A picture is worth a thousand words- but we need to only use 50 :)

Object Exercise #4: Captions

Caption #1: Bustle Period Theme- Historical (Word Count: 85)

This 1888 Wedding Trousseau dress was a result of the Bustle Period which was a period of fashion that emphasized the curves of the female. Viewed as scandalous from those conservative and rooted in the past. This dress was a part of the 3^rd phase which emphasized the posterior of the female yet it was not overly extravagant or large.  The dress kept it shape by the hoops and padding that was worn underneath which helped aid in giving shape to females who needed it.

    Phase 1                            Phase  2

 - Photos would not load on the blogger :(

Caption # 2:  Numerous Changes of Outfits (hinting at class) - Evening Dress (Word Count: 74)

This 1888 Wedding Trousseau dress was one that would have been worn in the afternoon. With the shorter sleeves and the cut of the dress lowering in the front, it was acceptable of women in this time to show more skin as the day went on. Thus, a female found herself changing into multiple different outfits through the day; starting with being covered up completely and finishing the day revealing cleavage, shoulders, and arms.

Caption # 3: What is Trousseau Dress? (Word Count: 75)

A Trousseau Dress (1888) was purchased for the bride to be worn during her honeymoon and newlywed phase. The newlywed was expected to where the Trousseau dress as a status symbol and it was tradition for her to wear the dress the first time she and her husband entertained guests in their new home. This Trousseau dress is lavished with lace and the owner traveled to Paris to have the dress made custom for her.

Explanation

            Writing these captions was more difficult than I thought it would be. The issue that I ran into was attempting to get my point across in an effective and interesting manner however attempting to try to meet the word limit. The third caption theme which looked at the explanation of the dress is the one that I am leaning towards. I believe that it is important to understand what exactly a Trousseau dress is because we do not have this kind of fashion still present in our society. Our current understanding of a Trousseau dress is a wedding gown, which was not the case back in the late 19^th century.  It is hard though for me to not look at the historical background of the bustle period as well and how the back of the dress was emphasized the 3^rd bustle phase. However, I have realized that it will be difficult for the audience to understand the 3 phases when only the 3^rd phase is being displayed. Therefore, I thought that I could provide a sketch for the progression of the phases to help the audience member understand the shift in fashion.  I attached some photos and I am sure I would have to discuss this idea with Clare if I choose to go in this direction of caption to complement the overall theme of the exhibit.

            Overall, I had fun being creative with 3 different captions. I believe that whatever theme I go with will be dependent upon the fact of the overall theme of the exhibit. The captions are meant to complement the overall theme and goal of the exhibit. Once we speak with Clare and have a better understanding with the direction Clare is going in, which will allow all of us to fine tune our captions so that there is an underlying connecting theme found in all of our captions.