The Embroidery Trade in 18th-century France
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Warwick
Department Name: History
Abstract
This PhD project aims to investigate the products, skills and networks of the embroiderers of 18th-century France. Embroidery was not only a polite accomplishment but also a well-established trade by the 18th-century, subject to the fluctuations of fashions in secular and ecclesiastical clothing and furnishings. Embroidery provides a useful case study of a trade that did not require sophisticated machinery or large capital investment, and was not involved in major technological change during the century.
Most current accounts of embroidery in this period rely on the treatise L'art du brodeur published by Charles-Germain de St Aubin, self-proclaimed embroiderer to the King, in 1770, and on the entry in the Encyclopédie. While individual 'masterpieces' or collections of objects - both designs and embroideries - have been the focus for research, it is their technical or iconographical sophistication that tends to be considered.
There is, however, no major socio-economic study of the trade, comparable with those for other fashion-related trades such as textile designers, shoemakers and seamstresses. This PhD bridges this gap, building on current research on the Magoulet family (1660s-1730), on the life-cycle of a group of late 18th-century embroidery patterns in the National Museum in Dublin, the collection of late 18th-century embroidered waistcoats at the Musée Galliera, and provides a comparator for work on 18th-century English embroidery.
Most current accounts of embroidery in this period rely on the treatise L'art du brodeur published by Charles-Germain de St Aubin, self-proclaimed embroiderer to the King, in 1770, and on the entry in the Encyclopédie. While individual 'masterpieces' or collections of objects - both designs and embroideries - have been the focus for research, it is their technical or iconographical sophistication that tends to be considered.
There is, however, no major socio-economic study of the trade, comparable with those for other fashion-related trades such as textile designers, shoemakers and seamstresses. This PhD bridges this gap, building on current research on the Magoulet family (1660s-1730), on the life-cycle of a group of late 18th-century embroidery patterns in the National Museum in Dublin, the collection of late 18th-century embroidered waistcoats at the Musée Galliera, and provides a comparator for work on 18th-century English embroidery.
People |
ORCID iD |
Giorgio Riello (Primary Supervisor) | |
Tabitha Baker (Student) |
Publications
Baker T
(2018)
Johanna Ilmakunnas and Jon Stobart, eds, A Taste for Luxury in Early Modern Europe: Display, Acquisition and Boundaries
in European History Quarterly
Baker Tabitha
(2019)
The embroidery trade in eighteenth-century Paris and Lyon
Description | British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies/Besterman Centre for the Enlightenment Travel Award |
Amount | £500 (GBP) |
Organisation | British Society for Eighteenth Century Studies |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 06/2017 |
End | 06/2017 |
Description | Economic History Society Annual Conference Bursary |
Amount | £311 (GBP) |
Organisation | Economic History Society |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2018 |
End | 04/2018 |
Description | Economic History Society PhD Bursary |
Amount | £5,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Economic History Society |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2018 |
End | 01/2019 |
Description | Institute of Advanced Study Early Career Fellowship |
Amount | £3,696 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of Warwick |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2019 |
End | 09/2019 |
Description | Royal Historical Society Research Grant Award |
Amount | £400 (GBP) |
Organisation | Royal Historical Society |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 05/2017 |
End | 05/2017 |
Description | Society for the Study of French History Research Grant |
Amount | £1,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Society for the Study of French History |
Sector | Learned Society |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2017 |
End | 09/2017 |
Description | Warwick CADRE Peer Development Exchange Bursary |
Amount | £100 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of Warwick |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 05/2017 |
End | 06/2017 |
Description | Winterthur Research Fellowship |
Amount | $7,000 (USD) |
Organisation | Winterthur Museum |
Sector | Private |
Country | United States |
Start | 08/2017 |
End | 09/2018 |
Description | Peer Development Exchange Workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | In May 2017 I delivered a workshop to a group of postgraduate students entitled "Material culture: An introduction to incorporating objects into your research." This workshop was an opportunity for students working in a range of disciplines to explore the concept of material culture. Addressing both the theoretical frameworks of material culture and the practicalities of using objects as a primary source, this workshop aimed to provide PGT and PGR students with the requisite skills to begin incorporating objects into their academic research. Material culture as a discipline has developed at an accelerated pace over the course of the past two decades, with more and more scholars employing the use of museum collections in their academic research. In particular, the interdisciplinary collaboration between academics and museum curators has contributed to a greater understanding of history and the collections which have formed the basis of such research. Nevertheless, the use of objects as primary source material remains to be exploited to its full potential by academics, often due to a gap in curatorial skills and knowledge. This workshop aimed to go some way to bridging that gap, and to encourage PGT and PGR students to utilise objects as a meaningful source as part of their research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | V&A Blog Entry |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Guest blog entry written for the V&A blog. This blog entry was the result of a workshop held at the V&A in December 2015 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the first manual on silk design to be published in Europe by Antoine Nicolas Joubert de l'Hiberderie in 1765. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | http://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/textiles-and-fashion/joubert-guest-post-joubert-and-saint-aubin-translatin... |