The collection of textiles at the Wylie House Museum demonstrates this quality, particularly its collection of shawls from the period. Some of the shawls might have belonged to the Wylie family or just donated to the museum.
Joan Hart, Ph.D. in philosophy, art history, criticism and conservation, will discuss the communicative power of the shawl and other textiles during her lecture at 3 p.m. Friday.
Carey Beam, director of Wylie House, said she looks forward to hearing Hart’s insights on the topic.
“Shawls were a common article of clothing for women in the 1800’s,” Beam said. “When I met Joan Hart, who has an incredible background in textiles as well as her own shawl collection, I hoped Wylie House could benefit from her knowledge.”
The pieces Hart will discuss represent a distinct moment in fashion history: the rise of the shawl.
“Wylie House has a small collection of shawls, most of which do not have a Wylie provenance but are beautiful and representative of the later 1800’s,” Beam said.
Hart said she will look at a few specific shawls from the museum’s archives and develop an imaginary narrative around them.
“The three I chose are early enough to potentially have belonged to Margaret Wylie, the wife of the first president of IU,” Hart said. “From this realization, I am pretty much constructing a kind of fantasy, based on reality, of what Margaret wore.”
Hart said she loves the bright colors and asymmetrical designs of the shawls.
As aforementioned, Hart has her own collection of shawls, which she said exemplifies the Western love of the “other” oriental style, the rise of industrialization of textiles and the way fashion has become internationalized over time.
“Textiles are an important part of our material culture,” Hart said. “The diffusion of style is a particular interest of mine in the study of important theorists of art history, hence this study is an extension of my interests. Plus, they are gorgeous.”
Though the lecture itself will be more hypothetical, based on bills and receipts as well as the artifacts themselves, Hart said she learned a lot about what the Wylie family specifically valued when it came to their aesthetics.
“I’ve found that the Wylie’s bought muslin, a very fine white cotton fabric used in early shawl and dress and undergarments, throughout their lives,” Hart said. “I will be showing items that they might have owned similar to dresses, spencer bodices and shawls.”
Hart said she will show photographs and related imagery from the 19th century that she has not shown in previous discussions on the topic.
The images further demonstrate the shawl and muslin fashions of the time period, she said.
The Wylie House Museum provides the University community the opportunity to examine these sorts of materials and the Wylie family, Hart said.
“Wylie House has become such a great focus for all kinds of discussion about IU, early Bloomington history, the material culture of the town and area and how the University grew,” Hart said.
Community education on the 19th century is one of the foundations and guiding purposes behind the talks at Wylie House.
“Wylie House benefits from local experts — we are able to better interpret the museum as a result of their information and insights, and we can engage with community in learning with us,” Beam said.
