Timothy Long, Curator
August 26th, 2008Filed under: Collections
Hello, my name is Tim Long and I am the curator of the costume collection at the Chicago History Museum. I started working at the museum in 1999 as costume collection manager and became a curator in 2006. Working with such a large and varied collection of material makes for fascinating days. I invite you to come back to this blog and see what interesting pieces we’ve discovered.
Tags: Contributors, Costume and Textile, Curator, Fashion, Timothy Long, Video
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Look at you going through that stuff…miss working with you on all that!!! Can’t wait to see the exhibit!
September 12th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Hi Tim,
Hope you remember me! I took your fashion history class and then interned at CHM (when it was CHS) with you and Lori. Congratulations on a wonderful Chic Chicago exhibition and look forward to seeing it!
September 25th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Greetings Tim,
Do you ever receive and speak to groups of university level fashion students at the museum? If so, please contact me. I would be thrilled if we could arrange something…
rk
September 26th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Hello Tim,
My name is Flavia and I am currently interning with Phyllis Magidson at the Museum of the City of New York. The video of you and your colleague Meghan was very informative and exciting for someone like myself studying the field. I am completing my graduate degree in Museum Studies this Spring at NYU. Phyllis suggested for me to say hello since I will be looking for employment in Chicago for the following year. I was excited when she told me of another institution who approaches costumes from a similar perspective. The CHM looks exactly like the kind of institution I want to work in. I just wanted to say hello and that I hope see opportunities to work in the Costume Department or with you in the future.
Sincerely,
Flavia Zuniga-West
fzw200@nyu.edu
September 30th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Dearest Tom Dow,
You are missed!! We had so much fun working on the Dior exhibition way back in 2005/06. I hope all is going well with you. Please let me know if you are going to come to CHM for a viewing of Chic Chicago…I would love to give you a tour.
Until then…
Tim
September 30th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Hey there Mimi,
Its so good to hear from you. Thank you for the blog entry. How many years has it been now since we met in the fashion history course? Chic Chicago has been a wonderful project with so many interesting stories to tell. It is nice to have this format to share all the interesting tid-bits. Please make sure to let me know when you have the time to come over to the museum. Some of the pieces in the exhibition were used in my PowerPoint presentations for class and I am sure you will remember them.
Until then,
Tim
September 30th, 2008 at 11:19 am
rk,
I hope all is well. Thanks for the interest in the exhibition and collection. I actually got my job through coming to CHM as a student. I was so excited about the place that I applied for an internship. That internship lead me to a paid position as costume collection manager, a position I had for five years. Then I became assistant curator of costumes and, in 2005, curator of costumes. I love having classes to the museum since that is how I got into the museum world.
The calendar for tours, both of Chic Chicago and “behind-the-scenes,” is filling up so you are asking at the best time. To schedule a tour, go to the Chicago History Museum website, click on “plan a visit” and then “group visit.”
Here is the link:
http://chicagohistory.org/planavisit/groupvisit
I look forward to seeing you and your class.
Sincerely,
Tim Long
September 30th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Hello Flavia Zuniga-West,
How is New York today? Did you get a chance to see Chic Chicago when it was at FIT?
As I am sure you already know, museum jobs in costume collections are hard to come by since there are so few in the world. Fortunately, you are starting at one of the best so you have created a great foundation. The Chicago History Museum is going through some changes right now that could potentially create some temporary positions in the costume collection. The key words in that sentence are “potentially” and “temporary.” Contacting us to let us know you exist and are interested is a great step. Keep an eye on our website and if a job opens up, we will post it.
Best of luck!
Please say hello to Phyllis for me.
Sincerely,
Tim Long
October 21st, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Tim
I brought my draping class from IADT to your exhibit yesterday. I have to say it was absolutly fantastic! I thouht it was great that you had two of the garments made in minature– for exploration. I only wish there were more minatures to look at. Your interns did a great job. I will push for all fashion design teachers to bring or send their students to this wonderful collection of couture. I know that next semester I will design projects around the viewing of this exhibit.
Thanks for your work.
bill 21 Oct 08
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Bill,
Thank you for your kind words. I am so happy that the exhibition is being used by school groups. I can not tell you how happy I am to walk into the gallery and see students tucked away in the corners sketching or chatting about the beautiful pieces. Fortunately, the exhibition is open until July – a full ten months with plenty of time for repeat visits.
The miniature pieces are a huge success! So much a success that we might consider making miniatures in the future for the upcoming exhibitions. Keep your fingers crossed.
Sincerely,
Tim Long
November 13th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Hello Tim,
My name is Kara Stewart. My Major Professor Dr. Sara Marcketti had the opportunity to meet you last week during the ITAA conference. She advised me to explore CHM’s website which I have to say is awesome! I love the graphics and the various interactives online visitors are able to explore. Currently I’m a second year Graduate Student in the Textiles and Clothing Department at Iowa State University and work in the Textiles and Clothing Museum on-campus. I plan on creating a digital presence for the Textiles and Clothing museum I currently work at and CHM’s website is a great resource!
Sincerely,
Kara
November 20th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Hello Kara,
Thanks for the note. We had a great time building the exhibition and the on-line component. The first ever blog at the Chicago History Museum. Keep an eye out for more to come and…best of luck with your digital project!
Sincerely,
Tim Long
January 4th, 2009 at 1:05 am
Hi Tim,
Another former intern here! How are you?? long time no talk! love the blog! all the videos bring back such fond memories! How i miss stuffing/shaping mannequins. Glad to see that robe a la francaise on your top 3 faves!
Best,
Tony
January 11th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Dear Mr. Long,
I’m afraid your focus on traditional notions of fashion has allowed one of the most interesting garments in Chicago history to go unnoticed. Did you know the Blackhawks logo (considered by many to be the most beautiful logo in all sports in the entire world) was designed by American fashion icon Irene Castle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Castle)? I urge you to investigate this interesting story, and to add a Blackhawks sweater to your collection.
yours,
Jeff
January 20th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Hi Jeff!
Tim is in sunny California right now, so I thought I’d leave a reply — we have lots of Blackhawks paraphernalia in the collections, as it happens, and many outfits of Irene Castle’s, as well. Castle was married to the Blackhawks owner Fred McLaughlin. and it was during that time she reportedly designed the logo.
There’s a sports section in our Chicago Crossroads gallery that highlights all of Chicago’s teams. Stop by and see it!
Thanks for reading,
Meghan
January 29th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Hello, Tim,
I just wanted to thank you, belatedly, for the wonderful Work Spaces tour on January 10. It was just about the most enjoyable museum tour that I have ever taken. I especially enjoyed going to Price Walton’s atelier and seeing their pieces and their space where they create.
I only had a few moments to look at the exhbit before heading out to the tour that Saturday so tomorrow (finally!) I am taking a day off and am coming to the museum to see the exhibit in depth.
Thanks again.
Kay Stemnock
P.S. – My favorite piece is also the Paul Poiret Sorbet dress.
March 30th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Kay,
Thank you for the nice words. The designers who opened up their work spaces for us were so kind with their time. And each one was so very interesting! Price Walton was truly an amazing experience I will never forget. There is some chat at CHM on providing the tour again. We will see.
Thanks again!
Tim
April 16th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Dear Tim,
Unlike many of the previous writers, I have nothing to do with the fasion industry, but I had to write & tell you how amazing & how much I enjoyed the Chic Chicago exhibit. Each item is a wonderful work of art and a piece of history at the same time. I wanted to take some friends to the Tea & Tour but unfortunately it’s sold out. When I called they said you might do another. I hope you do & if so could you let me know.
Thank You,
Nancy Grimmenga
April 20th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Nancy,
You are so very kind. I am happy you enjoyed Chic Chicago. It is hard to imagine it will close in just a few months.
The Tea & Tours have been such a success that I am sure we will plan more in the future.
Best,
Tim
April 21st, 2009 at 11:06 am
Tim,
I so enjoyed the FashioNext Finale – meeting the designers, hearing their stories and seeing their spectacular creations made for an inspiring evening. The melding of various disciplines in the arts was fabulous….fashion design, art history, textiles created for home interiors…it was wonderful.
In these changing times…art plays such an important role – reflecting back while moving forward and all the possilities of creativity. The Chicago History Museum presented a terrific show!
Thank you,
Robin
April 23rd, 2009 at 3:40 am
[...] 1861 and 2004, and are flat out gorgeous. I honestly don’t know how the team, led by curator Tim Long, was able to select only 61 items out of a costume collection of over 50,000 pieces. Yes. 50,000! [...]
April 25th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Robin,
Thank you for the post and the kind words. FashioNext has been a dream come true and I could not have asked for a more fabulous event! The crowd that night was so chic and a wonderful mix of fashionistas and people from the interior design world. Walking in on the red carpet made me feel like a star!
Thanks again,
Tim Long
April 25th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Karyn Brianne (“Fashion Scene”)
Thank you for this most enjoyable article. I am so happy you are pleased with the exhibition and decided to write an article about it. I have already added it to my portfolio to be recorded forever. And it looks like your article is going to bring in some new visitors to the museum. You are a star!
Thanks again!
Tim Long
June 10th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Hi Timothy! So sorry I missed the exhibit! I have a thing for hats as I currently have in hand(actually in a hat box) four Raymond Hudd originals…anyway I can email you an image and you can give me your expert advice on them? Many thanks!
June 20th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Dear Tim:
I was fortunate to wander into your discussion on Ms. Potter Palmer’s exhibit. I was truly enchanted by the exhibit. That said, you yourself are a treasure of the museum. Your passion and mastery of your subject matter is clear and reflected in the exhibits. I learned a great deal from your talk and would encourage any Chicagoan interested in the history of the city to attend one of your discussions. Thank you for all that you bring to membership at the museum!
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:30 am
Hello Tim,
I recently joined the museum because of the Chic Chicago collection. Bertha Palmer is fabulous also. You must have had the fashion history class before I joined. Will you be offering it again?
July 30th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Dear Tim,
I am a student interested in entering the costume curator/ costume historian field. I have been working extensively in the costume department of my college and am studying history. I am looking into graduate schools and I was wondering how you got involved in this field; what sort of subjects you studied in school and types of training you had. I have discovered that I have a passion for costuming and am very interested in pursuing this as a career.
Any advice or counsel you could offer would be great and very much appreciated! Thanks!
~Sarah Kavaljian~
August 28th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Hi Tim,
Remember me i’m Raymond Hudd’s brother. Raymond is moving to a new facility on Monday, August 31,2009. You have a large collection of “RAYMOND HUDD” hats. I have notebooks full of pictures of every hat he made. A notebook of all of his window displays. Copies of all the published news articles that the history hats were based upon. notebook of letters from peopel who passed by his windows, giving their comments.
I will be in Chicago about September 19th,, 2009. would you be interested in any of this.
Your presentation on the website is excellant.
Best Regards, Ivan.
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Ivan,
Of course I remember you. It is very nice to hear from you and I trust both you and Raymond are doing well.
I would love to see the material you have related to Raymond’s business. Unfortunately, I will not be able to meet with you while you are in Chicago since I will be away from mid-September to the first week in October. In my absence, I can get a colleague to get the material from you and to have you sign the appropriate documents. Let me know if this will work.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Tim
September 6th, 2009 at 1:57 am
Dear Tim,
I will check with Raymond for his wishes regarding the items. I don’t know of a better place to preserve his history. Please give me the name of the colleague and a phone number where I can discuss the items. I would really like to know that they are wanted as they are looked at.
Best Regards
Ivan Huddlestun
January 26th, 2010 at 11:12 am
Tim!
Met you at the sock puppet party. Too bad I didn’t get a chance to talk to you more about your work. Next time…
Ryan
January 26th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Ryan,
Thanks for the note. I had a great time at the party…and such fabulous fashions for puppets! Perhaps some will end up in the museum’s collection one day.
Best,
Tim
January 29th, 2010 at 12:04 am
Hi Tim! This is a great blog and I’m glad I came upon it. I am a journalism masters student at Northwestern, and I’m doing a multimedia project on Chicago fashion – history, how the industry has changed, and how it continues to evolve today. I was hoping I could meet you and do an interview to talk about this topic as I really think you’d be a great source.
You can email me or call me at 914.260.166.
I really look forward to hearing from you,
Chaya