An array of period costume and antique textiles are set to go under the hammer in Tennants Auctioneers’ Fashion, Costume and Textiles Sale on 7th February, which will feature a number of good private collections.
Having been in storage for more than fifty years is the Millinery Collection of Mary Cowsill, which will comprise 25 lots of hats, hat nets, trims, feathers, silk flowers, silk, velvets and other accessories. Mary (Pollie) Cowsill (circa 1880s-1970s), was born in mid-Wales, and went to Paris aged 20 to train in millinery. On her return, she moved to Withington, South Manchester, with her three sisters, buying a shop on the High Street, which she named ‘Cowsill’ and sold hats, clothing and accessories. Highlights of the collection include a Two 1920s Beadwork Dresses (estimate: £200-300 all figures exclude buyer’s premium), and a Collection of Early 20th Century Millinery Feathers (estimate: £100-150).
Amongst several private collections of vintage costume is the Greta Tomlison Collection. The late Greta Tomlinson was a gifted artist who’s approach to life was fearless at a time when female artists were not fully recognised for their true talent. Trained at the Slade School of Art, she was one of the original artists at the beloved 1950s ‘Eagle Magazine’ featuring Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future; indeed, she was the model for the comic’s Professor Peabody, the only female scientist on the space crew. Later working as a fashion artist at Rowntrees Department Store in Scarborough, she subsequently married and spent her married life living abroad in Iran, Kuwait, Nigeria and Spain and travelling extensively. Greta had a keen eye for fashion and design and delighted in her collection of elegant and sophisticated clothes dating from the 1950s and 1960s, along with pieces she collected in the 1980s. Highlights of her collection include a lot of Circa 1950s Evening Wear (estimate: £150-250), and a Circa 1980s Chanel Navy Quilted Shoulder Bag and a Navy Leather Purse (estimate: £800-1,200).
For fans of the 1960s there are six lots of hand-drawn watercolour menswear fashion designs by Stephen King, a renowned menswear designer. King (1948-2022) created the designs for his application to the Royal College of Art, from which he graduated in 1972. Going on to co-found the English Menswear Designer Collective in the 1980s, he opened his own shop on the Kings Road, from where he dressed celebrities such as Elton John, and produced bold and bright shirts under the label ‘Otto’. He later moved into education, becoming a fashion lecturer at the University of Ulster. The six lots of watercolours now on offer include stylish figures in suits, casual wear, swimwear and nightwear and each lot comprises three works, offered with an estimate of £200-300.
There is also a Private Collection of English and American 1940s Costume, a Private Collection of mainly English 1950s Costume, and a lifetime collection of 18th century and later buttons and buckles. Also on offer are two charming Steiff toys: an Early 20th Century Large Steiff Jointed Teddy Bear in yellow mohair (estimate: £1,500-1,800), and an Early 20th Century Large Steiff Jointed Monkey (estimate: £700-1,000). Monkeys appeared in Steiff’s first catalogue in 1892, and by 1909 the model, which is known as Jocko, had been redesigned to feature the hooded eyes, felt feet and hands as seen in the present example.
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