Seeking Home
This week's interview is with Kassia St. Clair.
Seeking Home
The year is 1888. Queen Victoria is celebrating her 50th year ruling over an empire on which, famously, the sun never sets.
Her loyal subjects, as well as colonizing the heck out of the world, are breeding. And to signify whether you’ve got a little boy or a little girl in the family, sometimes the offspring breakout from the usual white gowns and get dressed in their gender-assigned colors.
For girls, blue.
For boys, pink.
Blue, it was thought, is a more delicate and dainty shade, and also the color associated with Mary Magdalene, the ultimate mother figure of Christendom.
Pink, associated with red, with the stronger color, with martial overtones. The British redcoats, after all, were the greatest fighting force of their time.
It wasn’t until the 1940s that things flipped and pink got stapled onto girls, and blue to boys.
📕 My Guest: Kassia St. Clair
Kassia St. Clair is a historian and author with a unique focus on color, textiles, and the everyday aspects of life that often go unnoticed. Her book, The Secret Lives of Color, includes fascinating stories behind different colors throughout history. With a background in design and style writing, Kassia brings a blend of curiosity and discipline to her work, bridging the gap between academia and popular culture.
🎧 Seeking Home: A Conversation with Kassia St. Clair
Kassia reads two pages from Homing: On Pigeons, Dwellings and Why We Return by John Day.
In our conversation we discuss:
Personal Connection to History
Kassia’s interest in history developed from her father's stories about his experiences in different countries during significant moments of the 20th century. These personal stories made history come alive for her.
Masquerade Balls as Cultural Mirrors
Kassia's research on 18th-century masquerade balls revealed their role in reflecting and challenging social norms, offering vivid, personal accounts of the era's social dynamics.
Everyday Elements in History
The historical importance of color and textiles, connecting past and present by exploring how these everyday elements tell profound stories.
Concise and Engaging Writing
Clear, engaging writing for a general audience, balancing trust in sources with rigorous verification to maintain historical accuracy.
Home and Friendships
Attending boarding school after her mother's death profoundly shaped Kassia’s idea of home. The strong friendships she formed during these formative years deeply influenced her understanding of home and identity.
Read the Interview
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Perhaps you meant the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, as the ultimate as the ultimate mother figure of Christendom ?The colour blue is ascribed to her. Mary Magdalene is often associated with the colour red and is sometimes identified (probably incorrectly) as a prostitute.