Hello,

 

I’m writing in hopes that you know of a talented student who might be interested in the following internship at the Merchant’s House Museum. This is the first time we’ve offered a position in historic costuming, and I think this would be a great opportunity for someone who is interested in historic clothing, sewing, or theatrical costuming.

 

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or recommendations. Although the position description is for a volunteer track, the Museum is glad to fulfill any requirements necessary for students to achieve academic credit.

 

Yours truly,

Eva Ulz

 

 

Historic Costumers Wanted for Productions in NYC’s Oldest Preserved Interior

 

Do you have a passion for historic costume? The Merchant's House Museum's education department is seeking creative costumers to help create accurate 19th-century clothing for our interpreters. This is a great chance to expand your costuming repertoire and get period experience. Costumers will work closely with Museum designers to research period accuracy and mimic 19th-century construction techniques. You'll be able to copy details directly from the Museum's extensive costume collection and primary source library.

 

Some of the costumes we plan to build this fall include mid-19th century undergarments (corsets, crinolines, etc.), day dresses, mourning clothes, and formal attire. The costumes will be worn by actors during Museum events including candlelight ghost tours, a recreated 1865 funeral, a musical revue of early 19th-century NYC, and our annual holiday caroling festival. 

 

Benefits to You

 

In addition to helping a worthy cause (educating the public about what life was really like in 19^th-century New York,):

• you’ll gain the kind of hand-on experience with period costuming that couldn’t come from anywhere but one of NCY’s largest single-family costume collections.
• You’ll learn about authentic construction techniques, garment shapes, and period research sources.
• Museum volunteers also receive a staff card which provides free admission for you and a guest to most other area museums.

 

Required Skills

 

You must be an accomplished stitcher, familiar with a variety of construction and finishing techniques. You must be able to construct a garment without step-by-step instructions from a hand-drawn pattern or draped muslin. Experience with fitting, theatrical costuming, historic costume, or the ability to drape and draft patterns is a plus.

 

How to Apply

 

Send a cover letter, resume/cv (of your related experiences), and – if possible – detailed pictures of your work to:

 

Eva Ulz

Education Coordinator

Merchant’s House Museum

29 East Fourth Street

New York, NY 10003

 

Fax: 212-777-1104

Email: [log in to unmask]

 

The Merchant's House Museum is New York City's only family home preserved intact -- inside and out -- from the 19th century.

 

Built in 1832 just steps from Washington Square, this elegant red-brick and white-marble row house on East Fourth Street was home to prosperous merchant Seabury Tredwell and his family for 100 years.  

 

Today, the house offers a rare and intimate glimpse of domestic life during the significant period of the 19th century when New York City transformed from a colonial seaport to become the center of U.S. culture and commerce and a "world city" on a par with London and Paris.

 

Visit www.merchantshouse.org for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

Eva Ulz

Education Coordinator

[log in to unmask]

 

Merchant's House Museum

29 East Fourth Street, NYC 10003

phone: 212-777-1089  fax: 212-777-1104

www.merchantshouse.com

 

"Since 1832..."