It’s been a fantastic couple of weeks. Fort Dobbs is finally open and spectacular. The Museum of the American Revolution reprised their Occupation of Philadelphia event, so Elizabeth Weed and Thomas Nevel returned to amuse the public. Both places were an excellent chance to refine lower class and middle class 18th century characters. The servant at Dobbs was a Virginia […]
Read more "First Person Redefined"Progress. Being trapped in an airport in New England helps. Creating twenty-three button holes, only fourteen (at most) of which will ever be used seems silly. The Taylor’s Complete Guide (1796) reminds us: “…we should recommend the making holes down both sides for the advantage of the wearer, lest any unforeseen accident should happen from […]
Read more "Assumptions"Remember these knuckleheads? Two Americans painted by a lieutenant in the Royal Deux-Ponts regiment at Yorktown. Jean-Baptiste Antoine de Verger might have captured the belted waistcoats that Lafayette wrote to President Laurens about: if we could get materials enough it would be possible to have a large belt out of the jacket, and independent of […]
Read more "Wrong Again"Living history folks live in a weird nether region between actual historians and cosplay/furry/costumers, mostly despised or ignored by both groups. The public couldn’t care less about history. Most know nothing, so it makes wearing whatever easy. As a professional researcher for 12 years, and a mediocre tailor for nearly that long, I created this […]
Read more "Yer Doing It Wrong"When I started the silly, silly hobby of living history 15 years ago, I was hugely intimidated. It is expensive. Sewing was not something I had ever even considered. Time to learn new things. In the beginning, patience is crucial. Way too easy to go to Jo-Ann’s Fabrics and buy whatever. It’s a good way […]
Read more "Ken Doll"Remember this thing? Nothing wrong with it per se. There is plenty of evidence for floppy elf caps. Eighteenth century soldiers wore these to preserve their expensive cocked hats when it was time for manual labor. For instance, there are these hearty chaps toiling away on the defense of Boston in 1775: Lieutenant General Archibald […]
Read more "Fatigue Cap II"I spent a fantastic weekend with my pal and mentor Henry Cooke, helping at a workshop for 18th century regimental coats. Participants got a coat kit, cut to their size, and two days of expert help in sewing and fitting. This is how I learned to sew all those years ago, and I picked up some new […]
Read more "Field Trip!"