Monday, March 18, 2024

“UNDRESS HISTORY” AN “HISTORY SPACE” EVENT

RIHS and Newport Historical Society to ‘Undress History’ at Events

G NEWPORT 18th LOGO image002

Costume Maker, Historian, and Educator Quinn Burgess Will Discuss Women’s Sportswear

 

PROVIDENCE and NEWPORT, R.I. – The Rhode Island Historical Society and the Newport Historical Society are “Undressing History” again.

 

In two upcoming events – on February 28 in Providence and March 28 in Newport – the organizations will welcome costume maker, historian, and educator Quinn M. Burgess to Aldrich House (110 Benevolent St., Providence) as well as the Newport Historical Society Resource Center (82 Touro St., Newport), respectively, to discuss and don historical sportswear from 1885 to 1925, including ensembles for tennis, ice skating, bicycling, croquet, and swimming.

 

Burgess will explain the cultural context of women’s participation in athletic activities during this time, as well as the garments themselves: how they functioned while being worn for active pursuits, what they were made from, and how the silhouettes compared to non-sports clothing. All of the garments shown and described will be available to touch and examine in detail at the close of the presentations.

 

These History Space events, presented in a partnership between the RIHS and the Newport Historical Society, are offered during the RIHS’s 2019 programming year Rah-Rah Rhody!, a celebration of sports in the Ocean State. The event in Providence is free with registration at

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhRHCqJWMoWqgATF98sX1XFZZVZau6XbhwyfVThkjSzGwgFg/viewform;

the event in Newport is $5 ($1 for NHS members along with active duty military).

 

“I am thrilled that we are collaborating with History Space again this year,” said Geralyn Ducady, Director of the RIHS’s Newell D. Goff Center for Education & Public Programs. “Their knowledgeable and friendly historical interpreters are a delight. For these events, we have the honor of working with Quinn Burgess, whose presentation is sure to inspire participants.”
Burgess combines backgrounds in social, costume, and material history with the study, creation, and wearing of historical clothing in order to bring history to life. She displays historical construction methods and exceptional workmanship in the creation of her reproduction historical clothing. Burgess has created historical clothing for museums, historical institutions, and individuals, including Plimoth Plantation and the National Park Service.

 

In addition, she has created and consulted on modern and historical costumes for theatre and film, including at the Huntington Theatre Company, Tufts Children’s Theatre, and with historical documentaries and short films, as well as a 20th Century Fox feature film. She holds an MFA in Costume Production from Boston University and a BA from Mount Holyoke College in History and Theatre Arts. Since 2011, Burgess has managed the theatre costume shop and taught costume construction at Boston College.

 

For images and more information on the Providence event, please contact Jennifer Wilson at (401) 331-8575 x 360 or jwilson@rihs.org; for images and more information on the Newport event, please contact Heather Rockwood at (401) 846-0813 x 110 or hrockwood@newporthistorical.org.

 

What: “Undressing History: Active Pursuits, Women’s Sportswear, ca.1900”

 

When: Providence: February 28, 5:30 pm

              Newport: March 28, 5:30 pm

 

Where: Providence: Aldrich House (110 Benevolent St.)

                Newport: Newport Historical Society Resource Center 

 

Admission: Providence: Free with registration

                        Newport: $5 ($1 for NHS members along with active    duty military) 

details here

 

About the Newport Historical Society

Since 1854, the Newport Historical Society has collected and preserved the artifacts, photographs, documents, publications, and genealogical records that relate to the history of Newport County, to make these materials readily available for both research and enjoyment, and to act as a resource center for the education of the public about the history of Newport County, so that knowledge of the past may contribute to a fuller understanding of the present. For more information please visit

www.NewportHistory.org

 

About the Rhode Island Historical Society

Founded in 1822, the RIHS, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is the fourth-oldest historical society in the United States and is Rhode Island’s largest and oldest historical organization. In Providence, the RIHS owns and operates the John Brown House Museum, a designated National Historic Landmark, built in 1788; the Aldrich House, built in 1822 and used for administration and public programs; and the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center, where archival, book and image collections are housed. In Woonsocket, the RIHS manages the Museum of Work and Culture, a community museum examining the industrial history of northern Rhode Island and of the workers and settlers, especially French-Canadians, who made it one of the state’s most distinctive areas. To learn more visit

www.RIHS.org