Tyneside Through The Pages

Tyneside Through The Pages: An Ideal Home? - Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote.

Join Dr Barbara Morden for a fascinating look at Tyneside’s history through the pages of some literary favourites in this series of six study days.

Sessions begin with an introduction to the themes and social issues raised in each classic and how these can be related to the story of Newcastle and the North East at the time.

Then discover a key painting of the period before exploring the stores and collections at the Discovery Museum. There will be plenty of food for thought and opportunity for discussion.

Truman Capote’s heroine Holly Golightly and the film the novel spawned, encapsulate the anxieties and aspirations of the post-war generation. The Festival of Britain of 1951 and the ‘New Elizabethan Age’ affirmed at the Coronation of 1953, presented a vision of a prosperous nation, an ideal family in an ideal home and the potential for women to fulfil their destiny.

Explore what was available for the North East housewife in the context of expectations raised by women’s magazines and local Ideal Home Exhibitions. What were the new freedoms, the New Looks, new homes with a kitchen of plastic and chrome? What kind of Modernity was this? Share your thoughts and perhaps experiences.

Included in this study day: post-war costume store tour and self led tour of Newcastle Story gallery.