After a day at the Met on Friday, I went to work at my own museum on Monday. We moved paintings, rounded up miniatures for photography, and packed an ax for transport.
Glass at the Met. I hate this stuff.
On Tuesday, I took the MBTA up to Boston to deliver the ax (tomahawk, throwing ax, ax comma belt in Chenhall) to another museum, at the Old State House. I think this show will be very nice, and I had the pleasure of meeting someone whose wife I know through the interwebs: behold the power of the interwebs, and the small size of the reenacting community. Also, my state.)
Then, because I cannot get enough of this stuff, I took the Green line over to the MFA. By now you’re thinking, Kitty, really? How many museums do you need to visit in five days? Should we get you help? But the thing is, objects get me really stoked. Paintings, sculpture, heck, even glass– and I hate glass– make me pretty happy.
1998.96, overdress or tunic. MFA Boston
I’d just been to the MFA in July, so this trip was to visit some friends among the Copleys and Greenwoods and Blackburns. But I also know that the textiles have to rotate often, and there are dedicated mannequins in the Art of the Americas Wing. My reward for a return trip? This lovely over dress or tunic.
I love the fabric, and thought immediately of Quinn’s Tree Gown. Hmm. As you can imagine, I will be hot on the trail of something like this fabric as soon as I am done with the menswear on my list. (There is a lot of menswear, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do some real thinking and research in preparation for this tunic…which is all I can do for now.)
It does cross over in the front, and the floral motifs line up across the layers.
There are more photos of the overdress in the MFA set on flickr, and I have a lot more thinking to do about this tunic. It does have a cross-over front, which I like, but the lacing is really striking. This may take another trip to the MFA with a better camera.
Oversleeves, cross front, lacing, diamond-shape piece in the back like a keystone…there’s a lot of detail, and lot to love (and eventually curse while making) in this tunic.
Kitty Calash 
Neat! I’m so pleased that you thought of my Tree Gown! The motifs do have a similar quality. That’s really cool. I wonder if this gown is on the MFA website? If not, you’ll definitely have to get better pictures, because it’s really lovely and I can’t see all the details you mentioned.
Best,
Quinn
It’s so fun to find these things, and think of gowns I know have been made!
It is on their website (I should have linked to the record, but might not have. I think it is acc # 1998.96). But with only one photo! I will have to go up with the SLR (soon, before it gets rotated off display).
There are really subtle details of lacing between the pieces…would be great to pattern, and to replicate.
I found the front particularly hard to capture with the point and shoot, and not well pictured on the website shot.
KC
I can see the lacing on the MFA picture much clearer. It’s too bad they don’t show the front! For the record, here’s the link: http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/woman-s-overdress-tunic-310991
Best,
Quinn
Thanks! I linked in the text, but meant to link my photo to the MFA’s record…whoops. What’s hard to see in all the photos is the extent of the lacing. It’s almost as if each seam on the top layer is laced. The front is hard to see even in the gallery, but it does cross over. KC