Decorative Arts: Period Accessories Part Two

[labricoleuse]

As i said in my prior post in this two-parter, the second unit in my Decorative Arts class is formally called "period accessories," but informally called "propstumes"--items which are sometimes considered a prop, and sometimes considered a costume, usually aesthetically determined by the costume designer, and sometimes made by the costume production staff. The point of the project is to explore the creation of an item which often has a very specific function within the context of a theatrical production--reticules must contain other props, housekeepers must unlock doors with the keys on chatelaines, fans must easily and smoothly open and close (and often stand up to abuse like smacking a fellow actor with them!).

So, since i have eight(!) students this time, i've decided to share these projects in two separate posts, split by theme. The first part featured three handbags and a fur muff, and today we have two fans and two ocular/spectacles/goggley devices that i don't really have a good term for!

Second-year grad Corinne Hodges made this genteel lace-leafed fan with bamboo staves and pearl-drop tassel.


First-year grad Erin Abbenante created this bedazzled ostrich-feather burlesque fan. For an idea of scale, in the top part of the image you can see the base of a domestic Bernina sewing machine. This fan is about 3' wide when open!


Undergraduate senior Lydia Hanchett created this unusual eyewear based on an image of some similar spectacles in the film Sleepy Hollow. Both lenses could move on their hinges.


Props assistant Joncie Sarratt created this  set of inventor's optics based on a design for the character of the Dollmaker in the opera Tales of Hoffman. Yep, that's a tiny LED lighting up there in the foreground! All lenses move on pivots either up and down or rotating out to the side.