I first experienced this image in Eighteenth Century Decoration by Charles Saumarez Smith, a book about interiors but full of wonderful images of dress. John Farr relaxes in his red slippers and riotously checked and striped banyan, lined with a spill … Continue reading
My personal research focuses on the dress of indentured and enslaved servant women from 1750-1790. While I was in DC for work recently, I was able to slip over to the Library of Congress for a couple of hours and … Continue reading
Does the title sound too Anthony Bourdain? The Westminster City Archives has established a blog for a cookbook in its collection of compiled recipes. The handwritten volume compiles recipes with roots in the late 17th century up until the first … Continue reading
Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum/State Museum of Archaeology is a long official title, so the concern has been dubbed Jef Pat Park for those of us who reference it with any regularity. Recently, in a thread on the At … Continue reading
Eddie Izzard puns on the Church of England: “Cake or Death?” For people found guilty of committing small crimes in England, transportation to the American colonies for seven to fourteen years of bound servitude was the cake option. Overcrowding in England’s … Continue reading
At this point during the winter, I start to get the itch for digging in the dirt. Alas, it’s a rather pointless itch as I must confine my green thumb activities to a few boxes hanging from the windows of … Continue reading
Online databases are incredible tools. While my museum career has mostly focused on textiles, dress, and ethnographic materials, I never know what is going to inspire me when I search mfa.org, metmuseum.org, emuseum.history.org (Colonial Williamsburg), and so forth. There was a … Continue reading
The summer is full of living history events, and moreso, the laundry that follows a hot sweaty weekend out in a field without a shower. While plenty of women I know want to get their stays (corset) off first after … Continue reading
Acronym Quiz: What does CCC stand for? The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942. While most noted for civil engineering projects like Hoover Dam and the creation of woodsy infrastructure inside … Continue reading
I’ve loved this plate ever since finding her while working at the MFA, Boston. Styled after Marie Antoinette, the equestrienne rides uncommonly astride a speckled horse. En francais: “Jeune Dame montant à cheval; elle est habillée en homme avec un … Continue reading