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Dr Nic

@eldergoth.bsky.social
975 followers 887 following 1.5K posts

Medieval dress historian 1200-1500. Creative practice researcher: re-creating historic (medieval) dress as academic practice. "Grim(m) Perspectives: Stitching Tales of Self" www.ros.hw.ac.uk/handle/10399/5406

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Reposted by Dr Nic
Theobald Tiger 🦋 @theobaldtiger.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Moin, Ruhe jetzt! 🐦
Das Bild zeigt eine surreal wirkende Illustration mit zwei Vogelnestern auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen eines Astes.

Im oberen Nest sitzt ein kleiner Vogel mit geöffnetem Schnabel, als würde er rufen oder singen. Direkt darunter befindet sich ein zweites Nest mit einem dunkleren Vogel. Dieser hält mit seinem Flügel oder Schnabel eine kleine Bürste oder einen Rechen, der an einer Schnur nach oben geführt wird.

Die Schnur verbindet beide Nester – sie scheint vom unteren Vogel aktiv bewegt zu werden, als würde er damit das obere Nest beeinflussen oder „bearbeiten“. Die Szene wirkt symbolisch und leicht absurd, fast wie eine Metapher für Abhängigkeit, Kontrolle oder Fürsorge zwischen den beiden Vögeln.

Der Hintergrund ist schlicht und in warmen Beigetönen gehalten, wodurch die beiden Nester und die ungewöhnliche Handlung im Mittelpunkt stehen.
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Does anyone else have theme songs for their pets?
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
While it's not Caturday anymore, I should be excused for missing it owing to 12 hour PhD correction marathon days. This is my workspace, those two furry darlings make me happy.
panorama shot of my desk, monitor in the middle, lights to the right and to the left, and my two cats, one black and one white with black spots. snoozing together on a soft pad to the left of the keyboard
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
'Teaching-only staff at Sheffield Hallam University are set to be moved into a subsidiary firm, leaving research intensive scholars the only academics still being employed directly by the institution.' Utterly inequitable & betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the teaching/research nexus. 1/3
timeshighereducation.com
Sheffield Hallam restricts TPS access to REF academics only
Teaching staff at post-92 institution to be employed by subsidiary firm and lose right to access expensive pensions scheme
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Graham Taylor @pottedhistory.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Today I'll be mostly decorating replicas of the Nether Largie South Cairn, Chalcolithic beaker, and here you can see the tools I'll be using. But it hides some very useful archaeological evidence, if you'd like to know more visit our YouTube channel youtu.be/TlA22i7vpx8?... #archaeology 🏺
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
I am posting more medieval-early modern precious fabric piecings, because I've taken so many museum photos over the last 10 years it would be a shame not to. This one is from Museum Schnuetgen in Cologne, taken in August 2015, 📷me CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Dalmatic vestment fabric & trimmings c.1450 🧵1/4
Full view of c.1450 dalmatic in glass case. It is made of dark blue voided/cut silk velvet in a large organic pattern and has tablet woven brocaded bands down the front side seams, across the chest, and narrower ones along the sleeves, side seams, and all edges.
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
My darling Tristan, how is snoozing on the printer comfortable? Cats are (adorable) weirdos.
White cat with black Dalmation spots snoozing on a printer that is hard plastic.
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Happy Caturday. Still working in the corrections (or trying to, Tristan is “helping”). That’s what I get for veering into several disciplines. 😸
A black standing desk for a laptop is in a sunny Scottish conservatory. Yes, sunny and Scottish isn’t always an oxymoron. An open laptop is in the top shelf, an open print edition of a thesis is on the shelf below. There is no chance to actually work on typing changes into the Word document, because a white cat with a black back of his head is sitting smack bang on the thesis. His head is turned to look at the laptop screen.
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Anand @calmerfuture.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
people in the environment can be good for the environment I was trying to explain this a few weeks ago to someone, but British culture is so estranged and alienated from its own industrial countryside, and Victorian/colonial gamekeeper lenses of conservation, all soaked in Malthusian fear
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Can anyone recommend literature on paradata in archaeology, arts, heritage? I hadn't come across the term until today and something's tickling my brain i.e. wanting to make connections. #MedievalSky
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
I tried drawing tablets with pens before iPad and Apple pen, but you know what? I prefer paper and pencils. I am not artist, but one does not need to be an artist to enjoy drawing or painting. Bunch of extant object studies for one of the artefacts I have been creating.
Photo of one of my sketchbooks showing coloured pencil and pencil drawings of gem stones and settings from the 12th century, and embroidery designs
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Once I’ve moved to Germany, I’ll join the village choir. I was reassured that it doesn’t matter that I can’t actually sing. 🫣
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 19/01/2025
Getting around restrictions: Schlotheuber, E. (2010) 'Best Clothes and Everyday Attire of Late Medieval Nuns', in Schwinges, R.C., Schorta, R. & Oschema, K. (eds.) Fashion and clothing in late Medieval Europe. Riggesberg; Basel: Abegg-Stiftung, pp. 139-154. abegg-stiftung.ch/publikation/...
abegg-stiftung.ch
Fashion and Clothing in Late Medieval Europe / Mode und Kleidung im Europa des späten Mittelalters - Abegg-Stiftung
Das Buch präsentiert die Beiträge einer interdisziplinären Tagung, die 2006 vom Historischen Institut der Universität Bern und der Abegg-Stiftung organisiert wurde. Drei Themenkreise stehen im Mittelp...
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 26/01/2025
Herjolfsnes in the Southern tip of Greenland was inhabited from start of Norse settlement to its end. Excavated byDanish archaeologist in 1921, very well preserved clothing was found in the cemetery. Now in the National Museum in Copenhagen 📷Amica Sundström & Maria Neijman historicaltextiles.org 2/
Child's dress in a glass display case in the museum. It is simply cut, as all clothing of the period, because why cut something in silly fancy ways when there is a straightforward way of clothing the body. Long sleeves, scoop nec, and a wide gore set into the skirt at the front, to turn the narrow width into a skirt.
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
I'm going to post medieval sumptuary laws recs for the next few days. Muzzarelli, M. G. (2009) 'Reconciling the Privilege of a Few with the Common Good: Sumptuary Laws in Medieval and Early Modern Europe', Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, 39(3), pp. 597-617. doi.org/10.1215/1082...
doi.org
Reconciling the Privilege of a Few with the Common Good: Sumptuary Laws in Medieval and Early Modern Europe | Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies | Duke University Press
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Chenciner, R. (2000) Madder red: a history of luxury and trade: plant dyes and pigments in world commerce and art. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon. "The secret and devilishly complex Oriental dyeing process to obtain the lustrous colour known as Turkey Red was avidly sought by Europeans"
Book cover of "madder red" in a very bright, not unexpectedly, red. In the middle is a drawing of madder plants in blue on white.
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
If you see this, post a knight. (1250-75 BnF Français 2186 Li Romanz de la poire)
13th century manuscript illumination of a knight and his lady. On the top he is sitting, in full armour and heraldic tunic, she stands and is giving him a piece of fine cloth. On the bottom he is on his horse, which looks as if it were in the middle of a gallop. She is handing him his standard, with her cloth fixed on the top.
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Sara Ellis-Nilsson (she/her), PhD 🕊️ @ellisnilsson.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
Still true.
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
My wild Friday evening commenceth. Proofreading the final thesis version with Virgin Mojito and cats (out of sight) in the (rarely) sunny conservatory.
Photo of a thick, printed thesis on my lap. The lap isn't visible. On a small square, deep pink table are a Belvoir lime and yuzu bottle, a soda stream water bottle  and a tall filled glass. The late afternoon sun is streaming in, illuminating glass candle lantern  and cat fois containers on the windowsill.
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WeRateDogs @weratedogs.com · 27/02/2026
Here are the Top 5 Dogs of the week!
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Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes @lemoustier.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
🧪🦣🏺 I'm quoted here, and much of what I spoke about with Carl echoes April's comments. Extra thoughts: 1. nice new piece for extending complexity in how we think about #Neanderthal interactions, though as authors note, multiple mechanisms (not just mate choice) possibly active in X chromo patterns
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
I can make clothes - I hope someone will hunt for food for me, and I'll make togs in return. Thanks to reenactment, I do know how to make fires at least.
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
I turned my living room into a photo studio last night. Photographing red fabric is hard! One red silk, one red velvet. While not perfect, the final shots are better than any I tried before without the setup. Completed outfits are part of my creative practice PhD #HistoricDress #MedievalDress
Wide shot of a living room with black floor and white, glass-doored bookshelves. In the centre is a mannequin with a c.1200 CE red silk floor length dress, standing in front of a grey backdrop. To the right and the left are diffuser lamps, and in the centre front the camera is visible on a tripod, Inception-like.
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Hoffmann-de Keijzer et al. (2013) 'The colours and dyeing techniques of prehistoric textiles from the salt mines of Hallstatt', in Grömer et al. (eds.) Textiles from Hallstatt: weaving culture in Bronze Age and Iron Age salt mines: Vol. 29 Archaeolingua. Budapest, pp. 135-162. tinyurl.com/3enan36r
tinyurl.com
Textiles from Hallstatt. Weaving Culture in Bronze and Iron Age Salt Mines. Textilien aus Hallstatt. Gewebte Kultur aus dem bronze- und eisenzeitlichen Salzbergwerk (Karina Grömer, Anton Kern, Hans Re...
The salt mine of Hallstatt is home to more that 700 individual textile fragments, which makes it the the largest corpus of prehistoric textile finds in Europe (next to the textiles from the Dürrnberg ...
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
Hartl, A., Proaño Gaibor, A. N., van Bommel, M. R. and Hoffmann-de Keijzer, R. (2015) 'Searching for blue: Experiments with woad fermentation vats and an explanation of the colours through dye analysis', Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2, pp. 9-39. doi.org/10.1016/j.ja...
image from the article which shows many samples of wool with different colours throughout the woad dyeing process
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
Hopping a few thousand years into the future from yestereday's rec: Hayward, M. (2007) 'Crimson, Scarlet, Murrey and Carnation: Red at the Court of Henry VIII', Textile History, 38(2), pp. 135-150. doi.org/10.1179/0040... #EarlyModern #DressHistory
doi.org
Crimson, Scarlet, Murrey and Carnation: Red at the Court of Henry VIII
Red, in all its various shades, was a colour with many associations at the court of Henry VIII. This article presents a thematic analysis of the key circumstances when red clothing was worn at Henr...
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SGSAH @sgsah.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
⏱️ Just one week left to apply ⏱️
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
Aimed at conservators, the book is about most used dyestuffs for textiles. Hofenk de Graaff, J. H., Roelofs, W. G. T. and Bommel, M. R. v. (2004) The colourful past: origins, chemistry and identification of natural dyestuffs. Riggisberg, Switzerland: Abegg-Stiftung. tinyurl.com/3r4hnvud
archetype.co.uk
Our Titles > the Colourful Past
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Hilary Davidson @fourredshoes.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
FYI, Academia.edu has changed its terms of service to give an irrevocable worldwide license for anything uploaded to its site to be used for generative AI. I do not consent to this and have pulled all my papers.
academia.edu
Academia.edu - Find Research Papers, Topics, Researchers
Academia.edu is the platform to share, find, and explore 50 Million research papers. Join us to accelerate your research needs & academic interests.
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Happy Caturday from Tristan
White cat with black spots twisted and halfway lying on his back with legs every which way. He is on a soft pad on top of a white desk, beside a keyboard. He is looking at the camera.
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
Collaboration between University of Edinburgh's School of Chemistry and National Museum of Scotland: Ferreira, E. S. B., Hulme, A. N., McNab, H. and Quye, A. (2004) 'The natural constituents of historical textile dyes', CHEMICAL SOCIETY REVIEWS, 33(6), pp. 329-336. doi.org/10.1039/b305...
doi.org
The natural constituents of historical textile dyes
The sources and structures of dyes used to colour Western historical textiles are described in this tutorial review. Most blue and purple colours were derived from indigo—obtained either from woad or ...
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Back when the sleeve embroidery bands were in progress. Dark blue taffeta silk, split stitch and stem stitch red silk floss embroidery, and gold surface couching. This was for the c.1200 dress artefact I am creating. #CreativePractice #MakingasAcademicPractice
Photo of embroidery in process. Dark blue taffeta silk, split stitch and stem stitch red silk floss embroidery, and gold surface couching.
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Dr Murray Cook @stirlingdigger.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
My latest blog is all about the oldest image of Stirling Castle open.substack.com/pub/stirling...
open.substack.com
The oldest image of Stirling Castle and Stirling!
Some thoughts on the oldest surviving images of Stirling Castle
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
A lovely wee introduction to the broad, diverse and fascinating subject of how and why people coloured textiles. Kay-Williams, S. (2013) The story of colour in textiles: imperial purple to denim blue. London: Bloomsbury. www.bloomsbury.com/uk/story-of-...
book cover of the story of colour in textiles. four images of textiles are shown. on the top is a yellow silk with what seems like stylised flowers, on the top right a blue with a delicate geometric woven design in white. bottom left is a sumptuous red brocade and on the right a blue on white chinoiserie
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
Throughout the month of February I am posting recs for research on natural dyes and (textile) colours in the Middle Ages. I am starting with the 'holy book': Cardon, D. (2007) Natural dyes: sources, tradition, technology and science. Translated by: Higgitt, C. London: Archetype Publications.
Book cover with the title in a red square in the middle: Natural Dyes. The background is a photo of coloured fibres under a microscope.
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Dr Owain Connors @owainconnors.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Who is the current Jacobite pretender to the throne? Now would probably be a good time for them to make themselves known…
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Ulrike Graßnick @ulrikegrassnick.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
"We have today arrested a man in his sixties ..." #medievalsky @labnf.bsky.social @gallicabnf.bsky.social Français 2643, f. 197v
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PJ Holden @pauljholden.com · 19/02/2026
shove yer ai up yer hole, this is where it's at.
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Advertise your accent with a gif
media.tenor.com
a man in a jacket and tie is sitting at a table in a restaurant with a glass of water .
Alt: Alan Partridge in a jacket and tie is sitting at a table in a restaurant with a glass of water. He shrugs expressively
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Yes! Finally! No one must be exempt from the law. This has been appalling for so many years, that whjole royal-this, royal-that. Pah.
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Hildur Knútsdóttir @hildur.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
I regularly see people wondering how it's possible that there are so many musicians and writers and film makers and artists from a tiny nation like Iceland. And the answer is really simple: State funding for art education and artists. I literally get a salary from the government to write books.
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Museum Bums @museumbums.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
When you turn up for the Saltburn themed party, but Jacob Elordi's not in the bath 😥 👍🏛️🍑 #MuseumBums "Cernnunos", 2021 by Christophe Charbonnel, at Château du Plessis-Brion 😁
A bronze statue of a figure stood with a deer skull on their head, but with their head bent down as of they're sad
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
I only peripherally noticed the LaBubu craze (yes, I am late). Fellow Gen Xers, remember Mon Cichis?
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
1465 detail of Adoration of the Magi by Dieric Bouts the older. I took the photos in 2015 in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. Her dark blue dress is lined with grey fur, and look at the finely frilled edge of her pinned-up linen wimple. A shift peeks through at her neckline. #HistoricDress
15th century painting, the detail shows a woman in a dark blue dres standing and looking down. Her headddress is a fine white linen wimple with frilled edges pinned up on her head.
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
That moment, last year, when the tablet weaving won. The first tablet weaving, the second won as well.
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Dr Tom Horne @hornesupremacy.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
💥 A Whole Lot of History 💥 Post-excavation finds processing from the Neolithic site of Ness of Brodgar on Orkney, one of Europe’s most important prehistoric discoveries, has revealed a 5,000-year-old fragment of decorated stone. More: open.substack.com/pub/historyh...
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Happy Valentine's Caturday from Tristan and Giro
Two cats are lying side by side on a desk. The left one is white with black Dalmation spots, and the right one is black with a sliver of white chin showing. Their heads are turned toward each other.
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Abstracts for the Historical Clothing and Textiles in Europe 3-day conference 26-28 February 2026. #MedievalSky #DressHistory zenodo.org/records/1863...
zenodo.org
Historical Clothing and Textiles in Europe ABSTRACTS
This volume brings together the abstracts of papers presented at the thematic conference Historical Clothing and Textiles in Europe, organised by the Institute of Latvian History at the Faculty of Hum...
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Not Friday any longer, but worth a repost. Glorious burial clothes c.1600.
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Dr Nic @eldergoth.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
1503-06 The mocking of Christ, Matthias Grünewald. Photos by me taken in 2015, Alte Pinakothek, Munich. Note the interesting hose construction, including a crotch gusset similar to underarm gussets. I picked out the seams in yellow to show their position. #DressHistory
1503-06 The mocking of Christ in full. In the front is a man from the back, wearing tight hose and a short doublet.Closeup of the man's trouser seat with interesting panels in the constructionCloseup of the leg and a different view of the construction seams, also picked outCloseup of the man's trouser seat with interesting panels in the construction, drawn on in yellow to show where they are
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