Reforming Womens Fashion 18501920 Politics Health and Art Pantaloons and Power Review
Volume 3 Issue 1 Article 9 - 2020
Fashioning the Bookish and Individual Self: The Clothing of Johanna Westerdijk in the Context of her Biography
By Marta Kargól
Abstract
This article aims to analyze the clothing of Dutch botanist Johanna Westerdijk (1883–1961) in connection with her biography, academic career, and character. A thorough analysis of changes and constants in her clothing reveals her personal style and approach to fashion, fabricated possible due to the significant number of Westerdijk's portraits — the primary source for this study. Her sartorial sense, as seen in these photographs, mirrors the manner in which Westerdijk defined herself, both equally a woman and scholar. The variety of Westerdijk'south portraits allow us to analyze her article of clothing during official ceremonies, at work, in daily life situations, her travel outfits as well as her dressing-upwards and cross-dressing practices. This article indicates that these visual sources provide interesting insights into how Westerdijk fashioned herself. The purpose of the commodity is to investigate the extent to which research into biography and apparel history can exist mutually illuminating.
Keywords
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Johanna Westerdijk
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Academic career
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Female dress
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Approach to fashion
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Biography
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Identity
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Personal style
Introduction
On January 1st, 1917, 34-year-old Johanna Westerdijk was the get-go woman in kingdom of the netherlands to be awarded the championship of professor at the Academy of Utrecht. On the Jan 20th of the same year, a photograph of Westerdijk in her workplace was published in the mag Eigen Haard (Figure 1). The photograph shows Westerdijk in a white blouse with pleats and slightly puffy sleeves. Her smoothly combed hair is pinned to the back of her caput, with light, round eyeglasses resting on the span of her nose. Another photo in De Indische Mercuur (Effigy 2) was published in the aforementioned year, showing Westerdijk seated behind her desk, flanked by exam tubes and enquiry instruments. Her elegant blouse has a continuing frilly neckband, like to the ends of the sleeves that adorned her wrists. Both pictures are certainly meant to depict the prototype of an intellectual and educated woman. Simultaneously, they trigger several questions: what is the relevance of article of clothing in these images? What was the significance of appearance and wear in the private and professional person lives of Johanna Westerdijk? Does clothing play a major role in negotiating the position of a female academic professional in the social space of the university? What does the clothing reveal about the human relationship between the private and professional lives of Westerdijk?
Thus, this article aims to analyze Westerdijk sartorially in connexion with her biography, academic career, and grapheme. A thorough assay of changes and constants in her clothing reveals her personal style and approach to way. The vesture, as seen in photographs, mirrors how Westerdijk divers herself, both equally a woman and a scholar.
Figure 1
Johanna Westerdijk behind her desk-bound, 1917. Collection: Atria. The Establish on Gender Equality and Women's History in Amsterdam. Kennisinstituut voor Emancipatie en Vrouwengeschiedenis in Amsterdam (100005720).
Effigy ii
Johanna Westerdijk in her laboratory, 1917. Atria. The Plant on Gender Equality and Women's History in Amsterdam (100005719).
The biography of this outstanding botanist has been extensively examined alongside all aspects of her personal and professional life (Faasse, 2012). This monographic written report is based on a careful analysis of written sources (official and personal documents) equally well as oral history. The career path of the Dutch scholar includes the mechanisms and networks of academia, which posed as obstacles to Westerdijk or, on the reverse, created the perfect circumstance for a woman pursuing a professional person career. Modest yet meaningful anecdotes, besides equally testimonies from those who knew Westerdijk, allowed the writer to reconstruct her personality traits and relationships with other academics and students. Biographical facts are incorporated in several articles discussing the role of Westerdijk in the evolution of found pathology (Kerling et al., 1986; Zadoks & Van Bruggen, 2008; Boonekamp et al., 2019). She is also included in the historical canon of women who were pioneers of the female presence in academia (Bosch, 1994; Faasse, 2019). In these studies, Westerdijk's professional evolution is discussed as a model for female academics. The consideration of her personal perception regarding her position in the academic world as well every bit her attitude towards the feminist movement, women's teaching, and her students are vital to this report (Bosch 1988; Bosch, 1994, Pegtel, 2018). The visual sources discussed in this article appear in the aforementioned publications, and take notwithstanding to be explored in previous studies. This instance written report contributes to the advancement of research on how wear and biography influence and shape i another.
The Portraits of Johanna Westerdijk'
More than five hundred images of Johanna Westerdijk exist, including group portraits, landscapes, and images of interiors. Most photographs of Westerdijk are stored in the "Atria: Found on Gender Equality and Women's History" archive in Amsterdam. The pick of photographs found in this study provide the farthest-reaching possible illustration of different moments in Westerdijk'south life likewise as a variety of daily situations and activities. Moreover, this choice is made upwards primary of the photographs that comport additional information on the time and the specific circumstances in which they were taken.
These photographs were taken between 1900 and 1959; however, the Atria collection does not include whatever of her portraits betwixt 1920 and 1930. Photographs of Westerdijk are either located as private objects in the drove, or office of the professor's individual photo albums, making them particularly useful for the interpretation Westerdijk's dress. Some pictures in these albums are also accompanied past captions that provide contextual information, and many of the photos are dated, making the need for any estimations regarding her historic period or otherwise, unnecessary. The drove includes photos from diverse ceremonies and events such every bit bookish promotions, travels, and field enquiry. These terminal two categories are important because they help place unusual situations requiring specific wear, making it beneficial for reading the attitude of the researcher in relation to her own sartorial sense.
Westerdijk'southward photos at work merit examination. Many portraits draw the Dutch scholar at her desk-bound, in which the professor is seen reading, writing, or researching. The assumption is that tertiary parties had an bear on on the image creation; thus, caution is necessary in the interpretation of these pictures and the habiliment worn. More than reflecting the scholar'southward personality, these pictures draw the typical image of a (female) professor. Undoubtedly, these images are unusual for the manner in which Westerdijk was included as a female person scholar into a public space. That is, nearly of her portraits published in the printing were oftentimes taken at her desk or in laboratory, highlighting the necessity to focus on female person academics' professional positions in club to negate stereotypes and biases (Carli et al., 2016, pp. 244-260).
The method of analyzing the photos is accomplished through repeated observations that prompt new questions and answers. Another useful approach involves comparing photographs, analyzing them in different arrangements and paying attention to the smallest details, exceptions, and repetitions.
Biographical and Historical Facts
Johanna Westerdijk was born in Nieuwer-Amstel, N Holland, the netherlands, on January fourth, 1883, into a well-established family unit of physicians (Faasse, 2012, p. 13). Her parents shared with her their passion for fine art, music (she was a talented pianist), and of course nature (Faasse, 2012, p. fifteen-28). She studied in Amsterdam and Munich and received her PhD from the Academy of Zürich (Faasse, 2012). Westerdijk became a prominent botanist, specializing in the cultures of fungi, and in 1917, she was appointed the first female person professor in the Netherlands at the Utrecht University (Faasse, 2012, p. 149). In 1930, Westerdijk likewise received the title of professor from the University of Amsterdam (Zadoks & Van Bruggen, 2008, p. 158). She travelled extensively to the Dutch Eastward Indies, Nihon, the Usa, Portugal, and South Africa to conduct research (Zadoks & Van Bruggen, 2008, p. 161, Faasse, 2012, p. 127).
At the age of twenty-3, Westerdijk was appointed the manager of Willie Commelin Scholten, a phytopathological laboratory in the Netherlands. She remained in this position for most of her life, until 1952. Initially, Westerdijk ran her laboratory in Amsterdam just moved the facility in 1921 to Baarn, a village near Utrecht, in a villa called Java (Schippers & Roosje, 1997, pp. 667-668). She developed the place into an academic colony where her students and subordinates worked and enjoyed leisure time together; it was also where she resided (Kerling et al., 1986, p. 39, Zadoks & Van Bruggen, 2008, p. 165). Westerdijk was a demanding mentor but did non underestimate the importance of celebration and creative entertainment. Together with her students, she fabricated music and performed plays (Faasse, 2012, p. 140). The villa also served every bit an asylum where she could distance herself from the male dominated academic environment and perform her job without being constantly forced into confrontation with her womanhood (Bosch, 1994, pp. 426-428).
Both male and female person students were welcome in Westerdijk's laboratory, but she had an admittedly special bond with her female person students, whom she exceptionally supported on their professional path (Pegtel, 2018, p. 109). Although she enjoyed their personal happiness, she regretted it when marriages ended their carrier (Faasse, 2012, p. 331; Pegtel, 2018, p. 109). The fact that during the menstruum many women could non combine family life with a professional job explains her desire to never get married and her conclusion to focus on her academic career. Under Dutch law, married women were not allowed to participate in the labour market. This situation lasted until 1957 (Kloek, pp. 194-201). Westerdijk was neither politically engaged nor a declared feminist, simply she openly fought against social restrictions on women and was devoted to female higher teaching. Considering of this attitude, Westerdijk was described as an academic feminist (Bosch, 1994, pp. 408-412).
When she was a teenager, she started calling herself Hans — a popular Dutch male name—expressing her modify ego and association with her cross-dressing practices (Faasse, 2012, p. 20). Westerdijk dressed as a man merely in her youth, and she did it sporadically, especially during her journeys when her womanhood felt similar a limitation (Bosch, 1994, pp. 420-421; Faasse, 2012, p. 68). At the end of her career, she claimed that beingness a adult female had never been an obstacle in her academic progress (Bosch, 1988, p. 174), which was more than of a reflection of her own attitude rather than the reality. The position of the Willie Commelin Scholten director was given to her as the institution was in a rather poor state, and none of respected male person scientists would accept the offer (Zadoks & Van Bruggen, 2008, p. 157; Faasse, 2012, pp. 83-92). Westerdijk used this opportunity to develop her career and contribute to the development of the institution (Kerling et al., 1986, p. 38; Bosch, 1994, pp. 399-104; Schippers, B., & Roosje, 1997, pp. 667-668, Boonekamp et al., 2019). Contemporary female person scientists, as well every bit female scientists today, face biases due to their gender in the context of their professional careers (LaFollette, 1988, pp. 262-275). Female scientists were often considered unusual, an attitude extended to Westerdijk as the first female professor in holland. Despite this, Westerdijk's personal view of her position in the academic surroundings seems to be more relevant for understanding her sartorial choices than the gendered social biases held against her status as a female academic (Zadoks & Van Bruggen, 2008, p. 158).
Space, Identify, and Circumstances
The first aspect regarding the role of clothing in the context of biography is the space in which it is worn. Space can exist distinguished into ii types — individual and public. Public space can be additionally divided into every day, and unusual. A university part and laboratory constituted Westerdijk's daily public spaces, while travelling tin be considered an unusual infinite. This changing everyday environment could create the need to conform wear to specific circumstances. Moreover, the change of the cultural environment in the example of more than distant travels has a significant influence on modifying one's vesture habits. These spaces can be assigned to various categories of activities such equally bookish celebrations, office work and fieldwork, and leisure fourth dimension and travels.
Bookish Celebrations
Official academic ceremonies were honoured by the obligatory attire assigned to them: an academic gown. The academic gown was, and is, an indicator of social function and position inside the university. When Westerdijk became a professor at the University of Utrecht in 1917, two official photos of her in an academic gown were taken, where the gown functions as a compatible informing the newly awarded university caste. One image portrays the private portrait of the researcher, where she stands proudly with a book in paw. The 2nd photo is a collective portrait of the bookish staff of the University of Utrecht, and Westerdijk is seated almost in the heart of the first row, surrounded by men (Figure iii). Some of those photographed also wore their academic gowns, while others wore traditional men's suits. Nether her bookish gown Westerdijk wears a long monochrome dress with sleeves ending in a slight frill. The femininity of the apparel does not diminish the seriousness of Westerdijk as an academic, but it does distinguish her from her male colleagues. This image reflects how she saw her position in the bookish globe, equally she claimed that being a woman was not an obstruction to her professional success (Bosch, 1988, p. 174), and she did non feel threatened amidst other male academics — she therefore had no reason to mask her femininity.
Another photograph taken for this occasion is an informal 1 (Figure 4). Here, Westerdijk also wears her academic gown, but she is surrounded by friends or students in theatre costumes. This photo was taken during a private feast honouring Westerdijk for receiving a professorship in 1917. The students wrote a play in which they described her life and career path. They wrote about her years as a student in Munich and Zurich, where she would celebrate at carnivals and take drinks with her friends (Faasse, 2012, p. 150). Furthermore, they wrote about Westerdijk'southward travels to Republic of india and her stay in Japan (Faasse, 2012, p. 156). The costumes in the photograph can exist linked to the specific events recorded in the play — ii women are in imitational costumes of Bavarian traditional clothes with large glasses of beer, recalling leisurely moments that Westerdijk enjoyed as a student. Other students are wearing free-flowing Indian dresses, and the figure with a whitened face in front of the photo is dressed as a geisha. This cultural appropriation would at the time accept been considered unharmful, peculiarly because of the individual space in which it occurred, despite the racist actions perpetrated by Westerdijk's students and overlooked by Westerdijk herself during this functioning. Seated among them, Westerdijk wears her bookish gown and is poised casually and comfortably. Transferring the academic gown to private life and making information technology an element of informal entertainment resulted in the gown losing its dignity and seriousness. The outfit became — side by side to the costumes worn by others — a disguise.
Effigy 3
The professorship promotion of Johanna Westerdijk, ten February 2017. Collection: The University of Utrecht Museum.
Figure 4
The commemoration of Westerdijk'southward professorship, 1917, Atria. The Institute on Gender Equality and Women'southward History in Amsterdam (100005718).
The usual accoutrements worn by Westerdijk for other solemn occasions also merit a discussion; for case, her outfit during the farewell celebration of the conclusion of her university career in 1952. Westerdijk manifestly wore a simple, long dress; however, close observation of preserved archival photographs reveals the original and effective elements of her outfit. The sleeves are peculiarly noteworthy — widened and elongated, cutting at the elbow resulting in a falling sleeve forming a blossom petal. In addition, the sleeves are elaborately designed with a bright ribbon, probably satin, classified by the characteristic gloss visible in the photo. Elegance distinguishes this outfit, which suggests that the Dutch researcher devoted special attending to this choice of clothes.
Part Piece of work and Fieldwork
Pictures showing Westerdijk seated behind the desk and working in the laboratory offer the impression of bundled portraits, some of which were published in the press. Still, one of Westerdijk'due south albums honouring the xx-fifth anniversary of receiving her professorship also included photos depicting her behind the desk, in conversation with her pupils. This album evokes the personal nature of her character, and most probable represents a souvenir of sorts. Humorous captions too accompany the pictures, validating the private nature of the photo album. All the outfits in which Westerdijk appears in these photographs — both formal and private — are similar. The advent of the bottom part of Westerdijk's outfit remains unknown, as the photos but show her seated behind the desk. However, the visible upper portion of her apparel confirms that her apparel is unproblematic yet elegant. These observations suggest that such types of clothing formed her everyday attire for piece of work. In the case of official photographs, the professor would have devoted special attending to the selection of the right outfit. In similar wear, she could exist constitute in her laboratory, working with test tubes or a microscope. She wore outfits that were neither too unconventional nor adorned with exaggerated decorations. Nevertheless, the simplicity of her clothing was oftentimes accompanied past subtle still captivating details institute at the neckline, button row, collar, and ties (Figure 5). She also worked in the botanical garden and the field in her usual dresses. In her 1937 portrait, nosotros can see Westerdijk grin from behind a shrub, attired in a blouse with a decorative froggy and a pattered cardigan. She wears a tiny necklace, while the scarf around her head is probably worn to avoid loosened pilus by wind which would interfere with her comfort (Figure 6). Oft, Westerdijk wore a long brim, blouse, or glaze in the field, making her outfits comfortable and suitable for fieldwork.
Effigy v
Johanna Westerdijk, 1940–1952. Collection: The University of Utrecht Museum (0285-6449).
Figure 6
Johanna Westerdijk, 1937. Collection: Atria. The Institute on Gender Equality and Women's History in Amsterdam (100006021).
Interestingly, no flick of Westerdijk in a white coat has survived. In the photographs, the professor's mentees working in the laboratory in Baarn are garbed in laboratory coats — prescribed piece of work compatible for the laboratory — but she wears her usual everyday apparel (Figure vii). This fact can be interpreted in unlike means. The lack of a laboratory coat may exist a consequence of the professor'southward personal preferences. A lack of glaze, especially in the after years of Westerdijk's career, may too emphasize her senior position. The laboratory coat was the compatible for an ordinary employee, which was not befitting of Westerdijk's post every bit the head of a research institute. In comparison, in a couple of the known pictures of the Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist Marie Curie-Skłodowska, she is seen posing in a laboratory in her working attire. Although the laboratory infinite highlights her position as researcher, she wears no lab coat only rather a simple, dark dress. Serious and modest outfits such as these were also worn by Curie-Skłodowska outside of her workplace, to highlight her position as a serious researcher rather than a wife and mother (Des, 2010, pp. 29-43). Perhaps Westerdijk, who remained unmarried, did non wish to mask her femininity with her wearing apparel all the same, as with Curie-Skłodowska, whose laboratory space was enough to communicate her professional position.
Figure seven
Johanna Westerdijk in the laboratory in Baarn, 1920–1952. Collection: Atria. The Institute on Gender Equality and Women's History in Amsterdam (100025674).
Leisure Time and Travel
Photographs from Westerdijk's strange travels institute an important source of noesis about her mental attitude towards clothing. In her youth, she particularly enjoyed exploring mountains, evident in a photo from the drove taken in 1907, depicting a young Westerdijk treading the snowy mural of Tirol in nearby Austria (Effigy viii). Once she wrote virtually purchasing special clothing and equipment for mountaineering that she used for the excursion on the following 24-hour interval (Faasse, 2012, p. 62). This chestnut reveals a practical approach to her clothing, that it needed to be comfy and suitable for the activity for which they were set aside. In the photograph, Westerdijk wears clothes already adapted by women for hiking in wintertime—a warm, long skirt, jacket, lid, gloves, walking stick, sturdy shoes with a flat bottom, and a rucksack. Both the activity and the appropriate garments were relatively new customs in this era. In early twentieth-century Europe, trousers were not an easily accepted chemical element of women'south habiliment, even out of other people'south view in the mountains, or during other outdoor activities. The photo shows the subject wearing a typical mountain-hiking outfit, as described in textbooks (Klemensiewicz, 1913, pp. 21-48). In contrast, some women used to explore mountains in corsets and high heels.
Figure eight
Johanna Westerdijk in the mountains, 1907. Collection: Atria. The Institute on Gender Equality and Women'due south History in Amsterdam (100005985).
Westerdijk's drove also includes several photographs of her wheel tours. A photo taken in 1906 shows her riding with her female person friends, all of whom wore long skirts, probably the divided ones meant for cycling and equus caballus riding. Yet, these were quite hard to distinguish from the usual skirts (Coppens, 1996, pp. 64-65; Van Godtsenhoven, 2012, p. 106). This identification is especially challenging in the case of this photo of Westerdijk with her friends due to the small image size. The women are standing side by side to their bicycles, and then the parting, indeed present, is invisible. During another ride with friends in 1917, Westerdijk is seen accompanied past two women and a human being. Both Westerdijk and the other women present in the picture show tin can be seen in bloomers, which cover their legs up to half of their calf. The cyclists wear comfortable flat shoes and head coverings, most probably meant to protect them from the sun (Figure 9). These aspects of their outfits again reveal a pragmatic approach to wearable. Over the white blouse, Westerdijk is also wearing a brusk coat, which seems to exist a cover for the upper half of her trunk from prying optics, serving a practical purpose. For her 1906 photo, Westerdijk could also accept chosen to wear bloomers, but it would have acquired a scandal at the time (Smith & Greig, 2003, pp. 161-163). In this case, Westerdijk decided to follow the trends in sport way and in doing so, fabricated certain to not stand up out among her female friends.
Figure 9
Westerdijk with her friends, 1917, Drove: Atria. The Constitute on Gender Equality and Women's History in Amsterdam (100006004).
Westerdijk's trips to Asia and the US in 1914 are immortalized in more a dozen photographs. One picture shows her in a ii-piece dress, a direct-cut calorie-free sweatshirt, buttoned at the front, and pants with unproblematic soft hat on her head. Her ensemble was probably originally a men's outfit but exudes a sense of comfort and appropriateness for travelling and field research. The photo was taken presently before the Great War, during which trousers became a more adequate chemical element of women's attire, at least for those who engaged in traditionally male-dominated work (Bass-Krueger & Kurkdjian, 2019, pp. 218-237). Another photograph from the trip shows Westerdijk in the same clothing, on a horse (Effigy 10). In the photograph, Westerdijk acts every bit a homo, wearing the same jacket, pants, soft head covering, a scarf under her chin and high, riding boots while riding the equus caballus astride. Right behind her is another woman riding side-saddle in her feminine attire. At the back cease, 4 other women are continuing in feminine outfits. At showtime glance, Westerdijk may appear to exist one of the men, also present in the photograph. The picture raises a question surrounding the extent of the daze Westerdijk's fellows may accept felt seeing her in trousers. At the time, American society recognized women wearing trousers; fifty-fifty every bit the dress reform movement was already in decline and nearly forgotten, information technology did influence the changes in fashion that occurred between 1900 and 1914 (Fischer, 2001). However, Westerdijk was the only woman in the visitor who opted to wear trousers during the circuit. No other like photographs of her (i.e., wearing such trousers) taken in Europe are available. The inference is that Westerdijk decided to clothing trousers in the United states because she plant herself outside her usual social context and in an environment where the idea was socially more acceptable than in Europe.
Effigy 10
Johanna Westerdijk in United States, 1914. Collection: Atria. The Institute on Gender Equality and Women's History in Amsterdam (100005929).
This masculine outfit worn by Westerdijk was not consistent throughout her travels. Several other photos from the US show her in a long skirt, long-sleeved blouse, and a hat. However, except the skirt, her overall appearance is quite masculine. On the contrary, a photo taken in Mexico depicts Westerdijk in a typically feminine and quite elegant outfit — a light, long-sleeved blouse with a wide collar busy with a nighttime bow, with a broach attached under the neckline. She also wears a very thin, long cervix-concatenation, barely visible on the bright blouse. She is seated somewhere in a field, allowing us to notice that she wears a white underskirt beneath her long, striped skirt and comfortable apartment shoes. Her head is protected by a nighttime hat with a slightly rolled up brim and a large floral ornament that stands out for its bright color (Figure 11). A hat was frequently found resting on Westerdijk's head, which was necessary during field research. During her trip to Japan, Westerdijk wore a light, white travel adapt. Her habiliment choices during her travels illustrate her preference for comfort, nevertheless the aesthetics of her outfits could vary betwixt masculine clothing to feminine ensembles.
Figure 11
Johanna Westerdijk in Mexico, 1914. Drove: Atria. The Institute on Gender Equality and Women's History in Amsterdam (100027422).
Apparel and Personality
In the following paragraphs, Westerdijk's practices of self-fashioning, costume-wearing and cross-dressing serve to delve into changes in her graphic symbol, both in personal and professional capacities.
Approach to Style
The extent to which Westerdijk followed the latest manner trends constitutes another key question regarding the connexion between biography and clothing. A comparison of the changes in Westerdijk'due south personal clothing mode to the fashion developments during her lifetime is i means of answering this question. Ane of the oldest preserved photographs of Westerdijk was taken some time in 1905 (Figure 12), depicting a young woman alongside her siblings. The photograph was certainly taken in the atelier, so the members of her family had carefully chosen their outfits. The iii sisters are seen wearing rather narrow blouses or dresses compared to the previous decade with a loftier stand-up collar and only slightly wrinkled sleeves. All the upper parts of their clothing are made of sophisticated fabrics, decorated with elements of lace, pleating, and embroidered matelassé; the blood brother wears a dark accommodate with a tie. These elegant outfits meet the fashion requirements of the fourth dimension, and this feature exemplifies the privileged social strata to which Westerdijk'southward family belonged.
Figure 12
Family unit Westerdijk, 1905. Collection: Atria. The Plant on Gender Equality and Women's History in Amsterdam (100027418).
Several photographs from the menstruum of Westerdijk's studies in Amsterdam accept survived. The start years of the twentieth century, a period when Edwardian fashion dominated Europe, were characterised past an S-bend silhouette, large hats, abundant lace, and decorations and puffy sleeves (Evans, 2013, pp. 43-lx). In addition, the corset was a mandatory part of this outfit, which gave the female figure a specific shape (Steele, 2001, pp. 147-151). However, Westerdijk chose a slightly unlike attire than set by these trends in upper-class spheres, dressing instead in clothes usually worn past women from the working course. Her elegant, yet rather modest outfits normally consisted of a long skirt (Wilson & Taylor, 1991, pp. 68-71). In a photograph with two other unidentified women, Westerdijk wears a patterned blouse with half-sleeves, buttoned at the forepart with a collar and a dark bow below (Figure 13). A couple of pictures from the first decade of the twentieth century depict Westerdijk in hats of relatively small sizes, rather than the huge, extensively decorated ones that dominated fashion from 1907, reaching its peak betwixt 1910–1912 (Evans, 2013, pp. 32-33). This choice of accessories confirms her interest and post-obit of the fashion trends — but only to a sure bespeak.
Westerdijk opted for article of clothing worn by women who either lacked sufficient resource or preferred freedom of movement from the corset. Did Westerdijk herself wear a corset? The alternatives for corsets in the form of bust supporters (a type of brassiere) already existed in the showtime of the twentieth century (Cunningham, 2003, p. 85). A few women decided to abandon the corset, just some of them used both the corset and the bust supporter, depending on the circumstances. As for Westerdijk, she might take worn a corset for the photograph with her siblings — the type of tight blouse she wore required one during the period. On the opposite, the wider and looser blouses and long skirts she dressed in afterward could be worn with a brassiere.
Amidst the women who deferred following the newest fashion trends were indeed oft students and scholars, agile women, social activists, and feminists. A comparison of Westerdijk'southward clothing to the outfits of other European students from this period, including those who appear in her photographs, indicated that she did non deviate from the norm in this sense. The exception were Russian students whom Westerdijk met in Zürich. Inspired past nihilism, Russian students in Switzerland wore very casual wear and their pilus short (Freidenreich, 2002, p. 11). Westerdijk inappreciably succumbed to similar influences in everyday life, and the long skirt and blouse remained her favourite items of clothing at least until 1920. Unfortunately, no photographs of Westerdijk from the 1920s have survived. This deficit is pregnant considering it hinders the reconstruction of her reaction to the change in the length of women's clothing or the emergence of short haircuts that emerged beyond the decade.
In the 1930s, longer skirts and dresses became fashionable again and the waistline returned to its natural identify (Fukai, A. & Suoh, T, 2012, p. 120), and Westerdijk's garments from the decade also met the fashion requirements; however, her wear was looser than the usual shut-fitted feminine outfits of this period. In the subsequent decades, her style did not undergo any noticeable changes. Perhaps the world of scientific discipline, and her constantly developing intellectual pursuits, pushed matters of style to the background. However, this attitude does not signify a complete lack of involvement in elegant clothes or being chichi — practiced quality fabrics, fancy patterns, attractive details, and delicate jewellery characterized her unproblematic outfits (Figure 14 and Figure xv).
Figure 15
Johanna Westerdijk at the microscope with glass civilisation tubes, 1940–1952. Collection: National Annal of The netherlands.
The argument that Westerdijk was uninterested in manner as she matured claim a comparing of her clothing to those worn past her contemporaries. Other women are visible in many pictures from the Westerdijk collection. The results of this comparison reveals that differences are difficult to notice — Westerdijk expressed her interest in fashion through her cycling apparel. When women wore a skirt, Westerdijk wore a skirt as well; moreover, when they changed to trousers, she followed suit. Peradventure Westerdijk was not interested in the latest trends in salon or ball fashion, just she certainly followed changes that provided her with more freedom. She skilful her personal manner of following fashion; however, the question of whether her preference was conscious is uncertain.
Personal Way
The characteristics of Westerdijk's personal style are also essential. Outset, personal style should be differentiated from an arroyo to way, for an individual's vesture may change due to style innovations, but changes in personal, professional, or financial situations may too transform ane's attire. Moreover, people may want to adopt their own fashion, keeping with the changes occurring in their body shapes. Observing whether someone's clothing changes or remains the same is essential in the context of the development of their lives and personalities.
In the instance of Westerdijk, the uniformity of her clothing is hitting; its style is consistent, nigh unchanging. Westerdijk was particularly consequent in her hairstyle in all of the images — a middle part, ordinarily pulled back smoothly and braided (Effigy 16, Effigy 17, and Figure 18). This pick tin be attributed to various factors. The smoothly combed hair pinned at the back seems comfortable for her piece of work. Her coiffure was besides fashionable in her youth, when she was may take been more than interested in post-obit fashion trends. Westerdijk later disregarded the necessity of styling her pilus co-ordinate to mod hairstyles. Information technology is of import to notice that the preferable crew of Westerdijk, as well every bit being comfortable, also emanated elegance that lended her a respectable attraction. Therefore, her unchanging dress fashion can be besides considered a quest for serious assessment by her colleagues.
Figure 16
Johanna Westerdijk, 1910s. Drove: University of Utrecht.
Figure 17
Portrait of Johanna Westerdijk, 1930–1940. Collection: Fidel Carl Albert Greiner, Amsterdam.
Figure 18
Portrait of Johanna Westerdijk, 1940–1952. Drove: Atria. The Constitute on Gender Equality and Women'southward History in Amsterdam (100006149).
Clothing certainly reflects 1's origins, character, and occupation, therefore, its more than or less abiding nature may signify dull change or that one's goals remain unchanged. This estimation seems fit in reference to Westerdijk, who was highly consequent in following her chosen career path in science.
From the beginning of the 1930s, her sartorial sense became quite feature—loose, mismatched, and long styles dominated the scholar's wardrobe (Figures xix and 20). Perhaps Westerdijk, inbound adulthood, had found her preferred clothing and did not feel the need for significant changes. Still, another issue that cannot be overlooked is that Westerdijk wore plus-sized clothing, and this fact certainly influenced her style. Such outfits also provided comfort, including apartment shoes that are evident in numerous photos, regardless of place and circumstance. The look that Westerdijk had chosen after reaching middle age could exist a upshot of adopting the culturally accepted appearance for mature and older women, which included increased covering-up and self-effacing aspects (Twigg, 2014, p. 148). This behaviour tin be understood as a style statement as well; that is, interest in fashion can be expressed in the demand to expect "normal" and not to stand up out (Hollander, 2009, pp. 364-365). Westerdijk, who believed in standing shoulder to shoulder with her male colleagues in terms of quality of work (Bosch, 1994, p. 402), might take likewise wanted to highlight her seriousness by wearing dresses appropriate for her age and social position.
Figure 19
Double portrait of Johanna Westerdijk listening to a radio spoken communication, 1931. Collection: Atria. The Institute on Gender Equality and Women'southward History in Amsterdam (100006104).
A thorough assay of her habiliment reveals some of the Dutch researcher's preferences. She gladly wore both apparently and patterned fabrics, with flowers as a recurring motif. In one of her later on photographs, she is seated in forepart of a group wearing a loose, long wearing apparel patterned with large light flowers in dissimilarity to the darker background. Other women present in the photos can likewise be seen wearing dresses fabricated of fabrics with floral patterns, revealing that Westerdijk was not indifferent towards specific trends (Figure xx). On the other hand, the floral motif also appears in Westerdijk'southward wearable in the form of brooches. This choice could exist due to her scientific interests but is unconfirmed in her written statements.
Figure twenty
Group portrait, 1940–1952. Collection: Atria. The Plant on Gender Equality and Women's History in Amsterdam (100005968).
Costume Wearing and Cross-Dressing Practices
Johanna Westerdijk'due south unusual clothing habits included wearing costumes and cross-dressing. The Dutch professor loved music, parties, and theatre (Zadoks & Van Bruggen, 2008, p. sixteen; Pegtel, 2018, p. 101). Westerdijk's photographic collection contains several images of performances, some of which were organized in her honour, for instance, on the occasion of her beginning receiving the professorship, where she is in her academic gown. In a photo taken a year later, Westerdijk is surrounded by a theatre group, while also wearing a costume herself. It is worth noticing that the outfits and props are visibly inspired past the seventeenth century Dutch genre paintings (Figure 21). Regrettably, it is unknown whether the costumes were meant for a play or just for this picture, yet it is obvious that the group is having a cheerful evening and everyone, including Westerdijk, seems to be enjoying the costumes. Her appearance as surrounded by her students in this photograph reflects her relationship with them. When piece of work was over, or someone'southward graduation came well-nigh and at that place was reason to gloat, the students became her colleagues. The costumes demonstrate the changed relationship from dependence to demonstrate one of equality.
Figure 21
Johanna Westerdijk with her friends in costumes, 1918. Collection: Atria. The Institute on Gender Equality and Women'south History in Amsterdam (100006003).
The term cross-dressing pertains to the wearing of typically gendered wear of the contrary sex, assuming the binary of gender distinction (Sears, 2014, p. iii). I photograph shows Westerdijk wearing a chapeau, a black jacket, and a large black bow under her cervix (Figure 22). This picture represents i of few of Westerdijk's portraits in which she acted as a man. She wore the outfit during the carnival, during her stay in Munich. This costume was worn to protect her from being unwillingly kissed by strangers, which was one of the customs she disliked about the carnival (Faasse, 2012, p. 68). Westerdijk dressed every bit a man to partake in a folk holiday that provided an opportunity to wearable a costume and change one'south identity. Therefore, her cross-dressing practice tin can be interpreted as a manifestation of her sense of humor, or as a grade of rebellion against the culturally imposed restrictions on women. Her portraits from her trip to the US in 1914, besides, have a distinctly masculine character. In ane photo, Westerdijk stands betwixt a grouping of men and women, and appears to be one of the men at showtime glance, dressed in a jacket and a soft hat, with a ribbon tied under her neck, property a walking stick.
Costumes are temporary, and they let an private to exist another person, not in the sense of beingness someone else just rather another version of the self (Shukla, 2015, pp. 3-6). This estimation is the nearly suitable for Westerdijk.
Figure 22
Johanna Westerdijk in a lid, 1906. Collecti on: Atria. The Found on Gender Equality and Women's History in Amsterdam (100005971).
Quest for Liberty
Westerdijk was more preoccupied with the social inequality betwixt genders than political rights for women, still she did express her disagreement with some of the social limitations that women faced (Bosch, 1994, pp. 405-412; Pegtel, 2018, p. 107). During her trip to the US, Westerdijk was outraged by the social restrictions placed on women; for instance, she was prohibited from smoking with men in a public space (Segrave, 2005, p. 59-77). Before the 1920s, American women were ordinarily not allowed to smoke in public; whenever an exception was made, it would agitate controversy. This prohibition applied especially to colleges, where female students could exist expelled from university not only for smoking on campus simply fifty-fifty in their dormitories (Segrave, 2005, pp. 61-62). To Westerdijk, who had experienced much freedom during her studies in Munich and Zurich, American constraints came as a shock (Bosch, 1994, p. 407; Zadoks & Van Bruggen, 2008, p.161; Faasse, 2012, pp. 127-131). 1 photograph shows Westerdijk smoking a cigarette, while simultaneously presenting herself as an elegant young lady, attired in a blouse made of fine fabric with open embroidery and a patterned scarf tied around her neck in an constructive bow, in line with the standards of her era (Figure 23). She keeps the cigarette poised in her raised hand, in front of her confront every bit if showing off the fact that she was smoking. Her confront expresses pride and seems to communicate that smoking is a manifestation of liberty and entitlement (Bosch, 1994, p. 331; Faasse, 2012, p. 157, Pegtel, 2018, p. 99). Interestingly, a cigarette appeared in fashion plates much later in the 1920s, when a cigarette holder became a popular accessory (Fine art deco way, 2007). This contrast between the cigarette and her feminine clothing does not reveal a desire to be a human, only a demand of freedom for women.
Figure 23
Portrait of Johanna Westerdijk in München, 1905. Collection: Atria. The Institute on Gender Equality and Women's History in Amsterdam (100005968).
Westerdijk was a social person; she used to go out and spend time much of her time surrounded by her friends (Pegtel, 2018, p. 102). In one photograph taken in 1912 during a reunion of onetime biology students in café "Eik and Linde," she is dressed in a typical feminine outfit, yet her neck is adorned past a necktie, giving her a slightly masculine look (Figure 24). Some other pictures also depict Westerdijk in similar dress; for case, 2 photos taken in 1906 in an atelier in München, which depict a theatrical, posed character. In both pictures, Westerdijk wearing a sophisticated female hat is seated at a small table with a man; the first photo shows the couple in a thoughtful pose, with their heads supported, while the second depicts them making a toast with two large beer mugs. These photos reflect Westerdijk'south sense of humor and are probably the result of the enjoyment that transpired at the thresholds of this German photographic atelier. More than importantly, the images reveal the significance of the deed of breaking taboos for Westerdijk. Her search for liberty entailed engaging in enjoyable activities and treating her position with some levity.
Figure 24
Reunion of old biology students in café Eik and Linde, 1912. Collection: Academy of Amsterdam, special collections.
In her daily life, she did non recognize the constant necessity of demonstrating equality with men; withal, on some special occasions, she conveyed her disagreement with women's positions in society by wearing male wearable. The cross-dressing practice of Westerdijk can be compared to wearing a costume, which allows for the declaration of ideals and challenging of cadre values. For Westerdijk, dressing upward as a man was a means of assuming a different identity and social position, and was interesting to her primarily considering of the freedom this activeness would offer. Notwithstanding, Westerdijk celebrated her femininity too.
Conclusion
The analysis of visual sources allows several conclusions to be drawn regarding Westerdijk's wearable style and approach to personal appearance, mode, and aesthetics. The Dutch scholar had her own style that was non, withal, detached from the electric current manner trends. She chose her outfits and accessories consciously, revealing an center for details, with key characteristics of her style being simplicity and elegance. In certain circumstances, the most of import aspect of her clothes was convenience and suitability to the activities to exist performed. Westerdijk did not achieve farbbeyond societal norms in making clothing choices for physical activities, yet she was unafraid of new developments and was willing to maximize cultural changes, specifically surrounding way, that granted women more freedom.
The nature of the wear worn past individuals provide insights into their character, mentality, and perspectives. In the case of Westerdijk, her self-fashioning confirms that she did not view being a adult female every bit an obstruction in the bookish world, and did non strive to testify her equal position with men through clothing. However, she observed the rampant gender inequalities of the period and experienced some limitations herself, for which her masculine clothing identity was an expression of the need to be someone else and remove these social barriers, if simply for i moment.
In this case written report of Westerdijk'southward sartorial sense, the photographs are a primary source, which tin significantly contribute to biographical research, and their part goes far beyond being an attractive illustration. The biographical context facilitates the reading of the significance of someone's apparel, and also, the conclusions fatigued from this assay enrich biographical studies.
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Writer Bio
Marta Kargól, PhD, received her MA in History (2007) and History of Fine art (2009) at Jagielloński University in Cracow. In 2013, she obtained her PhD in Cultural Anthropology for the dissertation "Tradition in fashion: Dutch regional clothes in various contexts of the gimmicky civilisation" (written in Smoothen), published in 2015. She is as well the author of two exhibition catalogues written in Dutch and English. Furthermore, she worked equally banana curator for the exhibition Women of Rotterdam (Museum of Rotterdam, 2017). Since 2016, she writes regularly about contemporary textile art for the Dutch periodical Textiel Plus. Her enquiry interests include the history of female dress and fashion in the nineteenth and twentieth century, heritage of regional dress, economic and gender aspects of home-made clothing, and socially engaged fibre art.
Commodity Citation
Kargól, Marta. "Fashioning the Academic and Private Self: The Wear of Johanna Westerdijk in the Context of her Biography." Fashion Studies, vol. 3, no. ane, 2020, pp.1–34,https://www.fashionstudies.ca/fashioning-the-academic-and-privateself, https://doi.org/10.38055/FS030109.
Source: https://www.fashionstudies.ca/fashioning-the-academic-and-private-self
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