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The old adage that ‘clothes make the man’ also rings true for entire societies. And, as JO CARUANA discovers, a new exhibition of 20th-century paintings by EDWARD CARUANA DINGLI is shedding wonderful light onto what garments can tell us about our history.

TRADITIONS

A Stitch in Time

Margaret, Lady Strickland, née Hulton (1867-1950), Private Collection Malta

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TRADITIONS

Clothes really do chart our history in a way that little else can.

From the mini-skirted 1960s to the

bustles and tussles of the Victorian era,

the way things were worn can offer

incredible insight into the thinking and

ideologies of the day.

And now, thanks to an exhibition

of portraits and folkloristic scenes by

Edward Caruana Dingli, organised by

the Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti

(Maltese Heritage Foundation – a

non-profit making organisation with

the aim of spreading awareness of the

island’s heritage through museums,

exhibitions and publications) we can

take a glimpse at what people wore

from paintings dating to the early 20th

century.

“A study of clothing really can

reveal so much about a society in a

particular era,” explains the Founda-

tion’s chief executive officer, Michael

Lowell. “It can shed light onto the

general climate of a country, the

influences that moulded it, a society’s

wealth and its social classes. It allows us

to see what daily life was like for

different people, in different classes

and different areas.

“In changing incandescently,

fashion differentiates one time from

another and one social stratum from

another. For the upper classes of

society, fashion is a symbol of their

power and status. It is moulded by

their taste, within the constraints of the

trend of their time and differing

foreign influences. Among the popular

classes however, it is dictated by their

lifestyle and what they could afford.”

As Mr Lowell explains, Edward

Caruana Dingli’s paintings serve as

historical documents of the fashion of

the well-to-do, as well as the popular

classes of early 20th-century Malta.

“His love for beautiful things and

his impeccable eye for detail were vital

for the depiction of every polished

button, honorary medal, delicate

feather and transparent shawl. His

highly refined technique made his

representations of damask, silk

brocade, transparent linen and the

shimmer of rich ladies’ jewellery seem

almost effortless.

“These paintings capture a little bit

of all that he saw around him during

his life in the early 20th century. They

can therefore be used to make an

analysis of Maltese society at the time.

One can notice a stark difference

between the upper classes and the

country folk. It seems as though there

was no in-between, no middle class.”

His paintings are known to have

cost some 21 pounds, at the time

equivalent to an average person’s wage

for two months. The people who could

afford to commission such works,

therefore, could also afford to own the

most fashionable attire and adorn

themselves with stunning jewellery.

“Women’s dresses were very much

in tune with the fashion followed in

Britain, France and Italy at the time.

Malta was then a British colony and

thus these influences infiltrated easily.

Women in the upper classes of society

were eager to shed their traditional

dress in exchange for the new foreign

trends being brought to the island. The

elite, who frequented British social

circles, soon began to discard their

traditional headgear, the ghonnella (a

form of hooded cloak), for fashionable

English hats and bonnets, adapted to

the new hairstyles, and also followed

British fashion in dress. English dresses

were in fact, quickly and ably copied by

Maltese dressmakers.

“The situation among the popular

classes was entirely different though.

Clothing was simply a matter of need,

practicality and comfort. Village people

are depicted wearing pretty much the

same thing. Men wore baggy trousers

and flannel shirts, as well as waistcoats.

Additionally, a colourful terha was

wrapped around the waist as a belt,

Lydia Zahra Neumann, Private Collection Malta

29

TRADITIONS

but also held small objects. The horga,

carried over the shoulder, was often

made from striped woven cotton and

folded into a pouch at each end.

Meanwhile, women donned long skirts,

aprons, scarves and very often, the

traditional ghonnella.”

While fashion among the upper

classes, particularly in Valletta, was

continually changing to meet the new

styles and tastes being followed on

mainland Europe, costume in the little

country villages remained practically

unchanged for many decades.

“It is interesting to note that

the different classes are never seen

interacting in Caruana Dingli’s

paintings,” continues Mr Lowell. “One

exception, however, is a painting called

‘At the Village Pump’, where villagers

are depicted gathered around the

communal water pump, chatting away

and dressed in their modest daily

costume, often not even wearing shoes.

In the foreground, stands a woman

dressed in fine clothing and jewellery,

and covered with the traditional

ghonnella. She looks out at the viewer,

and doesn’t form part of the action

taking place in the background. The

painting offers interesting insight.”

Mr Lowell is, himself, particularly

interested in the way that Caruana

Dingli chose to glamourise his sitters.

“He accentuated the beauty of the most

attractive and beautified the less

handsome sitters,” he explains. “He took

special liberties with his female portraits,

making his sitters look younger, as well

as more voluptuous in some cases.

“This romantic notion is also seen

in his folkloristic scenes painted, at

times, to promote the Maltese Islands.

Everything is made to look ideal.

Although it is known that poverty was

rampant in early 20th-century Malta,

his folk paintings generally show happy

smiling faces, of cheerful peasants

playing games in the street or caught

having a chat with their friends. Little

tell-tale signs in his paintings do hint

at poverty and hardship though, like

the lack of hygiene practiced at the

fish market or the fact that most of

his characters are not wearing shoes.

One must therefore bear this in mind

when reading Caruana Dingli’s works,

as they are a somewhat idealised

version of the truth.”

Additionally, the artist often used

models to create his folkloristic themes.

He was drawn to aspects of folkloristic

Malta, however he took the liberty of

constructing some of his pictures

himself. He dressed up women from his

circle of friends; middle class women

acting as chicken hawkers and orange

sellers. He sought to create charming,

idealistic scenes that celebrated life.

One often finds well-groomed women

posing as country folk, wearing their

ghonnella, lipstick and blushed faces.

His mistress, Olga Galea Naudi,

At the Village Pump, Private Collection, Malta

Bird Seller in St John Square, Valletta, Private Collection, Malta

30

was his favourite model and appears in a number of

these folkloristic works.

For the Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, an exhibi-

tion on Caruana Dingli has long been in the pipeline.

“Considering this artist’s ability, his voluminous

output and his influence on Maltese 20th-century art,

this exhibition promises to be a great contribution to

the Maltese cultural scene,” continues Mr Lowell. “He

had what it takes to make him one of the finest artists

Malta has ever produced. His love for all that was

beautiful, an impeccable eye for detail and his unfalter-

ing technique produced the most appealing and

charming of paintings of the 20th century.”

Edward Caruana Dingli (1876-1950) – Portraits, Views and

Folkloristic Scenes is on from 8 May to 6 June. The exhibition

is open at The Palace, Valletta, from 10.00hrs to 18.00hrs

with last admission at 17.00hrs. Fee: E3.50 adults; E2.50 E2.50 E

concessions.

Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti is resuming the setting up

of its prestigious exhibitions having spent the last few years

working on the restoration of Palazzo Falson – now a

Historic House Museum in Mdina. This is a large

exhibition of artistic works by Edward Caruana Dingli

showcasing some 250 of his most remarkable paintings

from local and foreign collections. For more information

visit www.patrimonju.org

TRADITIONS

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Tel: www.greatsiege.com.mt

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Ten languages available

May Caruana Galizia, née Asphar (1898-1995), Private Collection, Malta

Olga Galea Naudi , née Barbora (1890-1971), National Collection, Heritage Malta

Evelyn Cassar Torreggiani née Parlato, Private Collection, Malta