We welcome back Tessa Boase of "Murderous Millinery" fame for this study morning. It promises to be a fascinating two lecture session exploring the untold stories behind objects, institutions and people of the Victorian and Edwardian era – the ‘golden age’ of shopping. You’ll learn about
1: London’s Lost Department Stores
Starting on Oxford Street’s ‘golden mile’, we’ll set off on a cultural and architectural tour of the capital’s big stores at two pivotal points in retail history: the Edwardian age of excessive consumption, and the thrill-seeking, slump-busting Thirties. From snooty Marshall & Snelgrove to crowd-pleasing Arding & ’obbs, you’ll remember how to tell your Barkers from your Bodgers, your Gorringes from your Gamages… while learning about striking shop assistants, Blitz-bombed department stores, and the awful menace of The Elephant Gang, professional lady shoplifters. A fascinating slice of social history, with wonderful period images.
2: The Secrets of an Edwardian Shopaholic
An extraordinary personal collection of Edwardian couture clothing lies in the vaults of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, once worn by a debutante named Heather Firbank. When Heather’s maid persuaded the museum to accept her former mistress’s entire wardrobe, the V&A’s Fashion and Textile department was born. Who was Heather, and what secrets do her clothes yield up? From her ‘coming out’ trousseau, to the obligatory country house ‘Saturday to Monday’ party, to the risqué fashion shows of couturier Lucile, this is an intimate portrait of shopping, high society, seduction and ruin in the years leading up to the Great War.
10 for 1030 with a coffee break between the two sessions finishing at 1300
Tickets £25