Poffermuts van witte tule versierd met kleine witte katoenen bloemen, machinale kant en lint van crèmewit zijden damast met patroon van winde c. 1925 - 1930

Editor: So, here we have a 'Poffermuts van witte tule versierd met kleine witte katoenen bloemen, machinale kant en lint van crèmewit zijden damast met patroon van winde' – quite a mouthful! – dating from around 1925-1930. It’s made with mixed media like silk, cotton, machine-made lace, and so on. It has such an ethereal quality about it. What's your take? Curator: The materiality is what jumps out. Note the juxtaposition of high-end silk damask with mass-produced machine lace. This piece sits at an interesting crossroads, doesn't it? The mechanization of lace-making democratized certain luxuries, making them available beyond the aristocratic elite, even for everyday items. It reflects broader shifts in textile production and consumption during the interwar period. What kind of labour went into it, do you think? Editor: That’s interesting! I hadn't considered that. I guess it would depend on the relative proportions. If there’s more handmade stuff than machine-made, the artist had a bigger intervention... Curator: Precisely. And beyond that, consider the cotton flowers. Are they also machine-made, or hand-stitched? It prompts questions about value: what aspects of handcraft are considered worth preserving in an age of increasing industrialization? We need to consider who would wear something like this, and the significance they would attach to these elements. Editor: So, looking closely at the production and materials of the head covering provides insight into societal shifts of the time... that’s a good point! Curator: Exactly. Think about how changes in textile manufacture affected female labour, fashion trends, and consumer desires. Looking at it as simply a pretty piece of fabric misses that whole complex historical narrative. Editor: Thanks, I’ve definitely got a different view of the object now - I see the Poffermuts, in this case, as a material expression of industrial and societal transitions.