"Baubles, Bangles and Beads, who knows where it may lead..."
Baubles,
Bangles and Beads is lyrics of a song from the Broadway play, Kismet. The
words continue, "who knows where it may lead, wearing baubles, bangles and
beads?" At the Huntington Historical Society, we have been lead to our
costume collection where we featured a few of our beaded and decorated objects
in this special exhibition.
It
is interesting to ponder the evolution of beads from the beginning of time to
the contents of this exhibition. Beads are seen throughout history as
early as 30,000 B.C. Modern bead usage is 'just a wrinkle in time".
We think of beads as a from of adornment. Throughout history, however,
they have functioned as a from of monetary exchange as well as spiritual
symbolism. Some Psychiatrists over the years have traced the wearing of
beads to giving a sense of security through connection with the eye and sight.
In
all cases, beads are used in some way to communicate status. The period of
time represented in this exhibit is 1850 to 1930 where they were used as
adornment and ceremony. Various types of beads in this exhibit demonstrate
the lavish usage of adornment from "top to toe".
Baubles,
Bangles and Beads is lyrics of a song from the Broadway play, Kismet. The
words continue, "who knows where it may lead, wearing baubles, bangles and
beads?" At the Huntington Historical Society, we have been lead to our
costume collection where we featured a few of our beaded and decorated objects
in this special exhibition.
It
is interesting to ponder the evolution of beads from the beginning of time to
the contents of this exhibition. Beads are seen throughout history as
early as 30,000 B.C. Modern bead usage is 'just a wrinkle in time".
We think of beads as a from of adornment. Throughout history, however,
they have functioned as a from of monetary exchange as well as spiritual
symbolism. Some Psychiatrists over the years have traced the wearing of
beads to giving a sense of security through connection with the eye and sight.
In
all cases, beads are used in some way to communicate status. The period of
time represented in this exhibit is 1850 to 1930 where they were used as
adornment and ceremony. Various types of beads in this exhibit demonstrate
the lavish usage of adornment from "top to toe".