Tags
18th century clothes, common dress, John Brown House Museum, living history, Museums, Research, What Cheer Day
Demonstration at the Old State House
That’s last Saturday, outside the Old State House, for the “People of 1763” event. Sew 18th Century and I provided a material culture/ladies’ clothing presentation in the Hands on History room. The guys drilled outside, had their photos taken, and represented the militia. The Bostonian Society had over 1200 people in the museum last Saturday, which is a pretty respectable number for a small place. It can also leave you feeling somewhat overrun. (All my photos turned out fuzzy: all I had was a shaky hand and my phone. Chalk it up to needing more sleep.)
Gossip!
This coming Saturday is What Cheer Day at the John Brown House Museum, and my sewing and research and house prep continues, if not apace, at a steady pace. Mannequins have been put away, furniture moved, and the accents practiced. By the time we were trying to say, “These are not the droids you’re looking for” with 18th century Maine vowels, we knew it was time to go home. Why this and not “I’ll put the kettle on to boil,” I do not know.
It’s still hard for me to get a handle on my character, and not so much her background as her attitude. I’m not very good at being servile or lady-like, which is why, if I’m still working for the Browns, I must be a relative of some kind.
My husband’s dead; he died in 1788, not long after the Browns moved into their new house; wounded in the Revolution, he never quite recovered and despite the best ministrations of Dr Bowen, Mr S succumbed at last. My son, now 18, was born not long after Mr S returned from the war (Mr S enlisted ‘for 3 years or the war’). Curiously, the chaplain of his regiment is also the pastor at the Congregational church in Providence.
I am a nearly non-observant Anglican, but I recognize Reverend Hitchcock, and know the work he has done in support of free public education. Mr Brown and his brother disagree on many things, but they have at least agreed upon the importance of free public education. My son and I can read, but if Tom had been better educated, perhaps he would not have gone away to sea.
Next I have to think about my cousin from Newport, and the Brown women, and what I think about them.
And there’s still the small matter of sewing two hems, three buttons and three button loops and hoping the whole business will fit properly. At least my friend finished my cap for me. I get just so far, and then I hate caps.
How I wish I were free this weekend! I’d love to come visit old haunts in RI! But ill have to be contented with your funny descriptions of the doings, and the photos–who cares if they’re not perfect? By the way, I love the sleeves peeking out in that last photo. Are they a cotton print? Do the go all the way up to the armsceye? What did you decide to wear for What Cheer? (I love the black)
Best
Nancy N
The sleeves are lined with an Indian block-printed cotton, and close with covered buttons and loops of the same cotton.
I’ll be wearing a black petticoat and brown woolen open robe; the robe has long sleeves and is lined at the cuff with a red Indian cotton block print. I tried for brown wool covered buttons, but failed several times. Will have to settle for inappropriate red buttons. In both cases, the linings are short–just above the ~ 6 inch cuff opening. My hands won’t fit through the sleeves without openings, and I have noticed cuff buttons in fashion plates.
only a few more days…yikes! I hope we’ll get good photos. My accent is a little more Katharine Hepburn than Martha Ballard yet; I may be the only housekeeper in RI with a leopard named Baby.
Oh hahahaha! I just got it! (Duh)
Brown and black have always been one of my fave combos,in any period, in any fabric. Break a leg, as we used to say,
NN
This series of posts is eye-opening; I was not familiar with the scope of preparations for a day such as What Cheer. Will there be videos, perchance, for those of us living hundreds of miles away across the Alleghanies?
The gossip picture is super. Hope it gets used a lot at the museum; it’s quite evocative as well as handsomely arranged.
Very best,
Natalie
(working on a cap in silk gauze herself, and not sure how she feels about it)
I don’t know if there will be videos, but there will be photos. We’re hoping for videos!
There have been a lot of preparations and meetings, some internally and some with larger groups, phone calls, FB threads, and chatting in person at other events. I’ve got a spreadsheet for room-by-room prep and another just for chairs. My colleague has assembled documentation (primary and secondary) and we distributed some reference books, too.
I can’t even imagine the scope to prepare for an event like Saratoga or Redcoats & Rebels. Those take a lot of organization and cooperation. I’m very lucky to have seen a bit inside the workings of successful and interesting events.
Thanks for reading, and good luck with your cap! It took me a year to get it close, and my friend finished it up in a night.
KC
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