Saturday 12 November 2005

Venue : The Mayor's Parlour, Dewsbury Town Hall
Subject: 'Borrowed Plumes'

The interest, knowledge and specialities of our membership are as varied as the paths which brought them to our door. Two such members addressed a similar subject from two very diverse angles, highlighting their expertise and appropriate reasearch.

Katina Bill is Secretary of the Textile Society and Colelctions Assistant for Kirklees Museums, based at the Tolson Museum in Huddersfield and the Red House Museum in Gomersall. Katina talked about women wearing trousers, research she undertook for her BA in Staffordshire. She discussed the particular styles women wore during the 1930's and the influences and effect of this clothing within a provincial town.

By contrast, Peter Farrer, from Liverpool, enlightened us about his extensive research into correspondence concerning cross-dressing, gleaned from Victorian and Edwardian newspapers and journals. Having retired from a career as a Civil Servant, Peter has compiled ten books on the subject to date. Our title mimics one of these.

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