Comments | nuranar: Brunswicks and Jesuits! (Not the priestly dudes!)

nuranar

Brunswicks and Jesuits! (Not the priestly dudes!)

Oct 12, 2013 22:47

When I first saw Kendra's Brunswick three years ago, I was fascinated and puzzled. I'd never heard of such a thing before, but it sounded really neat and unusual. One of those "I wish I could have one" thoughts that stays with you although you don't make real plans for it. Then Katherine made hers, and there was a minor convocation of them at ( Read more... )

brunswick, sewing plans, 1700s:1780s:sprigged silk jesuit, 1700s:1780s:quilted brunswick, jesuit, research

Comments 14

starlightmasque October 13 2013, 05:15:50 UTC

OMG THAT FABRIC!! It's too fabulous!

Thank you for such a great write up, I enjoyed reading it. I hope you blog your progress, becasue how wonderful a project this is! I've always wanted a pet en l'air, but never considered turning it into a hoodie!

nuranar October 15 2013, 03:09:25 UTC

:D :D :D I'm so excited about it! There was some minor drama last night when the seller discovered some water damage (!), but I saw pictures and it's confined to about half a yard at one end. And they're throwing in some extra yardage, too.

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'll definitely do my best to document this. It's the first project I've done in a while that's really undertaken just because I want to, and not with much of a deadline in mind.

You should do a pet en l'air! With removable long sleeves!

jubilima October 13 2013, 15:03:51 UTC

Wow, way to research! And such a good score on the fabric! Can't wait to see your progress. :)

nuranar October 15 2013, 03:07:21 UTC

Aww, thank you! I tend to approach new projects with a ton of research; I have to immerse myself in knowledge before I can feel confident enough to proceed with my own design. ;) I can't wait for the fabric to arrive! And I fully intend to document progress on this. :)

jenthompson October 13 2013, 15:11:43 UTC

What a great project! So you are making two of theses? Wow! That's ambitious! What are you making them for - CoCo or something else? That sprigged silk is quite divine!

nuranar October 15 2013, 03:05:58 UTC

Thank you! It'll be two of them, but the hardest part for me is making patterns/figuring out construction, and since these are both essentially sack-backs, it'll be the same. I like lots of handwork, too. I don't have much of a deadline in mind for these, but I think they can be used for a lot of what we do here, or at CoCo. The Jesuit for tea or CoLoW, the Brunswick for a cold Georgian picnic (if we ever have one!), etc.

the_aristocat October 13 2013, 20:08:26 UTC

I love your plans! We've been looking at a lot of same portraits lately. :)
I'm so excited that you are making them both, a Brunswick and a Jesuit.

nuranar October 15 2013, 03:03:52 UTC

I know it! I think we both had similar ideas, but separately.
I'm looking forward to it! The construction seems very similar - I'm making my first sack-back, *trembles* - but the style and materials and trimming and even uses will be very different. So I get two (hopefully awesome) garments with the pattern-making work of one! (I dislike pattern-making most of all!)

chocolatepot October 15 2013, 00:29:26 UTC

Not to be a big pain, but I have yet another definition - there's a crim con case transcription/description that says the woman was wearing a gown that buttons up to the neck and down to the wrist, "I think they call it a jesuit". I took it to mean that brunswicks are the same except that they don't button that far ... although now that I think about it, that's not necessarily what they were saying. But oh well! That's the only period reference I've come across that's even remotely descriptive, unfortunately.

Great job cataloguing the variations! You should do a paper on it.

nuranar October 15 2013, 03:01:54 UTC

Hey, every little bit helps! Do you have a date/place reference for that case? I don't know if it makes a distinction between Jesuit and Brunswick; it could mean that the writer knew that the Jesuit, at least, had the then-unusual high buttoned neck and long buttoned sleeves. It's interesting, though! I like the mention of buttons. IIRC several portraits show buttoned cuffs; they tend to be more military-style, with revers. I think one of the English quilted ones referenced blue ribbons that fastened the cuffs.

Oh, wow! Coming from you, that's very flattering! You do realize how very little research I actually did, right?! And I didn't at all get into the other hoodie things that started showing up, like that polonaise.

chocolatepot October 15 2013, 14:00:18 UTC

Yes I can! Two texts on the same case, 1771, England - one says "buttoned up to the neck" and the other says "did button down before, and likewise buttoned at the wrists". It's apparently very relevant to whether or not she was sleeping with the Duke because it "will never appear much tumbled".

But aha! Looking harder, I've found a short reference to Brunswicks being good for travel and being considered sacques, and an even shorter reference that, uh, doesn't say anything except that they existed in undress. And maybe classes them as jackets. But I found them regardless.

You categorized the differences you saw in the paintings, and drew some conclusions! That's all I do, really.

I don't know Angela Burnley, but I bet she would share her source with you. The only problem I've found with definitions is that when you follow the citations back, you frequently end up hitting a wall where someone hasn't cited. (Grr!)

nuranar October 15 2013, 03:11:42 UTC

Hey, and for what it's worth, the identified Brunswick picture is clearly not buttoned up to the neck, and not buttoned at the wrist. So maybe that is the right determination. Although then I wonder where CW got their definition... There must be other written sources out there. Do you think Angela Burnley would share some of her research if I asked?