Tasha Tudor Costume Collection
Following are 1) a letter from Tasha Tudor, 2) a letter from Edward F. Maeder, Curator of Textiles, Historic Deerfield, and 3) a letter from Karen Augusta, Whitaker-Augusta Auction Co. All regarding the historic costume collection of Tasha Tudor.
April 19, 2006
Karen Augusta
Charles A. Whitaker Auction Company
1002 West Cliveden Street
Philadelphia, PA 19119
Re: Collection of Costumes
Dear Ms. Augusta:
You had asked for information regarding my collection of costumes presently stored at Colonial Williamsburg. I collected period costumes since I was 9 years old. My mother owned an antique shop, and I began buying costumes that interested me at some of the auctions she would attend.
All of my old dresses and costumes except a few family dresses were sent by me to Colonial Williamsburg. I have gifted a number of costumes to them over the years and they have had the entire collection available for display.
I have given the remaining collection to the Tasha Tudor Charitable Remainder Unitrust. Those costumes were ones I use frequently in my artwork using a life size figure to model the dresses from which I would prepare sketches. I even wore some of the dresses.
I hope this provides the information you will need regarding these dresses and other costumes.
Sincerely yours, Tasha Tudor
Was there ever a child who did not delight in playing dress up?’ The idea that you could change your identity, your age or even your gender by slipping into garments – readily available in one’s attic – is a childhood memory for many. As attics are becoming obsolete and those who owned such treasures have been downsizing’ for years, it was with a sense of both excitement and enthusiasm that I agreed to write about this unique collection of treasures.
Tasha Tudor is nearly a household name, certainly here in New England, and her keen eye and insatiable urge to collect’ have resulted in one of the most fascinating private costume collections ever to have come to market. Quantity and quality are the best words to describe this extraordinary group of fashions and accessories that date from the mid 1700s to the early 20th century.
The bulk of the collection consists of men’s and women’s day wear from the first half of the nineteenth century. Foremost among this group is an array of cotton, silk and wool dresses that are some of the finest examples of textile printing that I have ever seen. It was in the early years of the nineteenth century that technology developed to produce the exceptional variety of top quality printed dresses found in this collection.
Gathering the group of garments seen in this catalogue was a lifetime achievement. As strange as it may seem today to those in the museum world, Ms. Tudor often dressed herself, her visitors and friends in these authentic, historic garments. It was for the pleasure of use’ that these were originally collected and cherished. Because of her foresight, we are privileged to see them today and have the opportunity to preserve them for future generations.
Dressing up has always been a joy. With the superb historic garments found in the Tasha Tudor collection, we can escape from our world today to a time of elegance and great style; a time when beauty was foremost and the most fashionable women, and men, considered themselves works of art:
Edward F. Maeder
Curator of Textiles
Director of Exhibitions Historic Deerfield, Inc. Deerfield, MA 01342
Tasha Tudor began her career as an illustrator and author of children’s books in 1938. When Life Magazine in 1955 featured the elaborate wedding festivities of two of Miss Tudor’s handmade dolls, her fame spread world-wide.
At antique textile shows during the 1980s and 1990s, I would occasionally see Miss Tudor, pet rooster tucked under an arm, shopping for antique clothes. Through a mutual friend I heard wondrous tales of the room in her house devoted solely to her antique clothing. For the many seasonal festivities held in the Tudor household, friends and family were invited to choose and wear clothing from her costume room’s treasures.
Printed day dresses from the 1830s are the focal point of this costume collection. Prior to the 1820s printed cotton cloth was a costly novelty import, affordable to only the wealthiest classes. The impressive Tudor collection documents the convergence of 1830s textile technology and fashion trends of the period. For the first time in history, textile mills in England and the United States were able to satisfy the masses demand for endless, varied and fanciful printed cottons.
In 1996 Tasha Tudor loaned her entire historic costume collection to Colonial Williamsburg. Since that time, selections from this collection have been exhibited at Williamsburg’s DeWitt Wallace museum. Additionally, many of these garments have been used as research and reference in scholarly publications.
Nearly two years ago, after establishing a specialty auction house for antique clothing and textiles with Philadelphia auctioneer, Charles A. Whitaker, we were contacted by the Tasha Tudor Trust to sell a large portion of her historic costume collection. As Charlie, Christine, Bob and I began to unpack the Tudor boxes from Colonial Williamsburg, Tasha Tudor’s vision immediately became apparent. This collection, in its entirety, clearly deserved to be documented before scattering to new owners around the globe.
The November 10th & 11th, 2007 exhibition and sale will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to view, and possibly own, treasures that have taken much of the 20th century to assemble. Each lot will be sold with two certificates of authenticity: a copy of a signed letter from Tasha Tudor about her collection and a copy of Colonial Williamsburg’s inventory data sheet. Our auction house website, www.whitakerauction.com , contains photographs of all of the lots not pictured in this catalog, as well as additional detailed photographs of this catalog’s featured lots.
Tasha Tudor, now in her 92nd year, continues to live her life dedicated to a rural 1830s sensibility. Surrounded by her beloved Corgis, gardens, antiques & dolls, she has illustrated nearly 100 books in 70 years. Charlie, Christine, Bob and I invite you to discover the antique clothes which have played an intimate role in Tasha Tudor’s unique life and have inspired so many of her beloved illustrations.
Karen Augusta
Antique Clothing & Lace Specialist
WHITAKER-AUGUSTA AUCTION CO.
November 2007