Stella Mary Newton
Encyclopedia
Stella Mary Newton, née Pearce (17 April 1901, London
– 18 May 2001, London) was an English fashion designer and dress historian, who brought the history of fashion to bear on art history
and the dating of paintings.
Stella Mary Pearce was the daughter of Georgiana Mary Hoby, a concert pianist, and Henry Pearce, a Manchester bookseller and socialist. Educated at Withington Girls' School
, she then moved to London with her mother and joined Frank Benson
's Shakespearean Company to become an actress. Turning to costume design
, she became an assistant to George Sheringham
and then an independent designer, designing for T. S. Eliot
's pageant play The Rock
(1934) and his Murder in the Cathedral
(1935). and The family Reunion.
Designing for theatre and fashion, she opened her own shop in the 1930s. In 1936 she married the art critic Eric Newton. During the war they lectured on art history and design for Cambridge University's extramural department. A developing expertise in the history of dress
enabled her to re-date paintings through the internal evidence of dress, as in her appendix to her husband's Tintoretto (1952). She worked as an adviser to the National Gallery
between 1952 and 1961. In 1965, she founded a new postgraduate course in the History of Dress at the Courtauld Institute of Art
, and ran it until 1976. Her students studied textile conservation as well as garment-making, and she encouraged Karen Finch to found the Textile Conservation Course at Hampton Court in 1975.
Newton received an OBE
in 1976. She was the subject of a 1990 documentary for Channel 4
's Third Wave.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
– 18 May 2001, London) was an English fashion designer and dress historian, who brought the history of fashion to bear on art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
and the dating of paintings.
Stella Mary Pearce was the daughter of Georgiana Mary Hoby, a concert pianist, and Henry Pearce, a Manchester bookseller and socialist. Educated at Withington Girls' School
Withington Girls' School
Withington Girls' School is an independent day school in Fallowfield, Manchester, United Kingdom, providing education for girls between the ages of seven and eighteen. Withington Girls' School is a member of the Girls' Schools Association and a MyDaughter school. Withington is consistently ranked...
, she then moved to London with her mother and joined Frank Benson
Frank Benson
Frank Benson may refer to:*Frank Benson , British actor-manager*Frank Weston Benson , American impressionist artist*Frank W. Benson...
's Shakespearean Company to become an actress. Turning to costume design
Costume design
Costume design is the fabrication of apparel for the overall appearance of a character or performer. This usually involves researching, designing and building the actual items from conception. Costumes may be for a theater or cinema performance but may not be limited to such...
, she became an assistant to George Sheringham
George Sheringham
George Sheringham , was a British painter and theatre designer. One of the first recipients of the Royal Designers for Industry distinction in 1937, he is remembered for his work for the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company....
and then an independent designer, designing for T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
's pageant play The Rock
The Rock (play)
The Rock was a pageant play with words by T. S. Eliot, first performed at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London on 28 May 1934.In a prefatory note Eliot disclaimed full responsibility for the text, saying "I cannot consider myself the author of the "play", but only of the words which are printed here." ...
(1934) and his Murder in the Cathedral
Murder in the Cathedral
Murder in the Cathedral is a verse drama by T. S. Eliot that portrays the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, first performed in 1935...
(1935). and The family Reunion.
Designing for theatre and fashion, she opened her own shop in the 1930s. In 1936 she married the art critic Eric Newton. During the war they lectured on art history and design for Cambridge University's extramural department. A developing expertise in the history of dress
History of Western fashion
The history of Western fashion is the story of the changing fashions in clothing for men and women in Western Europe and other countries under its influence from the 12th century to the present.-History of fashion by period:...
enabled her to re-date paintings through the internal evidence of dress, as in her appendix to her husband's Tintoretto (1952). She worked as an adviser to the National Gallery
National gallery
The National Gallery is an art gallery on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom.National Gallery may also refer to:*Armenia: National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan*Australia:**National Gallery of Australia, Canberra...
between 1952 and 1961. In 1965, she founded a new postgraduate course in the History of Dress at the Courtauld Institute of Art
Courtauld Institute of Art
The Courtauld Institute of Art is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. The Courtauld is one of the premier centres for the teaching of art history in the world; it was the only History of Art department in the UK to be awarded a top...
, and ran it until 1976. Her students studied textile conservation as well as garment-making, and she encouraged Karen Finch to found the Textile Conservation Course at Hampton Court in 1975.
Newton received an OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1976. She was the subject of a 1990 documentary for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Third Wave.
Works
- Health, Art and Reason: dress reformers of the 19th century, 1974
- Renaissance Theatre Costume and the Sense of the Historic Past, 1975
- Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince: a study of the years 1340-1365, 1980
- The Dress of the Venetians, 1495-1525, 1988
External links
- Tim Wheeler, Portrait of Stella Newton, The Courtauld Institute of Art, 1991. More details here
- Elizabeth O'Kelly, Stella Mary Newton, nee Pearce