Embroidery in the Clothes of the Ukrainian Intellectual Society at the Turn of 19th - 20th Centuries

Abstract

With this publication, author honors the memory of not only famous Ukrainian trendy persons, but outstanding Ukrainians, who, despite canons, orders and prohibitions, gave very significant national-cultural and educational lessons of Ukrainianness. By their thoughts and actions, including the wearing and study of national clothing, they demonstrated their nationality and thus made an invaluable contribution to the struggle for Ukrainian independence. Author carried out terminological analysis of concepts related to clothing that has a strong Ukrainian flavor for a deeper understanding of the cultural and historical aspects of selected issue. Using a personological approach, interesting facts from the life of representatives of aristocratic nobility of Ukraine at the turn of 19th - 20th centuries and their families in context of traditions of national revival, in particular, ethno-fashion and its study were analyzed. Based on the analysis of historical, ethnological, cultural and educational sources of information, including items from the collections of famous Ukrainian museums, made our own generalizations and conclusions and drew parallels between events and facts of two hundred years ago and nowadays. The reader is presented with exceptional examples of exaltation of the value of Ukrainian embroidery, as well as cases where embroidery traditions of Ukrainians, including clothing, were in danger of self-destruction. In particular, the author’s attention is focused on the tradition of wearing embroidered items as a progressive fashion trend (in the families of Ivan Franko, Kosachiv-Drahomanov and Volodymyr Korolenko, etc.), as well as collecting samples of Ukrainian folk embroidery and exploring their uniqueness.