Shelton, WA
A Revealing History of Women’s Underwear
$575
To Purchase Contact 23 Sandy Gallery
About this Book
A Revealing History of Women’s Underwear is 4 1/8 x 5/8 x 9 inches. It has 9 pages of historical text, 5 printed images, a title page and a 2 page colophon that includes some research references. The text was digitally set and letterpress printed from polymer plates on Arches Text Wove, and the lacy borders were hand set and letterpressed as well. The 5 pressure printed images were printed on Kumoi. The Karakusa cover paper was hand dyed by the artist. The shaped pages were hand cut and glued at the bottom fore-edge to create an accordion which was then sewn with an unsupported exposed spine stitch. The book comes in a burgundy brocade covered box with an incised shell button on the front. Edition of 90.
A Revealing History of Women’s Underwear was inspired by seeing two items together—an altered book, its pages folded back from the corners, and a print of a woman in Victorian dress. I instantly envisioned a book shaped like a dress that opened to reveal underwear.
Research brought surprises. One was that most underwear history is above the waist, not below, and that underclothes were worn to protect the outer-clothes from the body, which was infrequently washed. It was revealing to study the changes in modesty, back and forth, through the centuries. Most of this history is European, and changes in the Royal Court, politics, religion, and class can all be studied through the lens of underwear history. It seems we are, after all, what we wear.
The “underwear” is pressure printed from doll clothes. I bought a few, made a few, and borrowed a few, altering them all.
The final year of creating this book I ended a 12-year relationship, met someone new, married, moved twice, and built a new studio. Practically everyone I knew was helping me finish this book while my life transformed as rapidly and thoroughly as changing clothes from the underwear out.
Artist Biography
Catherine Alice Michaelis is a printmaker and letterpress printer publishing under May Day Press since 1991. Catherine makes letterpress printed editioned artist books, prints, and printed objects and has an on-going plant themed subscription. Her work is collected in over forty libraries and museums, and she has won both Book Art and design awards.
Catherine’s themes are usually derived from the plant world and the sacred, but she has been known to stray. With a passion for research, and a belief all things are connected, she sometimes gets into an odd corner she can only print her way out of.
All images and text copyright the artist. All rights reserved.
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