French and Indian War Event at Crown Point

My living history hobby began in the 1860s but transitioned back to the 18th century. Then it suddenly jumped forward to the 1940s. Today I find myself attending more 20th century events but I always seem to find my way back to my favorite time period. I have a deep love for the mid 18th century for a number of reasons. I find the history fascinating, it's when America  as a country was really born after all. The clothing is intriguing and enjoyable to both wear and to create. But it was through 18th century living history that I met my husband Cori. We have both made so many life long friends through our crazy hobby.

Photos in this post photos courtesy of Kris Jarrett Photography and Media Production. Thanks Kris! (Kris is also the talented man who took out wedding photos which you can see here and here.)


And who doesn't love a man in a kilt? Cori's main impression for the French and Indian War period is a soldier of the 78th Frasier's Highlanders. This particular regiment, with an impressive record, was formed mostly of former Jacobites. They served with distinction at the Siege of Louisbourg in 1758 and again on the Plains of Abraham when the British finally captured Quebec in 1759.

This summer we had the chance to visit one of our favorite locations, Crown Point, for a French and Indian War event. It's right on the shore of Lake Champlain. We were only able to stay for the day but it's also one of our favorite places to camp. After visiting with friends we headed into the old fort for some photos.

Originally the site of the French built Fort St. Frederic, the area was taken over by the British who began building their own fortifications around 1759. The site served as a major base of operations for British forces for the remainder of the the French and Indian Wars. It was also the end point of the famous Crown Point Military Road, which was built through what is now Vermont. Crown Point was occupied by General John Burgoyne's army in 1777 after American forces evacuated Fort Ticonderoga to Mount Independence. The barracks are mostly in ruins today due to fire.

It's was very windy! You can see we needed to hold onto our hats!

I wore my favorite gown. I've posted a few times about this gown, here and here. I also wore my linen and yellow silk mitts.

 And a few silly ones. Because these describe us perfectly. :)

"I'm not touching you!"

Yup, this is us. :)

A Proper Look at the Check Gown

This is an older project but one I realized, after a recent Facebook discussion on 18th century crossbarred gowns, that I have not properly shared. This post has actually been sitting, unfinished, in my draft folder for quite some time so I figure it was about time to complete it. Also, it has been a while since my last non-vintage post. I first blogged about my blue and white crossbarred gown here. And you can read a little more about my research here.

The  inspiration.
The black and white print, Native Meltons, by British artist Richard Houston (c.1721-1775). Which is based on the painting, The Oyster Girl, by French artist Philippe Mercier (1689-1760). The original painting by Mercier was sold by Christies in 2013.

Painting - "The Oyster Girl" by French artist Philippe Mercier (1689-1760).

Print - "Native Meltons" by British artist Richard Houston (c.1721-1775) Fitzwilliam Museum

Second print

Print - "The Fair Oysterinda" British Museum
"The oysters good - The Nymph so fair! Who would not wish to taste her Ware? No need has she aloud to Cry'em Since all who see her Fare must buy'em.' "

The fabric.
You will notice that my fabric has one extra vertical stripe so it's not a perfect match to the print/painting. Pretty darn close though! As I mentioned in my first post about this gown, I bought the fabric long before I found the painting/print. Here in New England there used to be an annual gathering called the Women's Winter Weekend. It was a chance for the ladies to get together for a couple days and share research, period recipes, patterns, and various 18th century sewing and crafting skills. It was also a chance to purchase fabrics, trims, books, etc.

Gown construction.
I had made a few gowns before this one, but mostly with solids and one with stripes. I feared the checks on this fabric would be difficult to work with but found the opposite to be true. Plus the linen itself was a dream to work with. It didn't hurt that I had some very talented ladies helping me out! A very large portion of this gown was constructed during a Hive workshop with the ladies that run Larkin and Smith. This gown is made very much like their new gown pattern.

The lining is constructed first using a firm linen fabric. The back of the gown has a center back seam and the side seams are lapped. Next I cut the panels for the center back and skirt, having measured from the base of my neck to a few inches above the floor, and from my waist to a few inches above the floor. The skirt panels were seamed with the long running stitch and then set aside. It's important to note that if you plan to wear any kind of hoop or bum roll under your gown you need to take those measurement over them. Since I planned to use this gown for a gowning class impression I didn't bother with either of those.

Setting the sleeves.
You can set the sleeves of an 18th century gown yourself if you have a dress form, but it's certainly easier if you have someone to help you. This is a nice close up showing the pleats and basting stitches on the sleeve head. This area is then covered with the robings.  

This is a good photo showing the gown front before the robings were adding. You can see the little darts that help shape the bodice at the bust and also the placement of the sleeves. I was wearing my old stays for this workshop. The gown fits a little differently over my new ones.

Adding the robings
The robing are just stripes of fabric sewn into a tube and then tacked to the gown fronts. On some surviving examples the robings are only sewn to the shoulder area and left floating. We did a pretty good job of lining up the stripes. :)

Adding the gown robings.

Here you can see the neck facing being pinned in place. The edges are mitered to meet the edges of the robings.

Adding the back neck facing

Pleating the skirts.
Here you can see all the pins holding my pleats in place. The gown bodice and pleats are first basted in place. Then the pins are remove. Basting is an extra step but it makes sewing the pleats so much easier and you don't need to worry about pricking yourself.

Pleating the skirts

 Side view

The finished gown. My first outing with this gown was a trip to Colonial Williamsburg.

This has become my favorite gown to wear for events. Because it's linen it is cool and comfortable. I enjoy wearing it with a striped petticoat and printed neckerchief just to mix things up a bit. One of these days I'd like to get the materials together to actually reproduce the print this gown is based on.

The Challenge Event, 1775 - My Clothing

This Saturday was a very busy day for Cori and I. Lots of traveling, dressing up, and talking with all kinds of amazing people. We time traveled from present day to the year 1775 and then to 1941. Phew! Because we did so much I'm going to be breaking this into three posts. :) Just a heads up, this first post is rather long and has lots of pictures.

Our day began bright and early with a trip to Hartwell Tavern at the Minute Man National Park to participate in the Hive's Challenge Event. I really wanted to go last year but was not able to. Check out the Hive's blog for posts on last year's Challenge.

Chatting with a couple lovely ladies at Hartwell Tavern.
Photo by Friends of the Minute Man National Park Facebook page

 This is the description for this year's event.

"Across Two Summers Part II - The Countryside at War
"In the summer of 1775, the people of Massachusetts faced the challenge of supporting an army at war while at the same time trying to provide for their own homes and families. Visit Hartwell Tavern to learn about life during the Siege of Boston. Talk to displaced refugees traveling away from Boston and surrounding communities, as well as Provincial soldiers heading towards the front lines. Enlist in the Massachusetts Army, learn the proper military exercise of the day, help manufacture musket and artillery cartridges, and immerse yourself in another period of time, when nothing less than Liberty was at stake."

Participants in the Challenge are asked to provide documentation for all their clothing which is then placed in a binder for the public to look through. I decided to go as a shoemaker. I wore my blue and white cross-barred gown and brought along my tools and unfinished shoes. Here is my documentation. I will have a separate post for Cori's attire.


Shift – Based on shifts in Costume Close Up by Linda Baumgarten and Fitting and Proper by Sharon Burston. Machine sewn but finished by hand.
Stays – First started in a Hive workshop. Pattern from a pair of 1770s fashionable stays in a private collection. Linen lining and blue worsted outer fabric, leather binding. All hand sewn.
Under petticoat – White linen under petticoat with printed cotton border. Based on a petticoat as seen in Fitting and Proper by Sharon Burston. All hand sewn.

Blue linen striped petticoat – Blue linen and white striped petticoat made of two panels of fabric pleated to narrow waist band. Ties front and back with linen ties, open at sided to allow access to pockets. All hand sewn. The fabric came from Burnley and Trowbridge. I'm kicking myself for not buying more of it at the time. The fabric was a dream to work with! 
Gown – The pattern for this gown was created in Hive workshop, based on original 18^th gown in a private collection. It's made from a blue and white cross-barred linen with matching stomacher - Based on the print Native Meltons by British printmaker Richard Houston (c.1721-1775) after the painting by French artist Philippe Mercier (1689-1760). All hand sewn. I first posted about the gown here.

This picture was taken about 2 years ago but it's a nice close of the gown, bonnet, and neckerchief together.

Neckerchief – "Stolen … Red Ground and spotted with White" - Boston Gazette, February 19, 1770. Also based on a red and white cotton neckerchief as seen in A City Shower, 1764- Museum of London.For more information on handkerchiefs see my post Spotting Handkerchief in Art.

Aprons – Linen check apron, all hand sewn. Print The Jealous Maids in the Lewis Walpole Library, linen check apron in the collection of Colonial Williamsburg. “Said servant took with her … checked apron.” Pennsylvania Gazette 9-20-1775. There are also several examples of check fabric in the "Threads of Feeling" exhibit. Leather workman's apron. As seen in period prints of shoemakers and other tradesmen. The Contented Cobbler Publish'd July 14th 1772 by W. Humphrey Opposite Cecil Court St. Martin's. British Mezzotint Satires in North American Collections. 

White linen cap – Linen cap, common 18th century style with single ruffle, hand sewn with red silk ribbon. Similar to the cap worn in A City Shower, 1764- Museum of London.

Bonnet – Black silk bonnet with a red silk lining made by Hallie Larkin. Common style of the 1770s. Black and red combination inspired by a mid 18^th century runaway servant ad. Similar to the bonnet in a 1772 print called Ladies Maid Purchasing a Leek. Black was the most common color of bonnets in the 18th century. You can read my post on bonnet colors here.

Stockings – Blue cotton stocking. “had on … yarn stockings of a blue color.” Connecticut Gazette, October 13, 1775

Shoes – Leather shoes with “silver” buckets of a style common to the mid 18^th century. Fugawee Shoes.

So, did women actually work as shoemakers in the 18th century? Yes they did! Although it was a far more common trade for men, there were some women such as Elizabeth Shaw making shoes in the Boston area. I first mentioned Elizabeth Shaw in my post here. 

 

The Boston Post Boy & Advertiser, July 20, 1767

"Womens best Lynn made Callimanco Shoes at 36s" Boston Evening Post, April 26, 1765.

“Took with her a bundle of clothes. … a pair of blue worsted shoes with white heels. … She had in her shoes a pair of large silver buckles.” Pennsylvania Packet, December 14, 1782

“Took with her … a pair of leather or purple velvet shoes with square carved yellow shoes buckles.” Pennsylvania Packet, May 22, 1775

“Two pair black cloth shoes.” Pennsylvania Packet, August 23, 1773

“Benjamin and Holton Johnston, Shoemakers from Boston, in Front Street, two doors above Market Street. Take this method to inform the ladies, that they make all sorts of silk and worsted shoes, in the neatest and best manner. They likewise have the best Boston shoes to sell at the very lowest rates. All those that will please to favor them with their custom, may depend on being faithfully served.” Pennsylvania Gazette, May 30, 1765.

Put all above information together and here is what you get! I don't have a wooden tool box so I used a couple baskets to transport my shoes and tools. I was really glad I brought the little table you see, it made a great little work bench.

Not really sure what I'm doing in this picture.

Yum, peaches for lunch!

Photo by Friends of the Minute Man National Park Facebook page

I didn't accomplish much of anything with my shoes as we were only at Hartwell a short time, plus I spent most of the time talking with people. :) I think visitors really enjoyed seeing a little bit about the process of how shoes were made. I need to do some more search on the cost of shoes as that was one of the most common questions I had.

The *almost* finished shoe!

Around 1:00 we headed back to the car and changed in the parking lot (for the second time that day) and drove to Fall River, Mass for a WWII event. That post coming soon, up next is Cori's Challenge Event attire. :) The true challenge of the day was packing clothing for two people for two completely different time periods!

A Female Shoe Maker in Boston

Working on a pair of shoes at Eastfield Village.
Photo by Rebecca of A Fashionable Frolic

Behold, a female shoe maker!
I love finding evidence of women in "non-traditional" trades. Shoe making in the 18th century, like many trades, was typically a trade for men. However, if one looks hard enough there is primary documentation for women working not only as shoemakers, but as stay makers, silversmiths, tinsmiths, and even blacksmiths. Some women even owned and ran their own shops. (See CW's article on women's trades here.)

Often times a master shoemaker would employee women to sew the uppers (the fabric portions) of shoes. This type of sewing didn't require any real knowledge of shoe making and could be done quickly and easily by anyone skilled with a needle and thread. In the case of Elizabeth Shaw, it would appear that that she was doing more then simple piece work.

Originally from Europe, Elizabeth is announcing to the public that she is setting up shop to make and mend men's and women's shoes "in the neatest Manner. ... at her Shop in Long Lane" The advertisement for Elizabeth's shop is dated July 20, 1767.

The Boston Post Boy & Advertiser, July 20, 1767

In all likely hood, I'm sure her rates for shoes are very reasonable given that "Callimanco, Russell and Leather" were some of the most common - and cheapest - materials for making women's shoes. It's the pretty silk and brocade shoes that show up most often in museums and at auction. These "everyday" shoes are hard to find today but fortunately there are a few examples in museums.

Red-pink glazed wool shoes, c. 1765 - Historic Deerfield

Shoes, 1780-1790, Leather, linen, wool. These would have been "everyday" shoes for many English women. Snowshill Manor © National Trust / Richard Blakey

I thought it would be interesting to find an old map of Boston to see if I could find exactly where Elizabeth Shaw' shop was located. A search for early maps of Boston led me to the Massachusetts Historical Society. They have over 100 manuscript and printed maps of Boston as well as other towns and counties in Massachusetts. The closest map I could find was an 1835 re-issued map by George G. Smith of a map originally engraved and printed by Francis Dewing of Boston in 1722. I can't post an image of the map here but if you follow this link you can view the map online. Click on the zoom feature to find Long Lane. What is neat about this map is that it shows alterations that occurred in Boston between 1722 and 1769. Only a handful of building appear on the Long Lane. Could one of those have been Elizabeth's shop?

Below is another map of Boston dated 1743. You can clearly see Long Lane (marked Long L.) in the lower left of the map.

Detail of 1743 map of Boston by William Price, showing the Financial District and vicinity

This is what Long Lane looks like today.

Long Lane, now Federal Street in Boston's Financial District

Random history facts of the day - Revolutionary War hero Henry Knox was born in a house on Long Lane in 1750. And, in 1788, Long Lane was renamed Federal Street.