After re-visiting Downton Abbey awhile ago, a question of
period pieces arose: will we look back at that early 21st c. drama
that took us from the Titanic to 1925 thinking that it looked true to the
period, or will it look “so 2010”? Do "historic" dramas and comedies actually
reflect the period in which they are supposed to be set, or do they simply look
like the year in which they are made, with some “period” costumes thrown into
it?
Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities (1859) was set in London and Paris just before and during the French Revolution (1789-1799). Are the hairstyles, make-up, and clothing true to that decade of upheaval?
 |
| A Tale of Two Cities 1911 |
 |
| A Tale of Two Cities 1936 |
Of course, do we really want our films and television to reflect a moment in history accurately? Do we want to immerse ourselves into a time before a daily shower, 3x daily tooth-brushing, and regular laundry? Are we more comfortable with make-up and hairstyles that we see in our daily lives?
Napoleon Bonaparte lived from 1769 to 1821.
 |
| Napoleon 1927 |
The title of James Fenimore Cooper's book was The Last of the Mohican's: a Narrative of 1757.
 |
| The Last of the Mohicans 1936 |
 |
| The Last of the Mohicans 1992 |
Although Scarlett had her corset and Rhett his cravat, do we really want those two characters to reflect the popular styles of the Civil War?
 |
| Gone With the Wind 1939 |
Steven Spielberg's Abraham Lincoln looked incredibly authentic to our 2012 eyes, but will it still have the look of reality in 2030?
 |
| Abraham Lincoln 2012 |
And did we really think that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, with Katherine Ross's 1969 eye make-up and "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (yikes!) in the background looked and sounded like the 1890's?
 |
| Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969 |
Were Julie Christie's bouffant hairdo and blue eyeshadow right out of the Russian Revolution?
 |
| Dr. Zivago 1965 |
Characters and events of the 20th c. have been revisited many times in movies and television. The closer to the actual event when the film is made, there is a truer picture of that time period. The Last Battalion is the story of America's late 77th Battalion's entry into World War I. To our modern eyes, the second iteration looks really authentic. Will it hold up 30 years from now?
 |
| The Last Battalion 2001 |
The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912. Which, in 2016, looks closer to that date,
Downton Abbey, or the two films?
 |
| Downton Abbey 2010 |
 |
| Titanic 1943 German propaganda film |
 |
| Titanic 1997 |
Period films and television series (think
Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, and
That 70's Show) will be made forever. Try to guess when the following films were made and, with our 2016 eyes, do they reflect, at all, the period they're supposed to represent?
 |
| How the West Was Won |
 |
| Bonnie and Clyde |
 |
| The King's Speech |
 |
| From Here to Eternity |
 |
| Good Night and Good Luck |
 |
| Grease |
 |
| The Doors |
 |
| Milk |
A Cynthia textile vignette
20,000 BC. The cave walls of
El Castillo and Altamira, and the Pech-Merle grotto in France reveal the first
known attempts to make patterns. We humans have been patterning everything,
including ourselves, for millennia, and the cloth that protected our bodies was
no exception. Once twisting and weaving threads to make cloth began, it was no
time before dyeing that same fabric evolved into printing.
Printing blocks from China have
been found that date back to around 3000 BC. By the time Alexander the Great
invaded India in 327 BC, colorful printed and painted chintzes, together with
brightly colored tie-dyed cottons, were common. Santa Fe Fabrics offers some of
the most beautiful block printed and resist dyed fabrics available.
By the 18th c.
increasing demand for printed fabrics led to the invention of automated
printing machines…and the world of technology in fabric printing never looked
back! Today’s textile producers have a vast array of printing techniques to
choose from: everything from traditional stencil, hand or mechanized screen
print, and roller printing, to anything C.A.D (Computer Aided Design) and
digital technology can create. Our collection of prints reaches back to the
ancient techniques that used only plant and insect dyes, and forward to the
most advanced technical processes found today. We have the most gorgeous
examples of all those choices to bring to you!
From santafefabrics.com
And now, a word from Reggie....
New Austen friends, Michelle and Alexander Webb-Fandrich, who are living "Down Under" for a year, arrived this week. They arrived during the biggest rain storm of the season, which made for amazing mud holes. Xander and I had the best time racing around the yard and jumping into an Olympic-size mud pool. Boy, did I make a new friend!
As always in my sad life, "they" took my friend away to show him lots of the fun things in Santa Fe. I was only allowed to have him to myself at the end of the day, when we played chase and tug-a-war. Of course, Xander's mom, Michelle, gave me lots of love and petting, which we know I rarely get from the Cavanaughs. Desi made his presence known, as always, and Lucy hid most of the time. That's great, cuz then I get all the attention.
 |
| At the NM History Museum |
 |
| At the NM History Museum |
 |
| Xander Rabbit Ears |
 |
| Chavez Skating Rink (the photographer had a broken toe) |
 |
| At the NM Folk Art Museum |
 |
| At the NM Museum of Indian Art and Culture |
No comments:
Post a Comment