It began with a simple question: how did the garments of another era really move when worn by living people?

Some years ago, Eastern Bays Art Society, then known as Auckland East Art, embarked on an intriguing project: a series of tableaux designed to help artists observe and study the movement and character of period dress on living models.

The project was greatly enriched by the participation of skilled and enthusiastic art group members with theatre backgrounds. Their knowledge of costumes from a wide range of periods and cultures – including Victorian, the Roaring Twenties, and Middle Eastern traditions – brought authenticity to each scene.

Senior art students from the local Glendowie College stepped into these costumes bringing the past back into the present, challenging us to capture its spirit on paper.

From these working drawings emerged the three finished artworks that follow.