Passing Fancies opens at County Museum

A special exhibit, “Passing Fancies: Victorian Needlework,” opens on Saturday, February 19 at the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands. The exhibit, mounted in the Hall of History, runs through June 26, 2005 and is free with museum general admission. The display features objects from the museum’s history division collections.

“In the past, just as today, people enjoyed the needle arts as a way to express themselves and create decorative objects. Some needle artisans of the past even recycled materials, much like artisans working in various media today,” said Michele Nielsen, museum curator of history. “This exhibit offers the opportunity to explore the types of handwork and materials that were popular in the Victorian era, from the 1830s through the early 1900s.”

Artifacts on exhibit include a wall hanging made from colorful cigar silks—tiny pieces of silk ribbon used as advertising in packages of cigars. Hair wreaths and jewelry made from strands of human hair, crazy quilts featuring vibrant colored velvet fabrics embellished with fancy embroidery stitches and ribbons, and intricately stitched embroidery samplers are also shown. Tools, pattern sources and photographs will round out the exhibit, illustrating how people learned to do these types of artwork and what was involved in their creation.