Hannah Rumball
Dr Hannah Rumball is a lecturer in Cultural Studies and Preparation for Industry on the Fashion Design (BA). Her specialisms are nineteenth- and early twentieth-century women’s dress and material culture, with a specialist focus on two key areas - tailored garments for women, as well as Quaker Plain dress and its fashionable adaptation. She sits on the committees of two international research networks, Nineteenth Century Dress and Textiles Reframed, and ACORSO Tailoring for Women 1860 – 1930.
Hannah was awarded her PhD in material culture, dress history and Quakerism, from the University of Brighton in 2016. Her doctoral subject was conceived independently, after having completed an AHRC fully-funded Masters by Research at Kingston University on the subject of the prescriptions of Quaker dress. Subsequent consultations with appropriate academics at the RCA, Kingston and Brighton University, as well as independent scholars, ensured the creative and innovative quality of her proposal and illustrates Hannah’s strong cross-discipline collaborative ability. Both the RCA and University of Brighton accepted her proposal, with University of Brighton awarding her a fully-funded scholarship position to undertake the doctoral project.
She has helped in mounting exhibitions for the The National Trust, the William Morris Museum, Regency Town House and the Serpentine Gallery.