The Wonder of Tasha Tudor
A few weeks ago my friend Jessica of Cast & Bind was over, and somehow our conversation turned to Tasha Tudor.
I had never heard of her but was very intrigued, especially when I checked out the website above.
I got the book The Private World of Tasha Tudor from the library last week, along with a couple of her childrens’ books, and I am smitten.
Ever since childhood she knew what kind of life she wanted to live- simple, homemade, self sufficient, and suffused with the spirit of old world goods and methods- and she did it. (She died two years ago at age 92).
The best part of the book for me was about her clothing collection. Here are some quotes:
“Why do women want to dress like men when they are fortunate enough to be women? Why lose our femininity, which is one of our greatest charms? We get much more accomplished by being charming than we would by flaunting around in pants and smoking. I’m very fond of men. I think they’re wonderful creatures. I love them dearly. But I don’t want to look like one…
When women gave up their long skirts, they made a grave error. Things half seen are so much more mysterious and delightful. Remember the term “A neatly turned ankle”? Think of the thrill that gentlemen used to get if they caught even a glimpse of one. Now women go around in their union uits. And what a multitude of sins you could cover up with a long skirt if you had piano legs… (<– I had to look this term up. In modern parlance- cankles).
My antique clothing collection is a great folly of mine. The majority are from the 1830s, but I have examples from every style and decade from 1770 to 1870. It’s very common for a friend who tries on one of my old dresses to feel transported to another time. It gives a different perspective on life…
I myself feel much more at home in an old frock. There’s no feeling of dressing up; they just feel right! I’ve collected everything: stays, corsets, bustles, hoops, parasols, gloves, wristers, muffs, bonnets, and even an Empire “barnyard cape” made of peacock and pheasant feathers, which was all the rage when Jefferson was president.” (<– If anyone can tell me what this is I would be most grateful. I have exhausted all search possibilities I could think of).
She had a special fondness for corgis. And pears.
This might be one of my favorite photos of all time. The Crone at Harvest Moon.
Braiding onions.
She illustrated by candlelight.
The parts about her doll house, puppet collection, and family rituals are so beautiful. Her four children were very lucky to have her as a mom.
“I’m perfectly content. I’ve no other desire but to live right here with my dogs and my goats and my birds.”
“I think I’ve done a good job of life, but I have no message to give anyone. If I do have a philosophy, it is one best expressed by Henry David Thoreau: ‘If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours’. That is my credo. It is absolutely true. It is my whole life summed up.”
(The book, of course, has much more information and many more photos and quotes from Tasha, I supremely recommend checking it out!)
I loved this post. I remember when I was a little girl just adoring her christmas book..it was so chock-full of lovely ideas. Love that henry David Thoreau quote..so true. That is amazing you have dresses that old..how fun.
my friend has all her books and i keep meaning to borrow this one, i’m completely fascinated by her. and her illustrations are some of my favorites.
great post!
amazing, i’m going to be this lady when i grow up
I’m so happy to drag someone else into one of my obsessions!
Jessica Fraser´s last blog ..New Girls
I was introduced to Tasha Tudor about 20 years ago. She has always been a favorite. I love the pictures and text you chose in this post. I want a corgi dog like she had!
Krissy´s last blog ..scrapbooks – an american history
WOW Amber, thanks so much for this post. I fell in love immediately when I saw the pictures of the lovely Tasha Tudor, I can’t wait to learn more about her. Her simple life is exactly what my husband and I strive for as well, thanks so much for sharing!
I too share the autumn crone as my favorite picture. What a life well lived. Thanks for sharing!
She’s charming! And the pictures are beautiful. Perhaps some more summer reading is in order….
oh amber, i LOVE tasha tudor! my momma and i share this love and have lots of her books; my mom’s favorite is a cutie called “Pumpkin Moonshine” that i think you and mycie would love. i have POURED over this book (her private world) before and savored every tiny detail, from the goats and corgis and cats to the dolls and dresses and flowers and herbs. i thought i owned it but i just looked through my books and can’t find it although i have her cookbooks and a few of the books she illustrated. i must have gone through a phase where i checked out everything i could about her at the library….anyway, she’s a true dreamer and wisewoman and a great role model for women.
What a beautiful post about a very special woman :) Lucas’ mom has a book all about her beautiful garden, I think it’s called Tasha Tudor’s Garden, and it’s also filled with wonderful photos like these. It’s been one of my favorite books of hers to look through over the years when we visit. What an amazing woman, and I’ve always thought that corgis are just about the cutest things ever :D
Ahhh, Tasha Tudor. What a loss when she passed. She was everything a woman is supposed to be: feminine, gracious, wise, and brave.
She chose a harder life than most of us can imagine, yet probably lived a fuller life than any of us can imagine because of her choice.
Thanks for posting about her.
Okay I think this is probably what Tasha was talking about when she said a barnyard cloak http://yeoldefashion.tumblr.com/post/754282972/this-breathtaking-feather-pelerine-dates-to-circa Try looking up pelerine prehaps? or Pelisse? Great post! I had heard of Tasha before but never really knew about her day to day life :)
Renee´s last blog ..Blocks and Dots Vintage Fabric 1 1-2 yards
have you seen heather from audrey eclectic’s tasha tuesdays?
http://reverieart.blogspot.com/search/label/tasha tuesdays
Hello there! Thanks for coming to visit me and my Tasha Tuesdays :) Tasha is such an inspiration to me, really shows how you can create your own life out of your own personal passions. and Loooove her clothes collection! I found her a few years ago when I came upon that very book and fell in love. Amazing!~
Nice to meet you!~
heather
Heather´s last blog ..A Folky Founding Father