Recent articles in various blogs report that Queen Victoria’s 1890s handmade knickers went on auction recently and sold for a cool price tag of $9000. The royal knickers boast a fifty inch waist with drawstring and open-crotch. Barbara Rusch, the president of The Ephemera Society of Canada was the lucky winner. She has collected Queen Victoria’s items for the past twenty-five years. Not only was she the winning bidder of the bloomers but she also obtained a Queen Victoria chemise, with a bust size of sixty-six inches, for the hefty fee of eight thousand dollars. A bit steep, considering it was valued at only six hundred dollars.

In addition to the knickers and chemise, Barbara also owns a pair of pink hand-embroidered silk stockings and other pieces from Queen Victoria’s garments and jewelery.

“As the president of The Ephemera Society of Canada, Barbara has permitted her private collection of Queen Victoria items, entitled “Ephemera from the Age of Victoria”, to be displayed for the enjoyment of the general population.” Where it is displayed is not so obvious from the internet articles.

So my question of the day is…. do you consider vintage underwear to fit into the conventional definition of Ephemera? Let me hear your thoughts.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the encore it deserves.

Tom
Click to see my current eBay items

Technorati tags: eBay, Encore Ephemera, Queen Victoria.