When (Neo)Classicism Met Modernism: The Ancient Influences that Shaped 1920s Fashion

With the generous support of the Friends of Mills at Staatsburgh, our site has hosted a research intern from Bard College this summer. Celka Rice, a literature major at Bard, has researched various aspects of 1920s fashion, helping Staatsburgh explore the possibility of presenting accurate costumed interpretation during the 100th anniversary of the Roaring ‘20s. Although Celka’s interdisciplinary studies cover a broad background which include history, anthropology, art history, classics, and photography, the internship called upon another of her diverse interests: her expertise in vintage clothing and fashion history. For her summer project, Celka has researched retail sources for reproduction and vintage clothing, and has written three blogs on fascinating 1920s fashion topics.

Blog Author, Celka Rice

Behind the Scenes at Staatsburgh: Recent Conservation Work

Historic sites like Staatsburgh are always a work in progress. For every piece that is conserved, there are several more waiting for treatment! We are consistently striving to conserve and restore the building and the collections.  The New York State Bureau of Historic Sites at Peebles Island oversees the conservation and restoration work of all state historic sites.  They employ a skilled group of experienced conservators who complete this transformative work!  In addition to the conservators, Staatsburgh is very lucky to be supported by the Friends of Mills at Staatsburgh, the site's non-profit friends group, which has raised funds for many of the projects included in this post.

During the month of August, we celebrated some of the recent conservation work done at Staatsburgh by creating #TransformationTuesday posts for Facebook.  This essay will highlight the transformation of five different items in Staatsburgh's collections.  

Little Purple Flowers

From Ruth Mills' dinner parties and Broadway murder trials to French battlefields and President Roosevelt's inaugurations, Marie Louise was fashionable everywhere.

Meet Marie Louise ... no, not her - the flower!
Courtesy of HVNY.

Named for the second wife of Napoleon, the fragrant double Parma "Marie Louise" violet was at the height of fashion for generations during the Gilded Age. From the late-1800s to the mid-1900s, violets were among the world's most popular flowers and the mecca for the little purple flowers was none other than Dutchess County! The stretch of the Hudson Valley from Red Hook down to Poughkeepsie was known as the Violet Belt in the United States, with Rhinebeck - just 10 minutes north of Staatsburgh - the Violet Capital of the World.

Black Iron Under a White Gilding

As part of the site's commemoration of Juneteenth, Staatsburgh's historic interpreter, Zachary Veith, is sharing his ongoing research into the people enslaved by Morgan Lewis. 

Mary. Stephen. Caesar. Belinda. Pompey. Plato. Peter Williams. 

"Anyone who calls themselves an explorer is an invader to someone else - someone is always paying for the gilding" - Alice Proctor [1]

Morgan Lewis, enslaver.

"Ruth's great-grandfather, Morgan Lewis, built Staatsburgh in 1795. He is remembered as the third Governor of New York, a general during the Revolutionary War, and an aide to George Washington. When the original house burnt in 1832, it was rebuilt." 

Edith Wharton's Re-imagining of Staatsburgh

Just as Staatsburgh is a time-capsule of the Gilded Age, the literature from the era provides a lasting insight into the period. In fact, the term 'Gilded Age' comes from the title of an 1873 Mark Twain novel of the same name. Beyond this literary association, the decades following the Civil War produced some of the most famous American authors, including Henry James, W.E.B. Du Bois, Hellen Keller, and Upton Sinclair. Works still widely read today, such as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), White Fang (1906), Tarzan of the Apes (1912), and O Pioneers! (1913) were all written during the height of the Gilded Age. However, one author over all others truly captures of the essence of Gilded Age American society: Edith Wharton.