Author Archives: Aimée Payton

About Aimée Payton

I have worked in the Department of Eastern Art at the Ashmolean for over 5 years and I am very excited about being given the opportunity to work with museums across the county on this project. As Collections Access Officer I will research headwear and footwear in museums and collections in the whole of Oxfordshire, curate an exhibition at The Oxfordshire Museum and work with Education teams and community groups to create an exhibition at the Museum of Oxford.

Dancing Shoes (and Hats) research by Judeth Saunders

Oxfordshire is at the centre of the area in which Cotswold Morris is danced. When asked to research the Morris in relation to our project, the first thing I realised was that hats and shoes are not necessarily the essential … Continue reading

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A surprise at Thame

A surprise awaited Sam and I at Thame Museum last week.  We had received a list of about 25 relevant objects some time ago.  There were a couple of things that had caught our eye, particularly an Elizabethan shoe, a … Continue reading

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Fame and hats

Jess found out some interesting facts about Cardinal Wolsey’s hat, which is in the library at Christ Church College.  The provenance of the object can be traced right back to 1710 when it was discovered in the Great Wardrobe, which … Continue reading

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The Exciting Meeting!

It has been a week of meetings.  Don’t worry this blog post won’t read like minutes.  There are a few things that might interest you.  In fact one of the meetings was actually very exciting!  Jess and I met with … Continue reading

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Poetic hats and shoes

Inspired by the theme of this project Penny Boxall wrote this wonderful poem.  I hope we hear more from her through the course of the project.   Unpacking my Grandfather by Penny Boxall The jackets – all but his best … Continue reading

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Dressing up

Sam and I had a jolly morning at the Didcot Railway Museum looking at hats.  There was surprisingly quite a range; different shaped peaks, soft crowns, hard crowns, various embroidery techniques and colours but each hat unmistakeably belonged to a … Continue reading

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Military fashions

I went to visit the Museum for the Soldiers of Oxfordshire (SOFO) this morning, completely ignorant about military history and uniforms and not knowing what to expect.  It is currently located in a large room in Woodstock which was probably … Continue reading

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Objectives and Magic

This project is busting at the seams with ideas and everyone I talk to has something new and exciting to add.  It’s fantastic that there is so much support and enthusiasm.  But this wild beast needs taming, or we risk … Continue reading

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Essential Accessories: Hand bags and Heels

Yesterday Sam, Carol and I visited the Lightbox in Woking.  What a lovely gallery!  The exhibition we went to see displayed the most incredible shoes and bags, truly beautiful, from the collections at Northampton Museums and Art Gallery and Museum … Continue reading

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