Title: Admiral Sir Robert Smart
Collection: The Regency Wardrobe
Garment: early 19th century naval uniform 
Materials: FSC accredited paper tablecloth, tissue paper, sewing thread, embroidery thread, quilling paper strips, Japanese Mizuhiki rice paper chord, card, PVA, gold paint, transfer paper, pencil
 
This piece is inspired by the might of British naval power during the Georgian and Regency periods. It is inspired, in particular, by the career of Admiral Sir Robert Smart who joined the Royal Navy and was promoted to lieutenant in 1820. It was created following a research visit to see examples of naval uniforms from this period held in store at the National Maritime Museum. 
 
However it is also created in memory of those sailors who lost their lives or health during this period but because of their lesser rank are not individually recognized by history. 
 
The text and drawn images on the surfaces of this piece are reproductions of the words and drawings of Thomas Maisie, from his naval diary in 1833 which is held in store at the Caird library at the National Maritime Museum; Masie was a sailor aboard a ship captained by Sir Robert Smart. 
 
*Please note: Part of the concept of The Regency Wardrobe is that the colour of many of the pieces risks fading over time. This is to reflect: 
- research done by The House of Embroidered Paper into Regency era garments and the observation that the colures of their surfaces have faded overtime (as evidenced by looking under seams and inside material crevices).
- how historical events and people fade in the collective memory
- how the power and prestige of civilizations and empires fades overtime.
- how the surfaces of most items we find left to us from history have faded.
Areas of this piece therefore risk changing colour/fading over-time. That is, they may effectively, noticeably, age just as we do.