#Morris dancers

[uwmspeccoll]

Shakespeare Weekend!

Volumes Two through Nine of Irish scholar Edmond Malone’s (1741-1812) The Plays and Poems of William Shakspeare, in ten volumes closely follow suit to his predecessors. Malone used Samuel Johnson and George Steeven’s ten volume edition as his base text and included the established scene divisions, stage directions, and dramatis personae of the time within the plays. He also published extensive footnotes throughout authored by himself, Shakespearean scholar Richard Farmer (1735-1797), and literary critic William Warburton (1698-1779) to name a few.  

Within the footnotes of Henry IV in Volume Five, publisher Joseph Johnson (1738-1809) describes the difference between Filliping the Toad and a Three-Man Beetle. The note is accompanied by one of the very few illustrations found within our copy of Malone’s collection. What the collection lacks in illustrative quantity, it makes up for in quality. The middle of Volume Five houses a pull-out illustration by J. Keyse Sherwin (1751-1790) of Morris Dancers as seen on “an ancient window in the house of George Tollet Esq at Betley in Staffordshire”. The illustration is accompanied by a detailed description of the window written by George Tollet (d. 1719) who alluded to its importance as a visual reference to the costumes and culture of May Day celebrations depicted throughout Shakespeare’s plays. 

Malone’s ten volume collection was published in 1790 and printed by Henry Baldwin. 

View more Shakespeare Weekend posts. 

-Jenna, Special Collections Graduate Intern 

[customcreatures]

I've been making Morris dancing dolls in preparation to vend at the New England Folk Festival Association this year. Each one is about eight inches tall, fully articulated, and modeled around the kit and mascot of a local team.

[sekimorris]

Gog Magog Molly marker sketches

[museumsandfolk]

Briggate, Sheringham, 2023

[hepdenerose]

Sowerby Rush

Often away in the past during Sowerby Rush bearing, it was high time we witnessed the spectacle. We rode the bus to Tuel Lane Top and walked briskly down to Christ Church. After spending a few moments appreciating gargoyles depicted in the yellow York stone frontage, we entered to peruse the interior. A craft fair underway, the nave buzzed with community spirit. We bought flapjacks and candles…

[sendhimtotheshadowrealm]

[mxxnmxxn9875]

HAPPY MAYDAY

or is it mayGAY....

[travsd]

Of Saint George and Mummery

Happy St. George’s Day! What? You don’t celebrate St. George’s Day? Why the hell not? Never heard of it? Oh, I see. Well, there’s that, and there’s something just the slightest bit, um, imperialist, or nationalistic, or jingoistic about celebrating a holiday for the Patron Saint of England. Whereas, you know, St. Patrick’s Day is about rallying to the banner of the Irish, an underdog people.…

[mypastnow]

[themancorialist]

Stevenson Square, Manchester.

[the-nettle-knight]

To other English people, stop saying "England has no culture", it is actively harming us. There is a reason the Tories defunded the arts and heritage sectors whilst scapegoating immigrants. The fear that immigrants will come and destroy Englishness is only working as the government is literally trying to actively wipe it out. If we a) recognise the things that are distinctly cultural (eg architecture styles) and b) actively participate in the traditions you're always told are silly (Morris and Molly dancing, scarecrow competitions and folk songs), it will actually make us better as a country and more difficult to divide via classism, racism and xenophobia

To be extra clear, these traditions are for everyone, queer people, imagrants and anyone of any faith (including Islam).

The deliberate eroding of our folklore/traditions by conservatives (both big and little c) is allowing for the insecurities weaponised by the types of Tommy Robinson against imagrants. These traditions and folklore do still need challenging from a modern critical lense (like how blackface has been removed from Morris dancing). Nor should they be preserved exactly how they used to be, because folklore and customs have always changed with the times. Having a good understanding of our past, critically understanding and accepting of the problems in it will absolutely contribute to decolonisation. Hopefully, having a solid grasp of our own traditions and folklore in a meaningful positive way will allow us to step back from clinging desperately to the parts of Welsh, Scottish and Irish culture we cling to because we don't think we have our own. Doing so will also hopefully allow for more support of the Welsh, Scottish and Irish independence movements. Also, it will hopefully stop the rampant cultural appropriation of other sacred traditions - it's ridiculous that modern wiccans believe that smudging with a non native plant (white sage) that's being driven to extinction by over harvesting will clear any sort of bad luck.

[stevietheghostie]

Thanks to the International Miku trend for saving me from art block!

So, here's a morris dancer Miku from England! There's a few objects Morris Dancers might dance with, of those this Miku uses handkerchiefs, sticks, and brooms!

[museumsandfolk]

Blackgate Morris, Sheringham, 2023

[beautymaleform2]

model: Nathan Gombert

photographed by Vincent Flouret, Alexis Robardet, Sam Morris and Thibault Gaetan Dubroca

[dance-world]

Richard House - Semperoper Ballet Dresden - photo by Taylor Ferne Morris

[derpygirl-draws]

HEYYY

Sorry I dies for a bit but here’s some frames I did for Welcome to Dreamworld episode 1 of season 2!

Enjoyyy Ehehe