Peacock Dress being worn by Lady Curzon (1903)
It’s been a long year. The world has changed in so many ways in only a few months, yet things are still oddly the same. Time has blurred. Things that have happened only a week ago feel like old hat. Movements have progressed rapidly, and at the same time achieved nothing at all. Lockdowns both one and two sincerely messed with my sense of space and time. However, this year has provided me and many others with extra sort-of-spare-time which was never available before. As my YouTube algorithm descended into madness, I came across a video from a seamstress; Cathy Hay.
Cathy was discussing how she planned to approach a project she has been working on for over a decade – recreating the Peacock Dress from the 1903 coronation ball for King Edward VII. This passion project had taken a back seat for many years now, as she realised the magnitude of this task. The panels for the dress were originally made by an entire team of Indian embroiderers, craftsmen who were taught how to create intricate detail and patterns in their work. Their expertise and manpower are impossible for a single human to even attempt at recreating. However, as she began digging into the technical past of the dress, the question of whether Cathy, an English woman, should be remaking this symbol of English rule in India, became a pressing question.
As some of us move further into the realm of research, being aware of our positionality is going to become more relevant as the years go on. Dr Madhavi Manchi’s lecture on the subject really got me thinking about this dress and the work Cathy is putting into its recreation. The terms ‘etic’ and ’emic’ in particular stood out to me for this. Considering positionality was something that felt innate, yet evil at the same time. As a science conjoint, I almost had to lie down after hearing that personal perspective was crucial to the humanities and research we could be doing in the future.
However, I finally had a name for what Cathy was talking about in her most recent update. She had gone out, researched, asked people for their positions, and has come to her own conclusion that she should continue making the dress. Though it’s past is entrenched with colonialism, it was also a celebration of Indian craftsmanship. It was a demonstration of the breath-taking embroidery, colours and quality which the craftsmen easily produced. Cathy has the fervour, following and freedom to pursue this project while honouring the new team she’s recruited, combining etic and emic.
This time around, this recreation will focus on celebrating the craftsmen, rather than the colonisers.
Cathy Hay standing next to the dress today; tarnished and decaying.
READ MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT:
Cathy Hay’s old blog (2011-2019): https://thepeacockdress.com/peacock-dress-questions/
The Peacock Dress today, and why it is in disrepair: https://thepeacockdress.com/project/the-peacock-dress-today/
Delving into the past of the Peacock Dress: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92R2X4f-e6A&t=523s&ab_channel=CathyHay
Making a start on the new dress: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb0jPc-3Nmw&ab_channel=CathyHay
Hi Marika, I loved reading this post! I remember you talking in class about the peacock dress, and I’m so glad you elaborated further on it because it was very enjoyable to find out more 🙂 Your line “Considering positionality was something that felt innate, yet evil at the same time” is a very interesting one – I forget sometimes (especially taking English and sociology) that personal experience is often something so removed from research and scholarship, something I was talking to Kylie about. In some disciplines, putting the personal back in is such an ingrained part of what we do – in sociology we had to write a socio-autobiography connecting theoretical concepts to our own experiences, and in English I’ve spent the whole year writing about individual perception and our connection to metanarratives such as ‘truth’ and ‘the real’. It can be quite grounding reading such heavy discourse on war theory – I remember our first readings on sociological perspectives of war that seemed so impartial – not connected to positionality very much at all. So when you say that as a science conjoint, you almost had to lie down after hearing that personal perspective was crucial to the humanities and research we could be doing in the future, I must admit I had a little giggle. It really is an important idea, and I loved Dr Madhavi Manchi’s lecture for the same reason, that it really challenges ideas of academic writing being purely objective ‘fact’ and not interacting very much with the positionality of the researcher or the people the records are written about. The idea of the peacock dress is a very special one – it was an aspect of history that was problematic and reinvented in a way that gave recognition to the embroiderers and the intricacy and beauty of the craft. Thank you for your post, and all the best for exams!
This is such a fantastic read, Marika, and it brings up an interesting ethical question surrounding research. We can research and recreate things, but should we? This is a great example of someone who, by recognizing their position relative to a culture, was able to engage with it and conclude she could recreate a masterpiece, subverting its original meaning into something far better.