Santina Margaret Levey (April 1938 – 26 August 2017) was an English costume and textiles historian, conservator, and author. She began her museum career in

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

and became an expert in 16th and 17th century textiles. Levey worked for the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

in its department of textiles and as its keeper of textiles. She authored various articles, books and conducted other textile research and wrote for some journals.

Early life and education

In April 1938, Levey was born in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

, the second of three children in her family. When the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

broke out, she and the rest of her family relocated to

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

, where school teachers were bemused with her handwriting and spelling but recognised her intelligence and artistic ability. Levey studied for an history degree at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

and went on to take a post-graduate teaching degree in Leicester.

Career

She briefly taught as a teacher, before she went on to begin her museum career in

. There, Levey learnt how to lace, and subsequently became an expert in 16th and 17th century textiles. She later was appointed Norwich Museum's keeper of social history, giving her responsibility for three medieval foundation buildings, a church and a duo of museums, until she won an open competition for the post of department of textiles at the

(V&A) in the late 1960s. Important scholarly books on lace were written during this period, including ''Lace: A History'', and ''Le Pompe: 1559: Patterns for Venetian

Bobbin Lace Bobbin lace is a lace textile made by braiding and twisting lengths of thread, which are wound on bobbins to manage them. As the work progresses, the weaving is held in place with pins set in a lace pillow, the placement of the pins usually de ...

''. In 1989, Levey was required to resign her role as the last V&A's keeper of textiles that she had held between 1981 and 1989 as a consequence of a major staff restructuring, but she was able to get work as a consultant and an independent scholar researching in Europe. She presented lectures on "Fashion and Lace: A Complex Relation" and "Art and Industry: Lace-Making in the Nineteenth Century" at the Texas Memorial Museum in May 1990. Levey provided advice and assistance to the

Bowes Museum The Bowes Museum is an art gallery in the town of Barnard Castle, in County Durham in northern England. It was built to designs by Jules Pellechet and John Edward Watson to house the art collection of John Bowes and his wife Joséphine Benoît ...

and had begun cataloguing the Blackborne Lace Collection in the late 1990s to which she was instrumental in having it installed in the Bowes Museum and contributed to the catalog of the exhibit. She was a director of Th
Textile Conservation Foundation
from 26 May 1991 to 9 February 2011 as well as of The Embroiderers' Guild between 23 March 1995 and 27 March 1999. Levey regularly visited Norfolk's The Textile Conservation Studio, which saw work being done on embroideries from

Hardwick Hall Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire is an architecturally significant country house from the Elizabethan era, a leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. Built between 1590 and 1597 for Bess of Hardwick, it was designed by the architect Ro ...

, producing related volumes, focusing on Elizabethan textiles,

Bess of Hardwick Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury ( Hardwick; c. 1527 13 February 1608), known as Bess of Hardwick, of Hardwick Hall, Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, was a notable figure of Elizabethan English society. By a series ...

's inventories, and a catalog on exquisite

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on c ...

needlework and other materials such as the tapestries. She examined the materials in detail and was open-minded to new discoveries. Levey began working on examining Hardwick's ecclesiastical textiles in 2002, which May Berkouwer considered, but Levey was unable to finish the project. From 2000 to 2009, she was a trustee of the Bowes Museum, championing curatorship, importance of museums worldwide and scholarship, and was instrumental in clinching the donation of a private collection of lace in Great Britain. Levey was appointed vice-president of th
Centre International d’Etude des Textiles Anciens
She was a board member of the editorial panel of the journal ''Costume'' from 2005 to 2009 and was a frequent reviewer of books. Levey authored several articles, books and other research on textiles. She also wrote for the journals ''

Textile History ''Textile History'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal first published in 1968 and published by Maney Publishing on behalf of the Pasold Research Fund. It covers "aspects of the cultural and social history of apparel and textiles, as well as iss ...

; Costume'' as well as for the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

. She established the School of Historical Dress and became a trustee of it, and collaborated with Janet Arnold and

Jenny Tiramani Jennifer Jane Tiramani (born 16 August 1954) is a British costume, stage and production designer. Since 2012 she has been principal of the School of Historical Dress in London. Early life Tiramani was born on 16 August 1954, the daughter of Fred ...

to make ''"The Cut and Construction of Linen Shirts, Smocks, Neckwear, Headwear and Accessories for Men and Women C. 1540-1660"'' Volume 4 of the ''Patterns of Fashion'' series. Levey was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and held a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree as well as a Doctor of Letters.

Death

Levey's health deteriorated towards the end of her life and she required the support of her family. She died on 26 August 2017 and received a funeral service at the Quaker Meeting House, Leicester on 15 September. Levey was cremated at Gilroes Crematorium.

Personality and legacy

Ksynia Marko of the National Trust described Levey as "a thoughtful mentor and a great encourager of others, being endlessly supportive, selfless and generous – and fun to be with." Anne Swift, writing for ''

Antiques Trade Gazette Auction Technology Group is a publishing business based in London. It publishes ''Antiques Trade Gazette'' which is a London-based weekly publication and website serving the art and antiques community. The print publication has around 16,000 sub ...

'', wrote Levey's legacy would be she would be a person remembered for "her kindness, her generosity in sharing her time and knowledge, but most of all for her humility." Clare W. Browne said of Levey's work: "Her publications on historical embroidery and lace are fundamental to the study of their subjects."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levey, Santina M. 1938 births 2017 deaths People from Nottinghamshire Alumni of the University of Leeds 20th-century English historians 21st-century English historians English women non-fiction writers 20th-century English women writers 21st-century English women writers Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Textile historians