Summer 2018 Internship Announcement
We are excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for our Fashion Archives Summer Internship! This is a 10 week paid internship that runs throughout the summer. This will be our fourth year exploring our fashion collection here at the Maryland Historical Society. Each year, interns work with the collection staff to vacuum, stabilize, catalog, and rehouse our collection of approximately 10,000 objects as part of a move from the historic Pratt House to a climate-controlled facility.
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Left: Intern Emily Bach vacuums a skirt from an 1837 ball gown. 2004.39.24b, The Anne Cheston Murray Collection from Ivy Neck, Cumberstone, Maryland. Right: An 1820s dress rehoused as part of the internship. 1956.84.7,Gift of Mrs. Olive Rutter Parks and Miss Mary Alice Rutter
The fashion collection at the Maryland Historical Society was once regularly exhibited, with shows rotating up to four times each year. At some point however costume became less exhibited and the thousands of meticulously ordered objects were left in storage, a time capsule waiting to be opened. In 2014, we began the undertaking to rehouse this collection, and discovered many amazing pieces in the process.
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Left: Interns explore the shoe storage in the Pratt House with Dr. Karin Bohleke of the Fashion Archives at Shippensburg University. Right: Roger Vivier shoes worn by the Duchess of Windsor rehoused in the new textile storage
Each garment and accessory is carefully vacuumed and rehoused in the new storage facility. Custom mounts are made for accessories and archival boxes for garments, and every piece is carefully cataloged so that we can access and share this collection with our community.
1890s ball gown known as a “death dress” due to the arsenic green dye used in both the top and skirt, rehoused in an archival box, 1948.40.8 Estate of Miss Marion Fisher
This summer, the internship will have the added excitement of helping us to prepare for our 2019 exhibit which will feature garments from our Fashion Archives. To prepare for the exhibition, interns will not only further explore the collection in the Pratt house, but they will learn stabilization techniques and how to dress mannquins for specific eras from trained professionals.
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Left: Colleen Callahan and Newbold Richardson review a 1910s dress that they recently conserved. Right: Intern Sarah Lindberg backs a loss in a blue wool child's dress
To learn more about the costume internship and to apply, check out the posting here on our jobs page. We look forward to sharing our new discoveries this summer!
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