In a time before mass production, abundant materials, and cheap labor, garments were made one at a time, each piece fashioned by hand. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, a family’s means were typically meager, and that often meant clothes were handed down from child to child and sometimes to grandchild. Some of those clothes eventually found their way to the Costume Council of the Santa Ynez Historical Society, which has them on display for its latest exhibition.
Formed 10 years ago, the Costume Council is a group of women dedicated to conserving the costume collection of the Santa Ynez Historical Society and organizing two or three new exhibits a year.
The items in the latest exhibit come primarily from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and will be featured in the Santa Ynez Historical Society Museum’s Jeanette Lyons room.
Barbara Young, a volunteer with the Costume Council, said the group tries to coordinate its shows with the museum.
“This time, they were doing a teddy bear exhibition, so we thought it would be fun to do something having to do with kids,” Young said.
Most of the costumes were already at the museum, having been donated through the years. Many of the pieces were handed down from child to child before coming to the museum. Even so, they’re in excellent condition, especially considering their age and wear.
“Usually, we have dress clothes because that’s what’s lasted through the years,” Young said. “The everyday things are usually torn to shreds.”
Volunteers have tried to trace some of the garments back to Santa Ynez families. Though they were able to find information about some of the original owners, sources were predictably hard to find, so the true history of most of the items remains unknown. Most of the costumes were stored away with other donated items in boxes at the museum. When the council began, members started organizing by taking stock of what was there and properly storing each piece.
Everything was packaged in acid-free tissue paper and acid-free boxes to prevent the cloth from turning brown and rotting. Storage cabinets had to be painted with a special coating. For this show, volunteers had to take as much care putting the items on display as the original seamstresses did when first sewing them. Such care in creation particularly struck Young.
“What I like is the workmanship on the baptismal garment,” she said. “The trim and lace work is so delicate—such loving hands have put it together.”
Hand-stitching and intricate lacework reveal a careful attention to quality. Some pieces even have special details like tucks and embroidery.
In terms of fashion, the items on display hearken back to a more formal time.
“They are just so cute because people don’t dress like that anymore,” Young said of the toddler clothes.” Boys wore
velvet pants with round collars. They look like the clothes worn in old story books.”
To illustrate that idea, Young said volunteers tried to find old storybooks to display with the clothes. The task proved to be a tough one, but volunteers managed to locate a few such volumes and add them to the display.
Unlike the near-miraculously preserved garments, this show won’t last long. Young said the Costume Council encourages anyone interested in period clothing or just wanting a glimpse into the past to see the exhibit. m
Arts Editor Shelly Cone loves to hear stories. Tell her one at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 5, 2009.