Detail of man's suit coat. England. c. 1770-1779. Embroidered silk. 924.16.60.A.
Fellowship Year: 1997
Project Title: In Search of Foreign Embroidery: Men’s 18th c. Embroidered costume
In Search of Foreign Embroidery: Men’s 18th c. Embroidered costume
Edward Maeder built on research that he began ten years previously, investigating a 1749 English Act of Parliament that banned the wearing of “foreign embroidery and brocade in silk, silver or gold...procured in foreign parts” that was subject to seizure and burning. A 100 pound fine per item could be applied to the person who “sold” the garment. Maeder was interested in determining what criteria, if any, distinguished English embroidery from French embroidery: any design, aesthetic, or technical markers that distinguished the products of one nation from the other. In doing so, he intended to shed light on the socio-cultural context in which they were made and worn throughout the 18th century. He utilized the ROM’s extensive collection of 18th century embroidered textiles either already made into or intended to become items of dress.
About the Fellow:
Edward Maeder worked as the founding Director of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, and was the Curator of Costume and Textiles at LACMA from 1979 to 1994.
Edward Maeder worked as the founding Director of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, and was the Curator of Costume and Textiles at LACMA from 1979 to 1994.
Related Publications: “Made in England? An 18th-century trade embargo of foreign embroidery raises interesting questions about the meaning of ‘foreign’.” Rotunda Spring 1998: pp. 34-40.
“Made in England? An 18th-century trade embargo of foreign embroidery raises interesting questions about the meaning of ‘foreign’.” Rotunda Spring 1998: pp. 34-40.
