Historical Fashion Lecture

   This is just what it says on the tin! Most often I've given such lectures at historic houses as a companion to reenacting or costume commissions. Depending on the setting, I'll talk about a larger or smaller swath of history. I always bring some of my historical garments to provide a concrete demonstrations of the things I talk about. I do like regular visual aids too - picture printouts or slide presentations (though I've never had the opportunity to use the slides - historic venues don't always have the tech for it!). I like to have long question and answer periods after I talk so the audence has a chance to participate.
   My lectures are mostly aimed at a crowd who doesn't know much about historical costume yet. We talk mostly about general fashion trends and about historical clothing layers, rather than getting into intense detail about one topic or another. I love to answer more specific questions but the bulk of the talking is essentially costume history 101. I think all historical house staff (costumed or uncostumed) benefit from a solid foundation of fashion history. It can help bring historical periods to life, to be able to imagine what people wore, and why and how.

Atmospheric Reenactment

Sitting at the parlor piano

   "Atmospheric Reenactment" is the name I've given to the kind of reenacment events I've done most often. It's a simple way of integrating costumed reenactment into regular site tours. So far I've done this in casual and special-occasion settings.
   In casual settings, this reenactment just settles into whatever tour pattern is established. I sit in one room of a historic house with a small project, usually sewing or hat-making, and guides go though the house as they normally would. Sometimes they stop when they reach me and encourage the guests to ask me about my clothing or my project, and sometimes they just continue with the tour as if I am a non-interactive display. That's why I call it "atmospheric" reenactment, because my presence contributes to the historic atmosphere of the house even when I'm not directly engaging with guests.
   Usually I reenact in the third person for these kinds of things, so that I can make parallels from period items and practices to modern ones. I do think it would also work well done in-character, although it would work best in a location that sits reliably in one part of history, rather than having a bunch of periods all jumbled up together. (A character from 1820 sitting on a settee from 1860 will have a hard time if guests ask them questions about the furniture...)

   I've also done the atmospheric style of reenacting in special-occasion situations. That is, I sit in a single location and am incorporated into a tour, but in this case the tour is already tailored towards a holiday or important event and I change my reenactment activity to reflect that.
   The most successful of these that I did was at the Old Manse during the 2016 Christmas season - I played and sang Christmas carols, made cut paper decorations, and talked about Christmas traditions from 1820s New York and the South (to contrast with New England celebrations, which were talked about elsewhere in the house) (more in this blog post). There were also smaller versions to celebrate Thanksgiving, and Valentines day (with different crafts and topics at each, of course).
   That Christmas event also made an effort to be a first-person event, that is, In-Character. I should talk about 1820s Christmas from the perspective of a New York young lady from the 1820s. I prepared a lot for that impression, but the event wound up being only slightly in-character, because the non-costumed guides were not used to working with reenactors in that way. I think it would have worked very well if there had been time for all the staff to sort of rehearse together and practice working with characters instead of the modern people they were familiar with.

a tableful of christmas crafts

Historical Laundry Techniques Demonstrations

Me, right, with my assistant Em, left, and some helpful kids learning the ropes

   I really enjoy reenacting the "women's role", but it's pretty boring to just sew all the time. That's what I do in my real life anyway! So as a historian who specializes in textiles and clothing, I branched out into the next logical area of expertise - laundry! I can still make use of my broad knowledge of period textile and clothing, and also have a fun interactive demonstration.
   The presentation I've worked up is done as an ongoing demonstration, so far always as a part of some larger special event. I and an assistant soak, beat, and dry an assortment of generic-period white linens.  I keep stain treatments and a little book of receipts and techniques nearby so that I can have some teaching aids when questions come up. Mostly it's just about the physical labor of the wash, which lends itself nicely to audience participation. Usually it's children who help out, but every now and then an adult with take a few whacks with the washing beetle for the sake of a photo op. I think the interaction is the best and most important part of the whole thing. I don't expect people to remember everything I say but I figure they'll be more likely to remember something if they helped.
   Laundry is a surprisingly pleasant task to be doing outside on a hot day. So far the laundry demonstration has been presented yearly at the Free Fun Friday held at the Old Manse in Concord MA every August. 90 degree weather is to be expected, but neither I nor my assistants have keeled over yet! It helps we're in the shade splashing in cold water...

   The only downside of laundry for a reenactor is that it requires a fair bit of specialized equipment and skills. Things like wooden washtubs are tricky to come by at all, and certainly not at "broke underemployed 20-something" prices. I'm improving my kit bit by bit, but I don't worry about it too much because the public usually asks about the historically dubious stuff and I can give them the corrections.
   And of course there's the matter of open fire, which is a work partner in itself (and requires practice, safety, and sometimes permits). For now I've decided not to even try fire, because that's dangerous, and I really want to be able to invite kids to participate without having to add lots of safety caveats. (Not to mention that I'm personally a bit freaked out by fire... Fire-handling is a skill I would like to have, but even then I think the convenience of fire-less laundry might still be appealing.)

   I hope to bring the laundry demonstration to more historical sites and events, since it was a common historical activity, and because it provides another view of the historical woman besides sewing and cooking. I'm not sure how to articulate how very important I think it is to imagine the full variety of women's daily lives in times gone by.

If you know a historical site or event that might like to host my laundry demonstration, contact me.

Em and I discuss some wierd stain treatment receipt.

Hand Quilting Demonstration, with a side of politics

Me (center), with Em (left) and Kay (right), chatting and quilting together

After the success of the laundry demonstration I wanted something new, that could also offer participation for the public, while putting the spotlight on women's history. So I developed a quilting demonstration - a small group of reenactresses working together on a quilt in a frame, while chatting about life and politics.
The aim of this demonstration was to show a typical women's task, while also demonstrating how a gathering of women might take advantage of the situation to organize themselves as a force for change. Given how women in the 19th century committed themselves to social reforms, it seems only reasonable that any group of women might use their time to organize around some social ill or other.
The quilting bee was originally conceived as an interactive activity, but in practice it has not turned out that way. It requires small-scale precision in a way that beating laundry does not, not to mention the matter of the tiny pointed tools and the tangly string.

Quilting is a fairly straightforward task, so there isn't much to discuss on that front. I have a little sample quilt block all made up to illustrate the parts of a quilt on a much smaller scale. The sewing tools also elicit questions.
I prefer to set the period of the quilting demonstration in the mid-19th century. Although quilts were used before and after that time, the classic scrap patchwork quilt top fits best into the Civil War period. And, of course, the social issues which were debated in that period are some of the most interesting and far-reaching - women's participation in the push for abolition helped spark the fight for women's rights. And of course, earlier in the century, the agitation of women had brought changed to prisons, hospitals, and education, and laid the beginnings of the temperance movement.
The chief improvement that this demonstration needs is a sharper focus on women's political consciousness. This will best be facilitated by the addition of literature and pamphlets, which we can read and discuss as we work. That will also likely increase audience participation, since 19th century politics is not so easily conceptualized as sewing in a straight line.
(Here's a blog post about the first run of this event)

Em and Kay quilt in the afternoon sun