Object Analysis Method

After reading the articles that were assigned to us in class I was able to learn and become familiar with different types of methodologies that have been used in studying material culture. I find it interesting that there is not one concrete way to research this field but the ways that are discussed in these articles are very similar to each other. My approach is to take ideas and steps from several of the articles and to combine them in order to create a multi-step method in researching the history of the object that I have been given, a wedding gown. I particularly took steps that related to clothing or steps that I felt could be great guides when researching an article of clothing.

The first step that I will use is “Description” which comes from Jules Prown, “Mind in Matter; An introduction to Material Culture Theory and Method.” This first step is simply looking at the dress and describing in the best detail what I see first hand, from the material/materials that were used to colors and details on the gown. I will also incorporate from Joan Severa and Merrill Horswill’s article, “Costume as Material Culture,” the Design and Construction step they have in their outline. This step by Severa and Horswill is a great guide for analyzing particular areas of a dress and in this case a wedding gown. The basic elements which include bodice, sleeve, and skirt will be the sections where I focus on the shape and measurements. This step only focuses on the dress itself as an object.

The second step will come from E. McClung Flemings article, “A proposed Model,” and it will include one of his five properties, “History”. Since I was provided the year of the wedding gown which is 1856 I will research any more information I can find out about that year with women’s dresses, and specifically wedding gowns. I will look to research the person who made the gown and who they were making it for. Perhaps I will be able to use “fashion plates” as mentioned in Severa and Horswill’s articles to get an understanding of the style during that time period.

Following the “Description” and “History” step, the next step will come from one of E. McClung Fleming’s operations, “Cultural Analysis” which is also from the same article, “A Proposed Model.” This is the time where the description of the gown and the history of that time period cross over one another. Here is where I will analyze the relationship between the two forming hypothesis’s of the culture in which it was created. Crossing those two subjects over can tell you a lot about a culture. For instance depending on the stich of material we might be able to tell if it was stitched by hand or perhaps a machine. All of this stuff relates back to the people and the culture that they were living in at the time the gown was created. In this step I will also take several other wedding gowns and compare them with the one I am researching. I intend to particularly look at the colors chosen in the gown and what they might resemble. Doing this will help me to find similarities and differences which could ultimately lead to information to the social status of someone who might have worn a gown such as this one. My main interests lie in determining the social status of a women with this particular wedding gown.

The final step I will use in my method is again from E. McClungs Fleming’s article “A proposed Model” and it is also his final operation step which is “Interpretation.” Based on all of the information found about gown, the history, and the culture, at this point I will interpret the meaning of everything, from my perspective on the facts I have researched. Depending on the person who researched the object the interpretation can differ depending on their interest. That is why studying material artifacts is important when researching the history of cultures.

            Since the goal of this research is to ultimately create an exhibit, I have chosen steps from methods that I feel will best suit the research of my specific object, a wedding gown. All of the methods that were mentioned in the articles are all great guides when studying any material object to find out the history of its culture. However, some steps I felt were not relevant in researching my object in the amount of time that will be given to do it. Therefore I chose steps that I felt would provide my audience the best history of the gown when admiring it as an exhibit.