The goal of the “Masters” project within our group’s study of the Tessé Room was to introduce figures back into the exhibition space to reveal its three-dimensionality. In eighteenth century French consumer culture, clothes and textiles were valued as much as furniture (see: Upholstery). Textiles and furniture performed a similar function as they influenced the positions, movements, and habits of bodies.
By revealing the size of costumes in relation to furniture, the “Masters” section offers an understanding of the relative size of bodies and costumes in the domestic interior. The usual units for measuring fabrics in eighteenth century France were the aune (ell) and the pouce (inch). A woman’s gown might require about 10-15 ells of fabric while a man’s suit might require 8-9 ells.
By looking at the space in this way, we are honoring the makers of the costumes and the furniture and the cohesiveness of their designs.
