their attire. Notions of nationhood, inherently bound up in clothing, demonstrably differed for these queens, who had close personal ties to their motherlands and allegiances to allies scattered across the continent. Subsumed and yet segregated by nature of their position, how—if at all—did these royal women intersect and interact with one another, and how did they use material culture to “speak” on their behalf? Who, in essence, clothed a 16th-century queen? This work seeks to illuminate the varying ways in which royal clothing was observed and understood throughout society, and the practical challenges inherent in locating, gathering, and elucidating a cohesive record of those whose voices elude the written record. Ella demonstrates how dependent perceptions of sartorial symbolism were upon the lived experience of the beholder, thus expanding our understanding of queenly clothing beyond the constructions, creations and confines of the royal court and its discerning eye. Ella Brook Muir is a postdoctoral candidate at the University of Roehampton, researching queenly clothing in England and France during the 16th century. Her work explores the creation and construction of royal image through dress and other forms of material culture at a pivotal point in Anglo-French relations, focussing particularly on the various ways that sartorial symbolism was observed and interpreted throughout society. This research is funded by a scholarship from the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s techne programme. Our image features a close-up on the blackwork embroidery featured in Hans Holbein’s portrait of Jane Seymour, c.1536-37, Kunsthistorisches Museum. Royalty free music from www.FesliyanStudios.com Thanks very much to Ella for speaking with us and sharing her research, and to techne for their ongoing support! We'd love to hear what you think of this episode - you can tweet us at @technecast. Please consider rating, reviewing and sharing this podcast so we can continue to share the incredible research that our guests are doing. If you would like to submit an abstract for an episode of the technecast, please get in touch with us at technecaster@gmail.com Thanks for listening! See you next time, where we'll be presenting two special episodes on the theme of 'futures' as part of techne's annual congress. The technecast is run by Julien Clin (@ClinJulien) and Polly Hember (@pollyhember).