Dr. Palmer used her time as a Gervers fellow to further work on her dissertation. She had already inventoried over 250 garments in the ROM’s collection, but needed to carry out more research on couture houses, public museums, and archives in Paris that relate to the ROM’s postwar collection of couture. She sought to identify the original dates, prices, and buyers of the garments, connecting them back to their originating couture houses in Paris. This identification process is a significant part of identifying bonded couture models, as opposed to couture garments that were directly imported specifically for the Canadian market. This information was to prove critical in completing her thorough analysis of couture in Toronto in the postwar years.  

Veronika Gervers Research Fellowship participant
Fellowship Year: 1991