Catching the Past are well known for their passion and dedication to costume through the ages. In this short blog post, Jan Wallace shares a fascinating insight into the chance salvage of some superb authentic period costumes.
"It started with a call from a friend, received from her friend about another
friend! Did they know of anybody who was by any chance interested in
looking at some old costumes?
They had asked around and had sadly taken them to be assessed for auction along with other goods from their late father's house but were desperate to try and find a home for them.
And of course she did!
We arranged to meet the family and they rescued suitcases for us to see. They were filled with fishwives' costumes which had been handed down from grandmother to mother and from mother to daughter. They had tried to find a home for them and were upset that amazingly there seemed to be no takers.
Would we take them? Could we use them? They hoped, being "sentimental”, that we would take custody of them and use them.
The traditional skirts, blouses (children's too) are there, but the shawls are outstanding. A few, for special occasions, well over 100 years old and made in the most beautiful materials.
We at Catching the Past are obviously delighted to be said “custodians”! For some, hidden treasure is monetary, gold or old paintings. For those interested in history it can be a bit of stone, an old manuscript or a piece of wood.
It's the stories that they hold that are more than valuable."
Comments