What to wear for a Revolution?: Countess Constance Markievicz in Military Dress

Gail Baylis

doi:10.1353/eir.2019.0015

What to wear for a Revolution? Countess Constance Markievicz in Military Dress

Gail Baylis

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Abstract

CONSTANCE MARKIEVICZ (1868–1927) remains a contentious figure in the memory of the 1916 Easter Rising, not least because of her wholehearted advocacy of violence. With such a legacy how should we understand her premeditated act of commissioning photographs of herself in military-style dress just weeks before the insurrection? What to wear for a revolution might appear to be a frivolous dilemma, but it preoccupied Markievicz in the run-up to the Rising. This essay argues that recognizing these military portraits as the conscious production of what historian Guy Beiner might label a prememory text—as an attempt to preempt history—offers a means of accessing the hopes and anxieties of those aspiring to shape history.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	94-122
Number of pages	29
Journal	Eire Ireland
Volume	54
Issue number	3 & 4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1353/eir.2019.0015
Publication status	Published (in print/issue) - 1 Dec 2019

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https://muse.jhu.edu/article/744750

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AB - CONSTANCE MARKIEVICZ (1868–1927) remains a contentious figure in the memory of the 1916 Easter Rising, not least because of her wholehearted advocacy of violence. With such a legacy how should we understand her premeditated act of commissioning photographs of herself in military-style dress just weeks before the insurrection? What to wear for a revolution might appear to be a frivolous dilemma, but it preoccupied Markievicz in the run-up to the Rising. This essay argues that recognizing these military portraits as the conscious production of what historian Guy Beiner might label a prememory text—as an attempt to preempt history—offers a means of accessing the hopes and anxieties of those aspiring to shape history.

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ER -

What to wear for a Revolution? Countess Constance Markievicz in Military Dress

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