Perfect Figures: The Life-like Mannequin The evolution of the mannequin probably dates back to the 15th c when they were used by milliners to show their customers how head-dresses and hats looked. At first they were made of wood but during the 18th c full-size wickerwork versions came into use. The 19th c saw the […]
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Ancient Greece: The Golden Age of the Banquet. As it’s that time of year when we splash out on food and entertaining, usually to later regret our excesses, I thought I would look at feasting in ancient Greece and the golden age of the banquet which had its beginnings in the 5th c B.C. After […]
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Constantinople and the Exotic World of the Guild of Furriers. The guild system has played a vital role in commerce throughout the developed world for centuries but probably none were more diverse or eccentric than those in the Ottoman Empire. Each year the inhabitants of Constantinople were treated to a spectacle on a grand scale […]
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The Changing Face of Fashion in the Third Reich. When Hitler came to power in 1933, one would think he had more than enough to think about without turning his attention to the German fashion industry. But then we should think again; his involvement in controlling everyone’s daily life meant that it was inevitable he […]
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Ottoman Embroidery: The Barber’s Apron Ceremony and ritual were extremely important in Ottoman life and can be divided into two areas. The first were ceremonies associated with religious observances such as Ramadan culminating with the Feast of Bayram, and military ceremonies which displayed the Empire’s power and might. The second category includes the many rituals […]
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Ottoman Women and their Patronage of the Arts. The Ottoman Empire spanned over six centuries (1281-1924) and reached its peak during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent (1520-1566). During this period the general concensus in the west about women in the empire, particularly Moslem women, is that they were subserviant creatures who were not allowed […]
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