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5 Historical Films That Got the Costumes Right

Bernadette Banner via YouTube

Overview

Explore five historical films that excel in authentic costume design in this informative 22-minute video. Delve into the meticulous attention to detail in period attire for productions like Gentleman Jack, Harriet, Emma, Tulip Fever, and Twelfth Night. Learn about the importance of accurate costume design in historical storytelling and recent industry developments. Gain insights into 19th-century fashion through various portrait references and historical clothing examples. Discover the significance of costume industry advocacy and support initiatives during production halts and theatre closures.

Syllabus

Introduction
Gentleman Jack
Harriet
Emma.
Tulip Fever
Twelfth Night
Why period costume design is important & how things are changing
1. Portrait of Anne Lister 1791-1840, by Joshua Horner, ca. 1830, Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lister_anne.jpg
2. Watercolour portrait of Anne Lister of Shibden Hall. "Probably the portrait painted by a Mrs Taylor on Wednesday 20 and Thursday November 1822" although this portrait is questionably accurate as Anne Lister describes it in her journal as, 'Not at all characteristic.' Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anne_Lister_Restoration.jpg
3. Portrait of Princess Sophie of Sweden 1801-1865, Grand Duchess of Baden, 1831. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Winterhalter_Markgraefin_Sophie.jpg
4. Portrait of Pierre Sériziat, Jacques-Louis David, 1795. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seriziat.jpg
5. Portrait einer vornehmen jungen Frau vor abendlichem Landschaftshintergrund, Johann Baptist von Lampi the Elder, 1830. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lampi_Portrait_einer_jungen_Frau_1830.jpg
6. Bildnis einer Dame aus der Kaufmannsfamilie Rohde, signiert, datiert F. W. Herdt p. 1833. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F_W_Herdt_Dame_aus_der_Familie_Rohde_1833.jpg
7. "The heads and shoulders of fourteen women and two men", the Wellcome Collection https://wellcomecollection.org/works?wellcomeImagesUrl=/; Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International CC BY 4.0.
8. Woman's Dress and Petticoat Robe à la française, 1765. Los Angeles County Museum of Art https://collections.lacma.org/node/214643
9. The World of fashion and continental feuilletons, 1836. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_World_of_fashion_and_continental_feuilletons_1836_14598347509.jpg
10. The World of fashion and continental feuilletons, 1836. Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_World_of_fashion_and_continental_feuilletons_1836_14598491647.jpg
11. 'Plate 12' showing diagram of sleeve patterns, page 84 of 'The Workwoman's Guide' by A Lady, 1838. https://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/workwomansguide00hale
12. Evening Dress, c. 1810 ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O13823/evening-dress-unknown/
13. 'Paar am Fenster' by Georg Friedrich Kersting, c. 1815. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Georg_Friedrich_Kersting_005_detail.jpg
14. George "Beau" Brummell, watercolor by Richard Dighton 1805. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BrummellDighton1805.jpg
15. The Regentesses of St Elizabeth Hospital, Haarlem detail by Verspronck detail; 1641. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Regentesses_of_St_Elizabeth_Hospital,_Haarlem_detail_by_Verspronck.jpg
16. Le Greco, Portrait de Jorge Manuel Theotokopouli, fils de l'artiste 1603. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_de_Jorge_Manuel_Theotokopouli_détail.jpg.
17. Equestrian Portrait of Philip III detail, Diego Velázquez, c. 1635. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diego_Velázquez_-_Philip_III_on_Horseback_detail_-_WGA24408.jpg

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Bernadette Banner

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