Sunday, September 7, 2014

Tiffany Glass at SFO

Alaska Air moved into the international terminal, which has the best exhibit space at the airport. Past the security lines is the usual desolate hellscape of duty free shops and overpriced food. But, before security there are at least 2 good exhibit areas.

The Lace exhibit is gone, but in its place is one on Louis C. Tiffany, who's workshop made fabulous art glass, windows, lampshades, and other useful home items from the 1890s through the Depression.


Tiffany had a Women's Glass Department, headed by Clara Driscoll, which employed women as designers and makers. The lamp below is one of Driscoll's designs.


Glassmakers tools.

 



Friday, September 5, 2014

Fan Friday: Regency Horn Fan


1812 - Ackermann's Repository Series1 Vol 8 - December Issue
Regency is a term often loosely used to refer to the years between the end of the 18th century and the Victorian era.  In costuming it often more specifically encompasses "Empire style" (referring to Napoleon's 1804–1814/1815 empire, and often also to his 1800–1804 "consulate") or "Regency" (most precisely referring to the 1811–1820 period of George IV's formal regency.

The dress silhouette of Western female dress in this era is very distict.  Closely fitted in the bust and falling fairly straight underneath.

1813 - Ackermann's Repository Series1 Vol 10 - December Issue
1814 - Ackermann's Repository Series1 Vol 12 - August Issue
Fans in this era are small but fairly diverse.  There are still folding fans, but a new popular fan style is the brise fan.  Brise fans have no leaf and all the sticks are generally the same length.  Regency Era brise fans came in ivory, bone, wood and horn.  They are generally much smaller than the ones from even a decade before, in the 1790s, and are usually about 6-10 inches in length.  From looking at fashion plates, fans seem to be an evening accessory that coordinate with a ball gown.

1828 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 11 - June Issue



This brise fan from my collection is made of horn and decorated with inlaid silver spangles.  Horn can be moulded when heat and pressure are applied.
 
Regency/Empire era horn hand fan, circa 1800-1820
1807 Madame Duvaucey by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (Musée Condé, Chantilly)

This style was probably popular from around 1800-1820.  This painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres shows a horn fan of similar style in a portrait from 1809.





Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Cosplay at Dragoncon - part one

Dragoncon 2014.  Some fabulous cosplay and costuming at Dragoncon this year.  There were definitely some popular themes, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hunger Games, Joker and Harley Quinn, and of course Maleficient.  Here's the first batch of photos.
 
I am Groot
Animaguri Groot
Baby Groot in a pot

And this amazing full sized Groot. This is some dedicated costuming.
Full Size Groot
And of course some Doctor Who
Old school Cyberman and Dalek

 

With an adorable K-9
That fabulous Alexander McQueen butterfly dress that was in the Hunger Games was very popular, saw several versions.
Hunger Games butterfly dress

 
Butterfly dress with bonus characters
Death of Rats from Terry Pratchett's Discworld.  I've always wanted to make a anamatronic or puppet Death of Rats.
Death of Rats
A lot of Maleficients, here are 2 really nice ones.


Classic Maleficient
New Maleficient
 And no idea what this is, but nicely done.
 
Anyone know what this is?