Vintage Miscellany – January 21, 2018

Someone’s photography practice produced a delightful record of a woman at her sewing machine. It was taken on June 25, 1932, and I could tell you the camera settings the photographer used. Unfortunately, I don’t know who she is, nor where the photo was taken. It’s interesting to see what was and was not important to someone all those years ago. Today, the who and the where would tell us much more than the how.

And now for some news…

•    All over the South, abandoned cotton mills are giving hope to communities in economic need.
•    The idea of using clothing to show support for a cause during award shows is much older than this year’s  black #metoo and #timesup Golden Globes.
•    So, what is the best use of $5 – a museum admission or a McDonald’s “value” meal?
•    The newest “employee” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is Riley, a  Weimaraner puppy.
•    Fashion exhibitions are popular, and not just in Pittsburgh.
•    Nikolaos Platon was one of those unsung heroes of culture during WWII.
•    In 1971 The Guardian asked the question, “Are the latest fashions relevant?”
•    Here’s another depressing article about the over-consumption of clothing.
•    “The many blind spots of the Items: Is Fashion Modern? exhibit”
•    BBC4 has the best show on art and fashion history, A Stitch in Time. That’s the good news. The bad news is that in many places it’s not accessible (including the US). Youtube to the rescue.