'Distinctly, unmistakably Gorey.' How Yarmouth artist created mood, identity with clothes

Gwenn Friss, Cape Cod Times
Updated ·2 min read
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If you have ever watched the animated intros to the PBS "Mystery!" series, you have had a small taste of Edward Gorey's sense of style and mischievous approach to fashion.

“Part of me is genuinely eccentric, part of me is a bit of a put on. But I know what I am doing,” the late artist and illustrator Edward Gorey told Lisa Solod in a Boston Magazine article from 1980.

Those interested in learning more about Gorey's personal and professional use of costuming may want to check out the Edward Gorey House's opening exhibit, "Dressed to Kill: Edward Gorey and the Social Fabric."

'Dressed to Kill' is an exhibit through Dec.31 at The Edward Gorey House museum in Yarmouth Port that explores the sartorial sense of the artist/illustrator who died 21 years ago.
'Dressed to Kill' is an exhibit through Dec.31 at The Edward Gorey House museum in Yarmouth Port that explores the sartorial sense of the artist/illustrator who died 21 years ago.

"Using original artwork and costume design studies as well as his own wardrobe, 'Dressed to Kill' shows how Gorey was canny in establishing identity and mood in his illustrations, to his stage work, and in his own appearance as well," writes Gregory Hischak, director/curator of The Edward Gorey House at 8 Strawberry Lane in Yarmouth Port.

"Costuming is an integral component of Edward Gorey’s universe — both for his fictional characters as well as his own persona," Hischak writes.

In addition to creating more than 116 books, Gorey’s half-century of commercial illustration includes cover designs, periodicals and award-winning costume and set designs, including the Broadway production of "Dracula."

"Throughout all these works Gorey displays a sweeping eye for blending textures, cultures, and eras into a style that is both worldly and other-worldly, timeless, intentionally nostalgic," Hischak writes, "and distinctly, unmistakably Gorey."

Spring hours for the museum, April 6 to July 2, are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. House admission is $10 for adults, $4 for children 5-12, and free under age five.

For more information on the museum and its opening exhibit, which runs through Dec. 31, visit www.edwardgoreyhouse.org/.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Edward Gorey museum on Cape Cod opens season with fashion exhibit