"Like looking for gold": the workshop of Ernest LoNano and the creation of the re-envisioned dress
Date
2022
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
This thesis explores the design and labor of the Winterthur Museum through re-envisioned dresses crafted by the workshop of Ernest LoNano. Re-envisioned dresses are objects that began as eighteenth-century gowns, were purchased in the twentieth century, and were then disassembled, reassembled as useable lengths, and used to upholster antique furniture. Examples of these objects can be found at the Winterthur Museum, commissioned by Henry Francis du Pont and brought to life by the workshop of Ernest LoNano. They are composite objects, a proving ground for the long life of textiles and the far-reaching narratives they contain. This thesis applies Henry Glassie’s framework of creation, communication, and consumption to the histories of re-envisioned dresses at Winterthur, inverting the typical discussion of material culture by beginning with the objects themselves, moving to a discussion of the craftspeople, then a consideration of the patron, and finally how these systems work together in the creation of the Colonial Revival. Previous examinations of du Pont's aesthetic place him firmly in control of Winterthur's décor; the objects, records, and correspondences, however, indicate LoNano and his workshop played an active role in design. This research utilizes re-envisioned dresses as an avenue to understand this collaborative practice.
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Keywords
Colonial Revival, LoNano, Ernest, Re-Envisioned Dress, Textiles, Upholstery, Winterthur