Stormy Afternoon

The weather is deteriorating rapidly.

It’s not very nice outside so I spent the afternoon going through some of my Great Great Aunt Kate’s magazine/newspaper clippings and her own sketches.

Kate was very interested in fashion.  I have her “Book of Fashion” that she started aged 15 in 1894.

It is fascinating.

She mentions in her diaries that her little sister, Alys, likes to skirt dance.

This made me smile – “Development of the skirt dancing lady into a horse”.

And the comment at the end. I laughed.

Kate eventually attends The Slade School of Fine Art and studies under Henry Tonks and Philip Wilson Steer and her style becomes much more refined but her early interest in art is very apparent.

These are from when she was 16 years old.

And then there are the folders of magazine clippings and newspaper cuttings.  Kate was always shopping wherever she was living.  I am currently knee-deep in 1916 and it is the First World War.  Kate worked for the Belgian Refugees in Aldwych as Secretary of the Private Relief Fund.

Can anyone date these fashions from La Mode Nationale?  I would be most interested to know so I can include a better photo in the relevant diary.

My life seems worlds away from her’s.

7 thoughts on “Stormy Afternoon

  1. Sam

    Aunt Kate had a beautiful eye for clothing. You are looking at 1919 -1921 for La Mode at the end of the post.
    BeAnne looks powerfully comfy on her bed.

    Reply
  2. Linda

    What an interesting person Aunt Kate was – and a real artist from what I’m seeing (not that I’m an expert; couldn’t make a drawing to save my life – that’s why seeing her work is so interesting).

    Frances – did she go through WWII also?

    Reply
  3. diane in northern wis

    I love seeing your Aunt Kate’s drawings and clippings that she included. Fun seeing those old fashions and thinking about the history back then. What a blessing to have those to look through. Your pics are very cozy looking outside from the warm inside. Thanks Frances.

    Reply
  4. Christine

    What a wonderful glimpse into another time. Your Aunt Kate was a treasure. I loved the Burberry gown that “meets all the requirements for motor cycling. Skirt can be divided when necessary”.

    Reply
  5. Highmac

    Can’t help smiling that Burberry’s locations are shown as London, Paris and Basingstoke.

    Seriously, your aunt was a truly talented lady

    Reply

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