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Dedicated to the study of material things and the stories they tell.

Dr Catriona Fisk is a dress historian, women's and gender historian and material culture specialist. Across curatorial and academic work she aims to enhance and expand studies of the ‘stuff’ of past lives. Fisk has published research and exhibition catalogues, academic journals articles, blog posts and conference papers on historic clothing. Her expertise spans fashion and dress, design history, museum studies, visual and material culture, women’s history and the history of pregnancy and childbirth.

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Skills

Collections Research

Curation

Editing and Proofreading

Exhibition Catalogues

Research Assistance

Lectures and Presentations

Archival Research

Scholarly Research and Publishing

University Teaching

 
Back with some historic images after a looong posting break. Looking into c20th images of maternity and this one strikes an interesting note. It’s a reminder of the range of experiences of pregnancy that fall outside the domestic ideal image
Hello mannequin padding my old friend ... Going through outtakes and major shapes from yesterday’s photo session with the excellent @sarahbendall_fashionhistory and her lovely reproduction of the Verney bodies with maternity stomacher (c1665-
Bathing machines, bustles, bonnets, baskets and a breeze across the beach. A day at Coogee Bay, Sydney in the late 1880s. Glass plate negative, Henry King. Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, 85/1285-345. #historicsydney #oldsydney #nineteenthcentu
Medical student wearing protective clothing during Influenza epidemic, Sydney, 1919. University of Sydney archives, G3_224_1050. According to the archives this possibly depicts Cawley Madden, one of many medical students who assisted local doctors d
Boudoir jacket and lace cap. ‘Maternity and Infants’ Garments,’ Women’s Institute of Domestic Arts & Sciences, 1917. #fashionhistory #dresshistory #maternityfashion #vintagematernity #1910s
Digging out some comforting classics from the cook book stash in search of meal inspiration. This amazing pair, first published in 1971 and 1972 (no kidding), offer earthy tips and quirky recipes. Published by Gala Books of Laguna Beach CA, the cover
Traditional/peasant costume is frequently easily adaptable to breastfeeding and pregnancy. Artists often depict mothers, especially rural/farming women, nursing in these outfits. This suggests something of the connection between national identity, ru
1920s Maternity Dress. Detroit Historical Society, 1961.001.003. I often study garments lying flat on tables, sometimes because of poor condition, but it’s when you see them on forms that the maternity-appropriate shape becomes really clear. V
Exciting book delivery waiting for me when I got home. Karen Hearn’s accompanying catalogue for the exhibition at The Foundling Museum. 58 intriguing images of the pregnant body from 15th century religious imagery to Serena Williams on Vanity F
Some action shots from yesterday’s paper on experimentation and transformation in domestic maternity dress at the scintillating American Everyday conference. Images courtesy of @doris_ddl. #materialmaternity