The Tudor Revolution

The Tudor Project was invited to provide ambiance for two current exhibits at the Phoenix Art Museum on February 14-15, 2015. Everyone involved in The Tudor Project is honored and grateful that we have been invited to enhance the experience of museum goers in Phoenix, Arizona. We wandered through the exhibition of Da Vinci's Leicester Codex  listening to talks about the observations on pages of the famous notebook by local academics. Many of the observations in this codex are devoted to how Da Vinci thought water worked. I highly encourage everyone to go to the museum and see this exhibit. The codex is on loan from Bill Gates and will be here for a limited time. Remember there is no photography allowed in this exhibit!  Mary Magdalene by Master of Astorga ca. 1500-1525. Tempera and gilt on wooden panel. We then wandered through the Mysteries from Europe exhibition which is filled with beautiful art from unidentified artists. The collection is filled with religious...

Earlier this month I presented research and pop culture surrounding Henry VIII and his court. This year included two panels; Dressing the Court of Henry VIII and The Tudor Project . I would like to thank Jo Stomel for all of the hard work she, and her staff, put into the costuming programming at Phoenix Comic Con. The whole event was topped off by the Silhouettes of History fashion show. If you saw our group at Phoenix Comic Con and would like to see us back to do more let the staff know. Here is to next year! Fashion show slide by Rose Wood. Photo during fashion show. Taken by Phoenix Comic Con staff. 

Last week I attended a lecture about some "wicked" women in Tudor history. Myself and the Tudor Project were asked to attend and add ambiance through our gowns. ACMRS now has pictures up of the whole event on their website. If you did not make it to Prof Warnicke's talk hopefully you will at least enjoy the pictures. http://acmrs.org/public-programs/warnicke Some of the Portrait Clothing from The Tudor Project. Photo by ACMRS and ASU.

So now that I have had some distance from my work with the Tudor Project, I want to fairly analyze my work on the Anne Boleyn  portrait reproduction. The Research I wish I'd had 6 more months to do research. In the months since our project completed more research on early Tudor garments has been published by the Tudor Tailor workshop in England. In addition to their new book, The Queen's Servants , I have found illuminations depicting French and Flemish court ladies in full length.  It is my belief that Anne would not have been wearing a hoop skirt as I did last fall. According to the Tudor Tailor shop hoops are not worn in England until the 1540's, putting them well out of what Anne was likely to be wearing. Incase you need further help to visualize the difference, take a glance at these two portraits of Princess Elizabeth. The portrait on the left is from a mural at Hampton Court. On the right there is a portrait which was painted later for King Edward VI,...

Have you ever noticed the difference between a pretty Henrician ensemble and an exquisite one? What made the difference for you? For myself and many others, the difference that makes our heart stop is the detail and care put into the outfit. during Henry VIII's reign there are numerous ways to embellish your clothing, and most of these techniques are best done the same way there were back then-- by hand. There are legends that state that Katherine of Aragon brought this technique to England. In the modern era, costume historians have corrected this assumption. Blackwork was indeed popularized in England by Katherine, but it was a style that had already existed in the tiny island kingdom. Miniature of Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset, painted by Lucas Horenbout. Fitzroy wears an intimate cap with a repeating blackwork pattern worked across it. Through the numerous portraits from this period, as well as some later extent garments, costume and textile researc...

Anne Boleyn is one of the most recognizable figures in English history. She was born the second daughter of  Sir Thomas Boleyn and Lady Elizabeth Howard around 1501. When Anne and her sister Mary were sent abroad to receive an education. Anne spent many years at the court of Queen  Claude of France and became one of the Queens favorite maids. While in France, Anne learned to speak and read fluent French, dancing, music, fashion or power dressing, and theology. Queen Claude supported and sheltered many protestants in her court, and this exposure is often seen by historians as the source for Anne’s more radical spirituality in later years. The positioning of Anne so strongly on the continent leads many historians to think she was never meant to return to England. Instead they argue that she was meant to be married off to a French noble. When war between England and France became more likely, Sir Thomas recalled Anne to England. When Anne was brought home she was betrothed to ...