Jocelyn Chatterton
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Lectures
Lecture Titles
Costumes of the Qing Dynasty and life in the Imperial City
Women and Silk in 19th Century China
Embroidered Mandarin Squares - Status and Rank
Chinese Textiles and their symbolism
The life and times of the Empress Cixi
For an independent review on one of my lectures click Below:
Costumes of the Qing Dynasty and life in the Imperial City
Manchu and Han Chinese formal court and informal costumes. Eunuchs and concubines. Costume in the Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911) was wonderfully embroidered to a very high standard. Status was supreme and dress and home decoration were determined by rank. Embroidery was also one way in which the Han Chinese women, with their bound feet and cloistered lives, were able to express themselves creatively.
Women and Silk in 19th Century China
This explores how women and children, both rich and poor, expressed themselves through the use of the needle and shuttle and how the designs and symbolism they used reflected their hopes and desires. It also looks at the tools they used and discusses the roles women played within the 19th century Chinese household.
Embroidered Mandarin Squares - Status and Rank
Rank badges, their design, historical evolution and significance. These wonderfully embroidered badges were worn on surcoats over dragon robes. Not only were they embroidered in workshops but also in the privacy of the home by wives and daughters. They illustrate not only a variety of techniques but also an evolution of design from the Ming dynasty to the present day.
Chinese Textiles and their symbolism
An explanation of the embroidered symbols found on textiles with examples from the home, celebratory textiles and costume. Other interesting examples are found on children's clothes. Embroidery standards reflect the history of the Qing dynasty and this is mirrored in the "dog-like" dragons found on the textiles of the dying years of the Qing dynasty.
The life and times of the Empress Cixi
With special reference to embroidered costume and textiles this lecture covers the life story of the "Kindly and Virtuous!" Empress Cixi and her life in 19th century China. It discusses the power of the Eunuchs and describes the lives of the Concubines and how they were chosen as well as covering many other interesting and often amusing and illuminating historical facts.
I have numerous examples of textiles and embroidered costume from the Ming dynasty to the present day, which are available for close inspection. I can, of course, omit some of the textile references and speak from a much broader base e.g.:"19th Century China - Costumes, Customs and Characters". My aim when lecturing is to be informative and interesting without being pedantic.
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