A discovery in Provence Although my origins aren't particularly important in terms of my active participation in this project, they are more important for this article. I was born in Avignon, a town close to where I grew up, but also in Gordes, where I spent my school holidays, so I'm what you might call 'Provençal', and more broadly 'Mediterranean'. When you say the word 'Provence', you imagine fields of lavender, cicadas, summer heat......

Industrial Globalization & the Indian Indentured Labour of the 19th Century The Industrial Revolution unleashed contradictory forces in the 19th century. On one hand, it necessitated intercontinental mass labour transit. On the other, and in combination with the French Revolution, it sounded the death knell for slave labour, the very basis of plantation prosperity. Indentured labour emerged to replace slaves. The lure of...

On the Indigo Route ...tracking the story of the bewitching blue dye “Bluest of blue . . .” one that rouses passion, desire, and envy! Is how the website Project Bly describes the indigo colour. These emotions come alive as we travel back in time along the winding indigo route through treacherous trails and stormy seas across continents. But its legacy transcends the consequences of these sentiments to reveal an edge of sustainability, so very...

Reconstitution of Boutchiana's costume Part 1: The historical context Boutchiana This man appears in three watercolours by Hippolyte Charles Napoléon Mortier, the Duke of Trevise in the mid-19th century. two full-length portraits of a very young man, dated 24 August 1865 another, in bust form, dating from July 1871 Watercolours from...

Sewing machines in the 19th century Part 1: a history Why this article ? It may seem odd to you that we are discussing the genesis of sewing machines as part of our historical reconstruction of 19th century workers' clothing.However, we thought it would be interesting to show the history of these sewing machines in the domestic setting, including their value and worldwide expansion, to highlight the difference between industrially produced...

Sewing machines in the 19th century After our articles on Sewing machines in the 19th century - Part 1: a brief history The sewing machine in the XIXth century - 2nd part : Arrival on the Réunion islandThis is the last article of this triptych, which we hope will allow you to better imagine and understand the historical context as well as the practices related to the making of clothes at the time. While doing research, I was surprised...

Sewing machines in the 19th century Part 2: On Reunion Island Why this article ? We have chosen to investigate this revolutionary tool, which after a particularly rapid and worldwide diffusion, became in the following decades a decorative object present in many homes without being used. This machine nevertheless reoriented the landscape of the textile industry and profoundly changed the fashion industry in the 19th century. To help you better...

Les uniformes des travailleurs Un vrai bleu qui résiste aux taches ! "... Le dictionnaire de Cambridge définit l'uniforme (mot) comme suit : "le même ; ne changeant pas ou n'étant pas différent d'une manière ou d'une autre". Anciens ou modernes, militaires ou civils, les objectifs de l'uniforme (tenue) restent inchangés : identification, fonctionnalité, protection et confort. Il y a cent ans, les circonstances séparaient les...

Worker Uniforms True Blue that Endures Stains! “. . . the same; not changing or different in any way,” is how the Cambridge Dictionarydefines uniform (word). Ancient or modern, military or civilian, the objectives of uniform (dress) remain unchanged - identification, functionality, protection, andcomfort. Hundred years ago, circumstances separated “white collar” interests from the “blue collar” ones. The wheel has come a full...