A Reconstructed Visitable Past: Day Two

Day two began with Session III: Technicalities, starting with Jenny Tiramani (costume and set designer and dress historian, London, England) presenting on “Fitting New Bodies in Old Shapes: Experiments with Patterns of the Past.”  Most of the information and photos that Jenny shared with us are unpublished (but soon to be!) so I cannot share all of the details here, but you can pre-order her new book, Seventeenth-Century Women's Dress Patterns: Book 1 on amazon.com.  She is currently working on subsequent volumes, and on finishing the work of her late friend and fellow costume historian Janet Arnold, so stay tuned for more goodies in the future!

Extant stays, 1740-1760, in the CW collection (featured in Costume Close-up)

Next on the program was Dr. Lynn Sorge-English (Department of Theatre, Costume Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia) with her presentation “Stays for the People.” Dr. Sorge-English also presented some unpublished work, which I consequently (and unfortunately, sorry!) cannot share here, but she too has a soon-to-be-published book from which her talk was drawn: Stays and Body Image in London: The Staymaking Trade, 1680-1810 can be pre-ordered from amazon.com. In brief, her talk explored the life of one rural English staymaker in the mid-18th century. Using his diaries, heretofore only read in light of their religious association, she gleans a fascinating spectrum of information about the staymaking trade, its practitioners, and even its customers. Be sure to check out her book to read more of this exciting scholarship. Accompanying her discussion on stays, she also described her work with the CW Costume Design Center to help establish stays patterns that could easily fit any interpreter. The stays, which come in 10 set sizes, can accommodate staff of any shape and size, eliminating the extensive (and expensive) task of fitting a new pair of stays for each staff member. Yet another example of a necessary but working compromise of costuming historic sites.

The "stays for the people" developed by Sorge-English,

still used by the CW CDC to fit costumed employees.

Saundra Ros Altman (creator and owner, Past Patterns, Dayton, Ohio) and Isabelle M. Lott (CEO, Pattern Works International, Grand Rapids, Michigan) discussed their experiences in pattern-making from extant garments.  Saundra started her company with next to nothing and has been able to build it into a wonderful resource for costumers.  Isabelle demonstrated her use of CAD (a computer software) to draft patterns efficiently, which offers some great potential to historic sites needing to quickly and easily scale up or down available period patterns.

Following a coffee break (I know it seems like we had a lot of coffee breaks, but with so much information coming at us, we needed the extra boost!), we had a presentation by fellow blogger Abigail Cox (of Stay-ing Alive), who spoke on “Educating and Constructing over the Internet: The Popularity, Potential, and Perks of Historical Costuming Blogs.”  She outlined this new “genre” of blog and explored the potential for a wider use of blogs by museums to highlight and make more accessible their costume collections.  A question from the audience encouraged some further discussion on this topic.  Costume scholars and enthusiasts are clearly reaching out for more knowledge, and further details from the museums would be helpful and widely appreciated, and an asset for museums because of the audiences they could draw.  The difficulty with this is, of course, that museums struggle with the wider dissemination of their collections because of possible implications on their visitation; would you visit a museum if you could access everything online?

“New Opportunities: Developing and Teaching Classes on Historical Clothing Construction” by Carolann Schmitt (Genteel Arts, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) discussed techniques for developing costume workshops for re-enactors and the staff of living history sites.  She shared her own experiences in creating classes and figuring out the most effective ways to organize and teach period construction techniques.  She provided a wonderfully helpful set of guidelines to think about when planning such classes, and stressed that it is often the opportunity to have a garment custom-fitted that helps draw individuals.  Johanna Tower (historical clothing and textiles, Plimoth Plantation) followed with a discussion of the link between historical knowledge and applied skill.

CW apprentice tailor Neal Hurst at work in the Margaret Hunter Shop, July 2010.

Concluding the morning session was Neal Hurst (apprentice tailor, Historic Trades, Colonial Williamsburg), who spoke on “The Bridge between Craftsmen and Academia: The Tale of Two 21^st Century Apprentices.”  He began by outlining the trades programs at CW, most specifically those practiced at the Margaret Hunter shop.  The shop opened in 1954 simply as another souvenir store; slowly, CW began using the trades as education and preservation tools, thus greatly enhancing the mission of the foundation.  Beginning in the years after World War II, CWF initiated a number of apprenticeship programs, though it wasn't until 1995 that an apprenticeship for the millinery and mantua maker trades were established, and not until 2003 for the tailor.  While CW cannot hold their employees to the strict rules of a true 18^th century apprenticeship, they still follow the basic structure of this learning curriculum.  Apprenticeships last seven years, and after completion of certain goals and projects, they are promoted to journeyman/woman.  Neal highlighted the importance of these trades, stressing that some of the tradesmen at CW are the only practitioners in their field left in the world, and thus how essential it is that their knowledge be carried forward through educational and training programs like those offered at CW.  (If you're interested, one of Neal’s apprenticeship projects even has a facebook page.)

 Interns are also an important addition to the trades of CW.

We were surprised at lunch time by our friends Laurie and her daughter and son, who came into town for the weekend!  We had a nice relaxing lunch together at the DeWitt Wallace café (still no Brunswick stew) and then took a walk through the Accessories from Head to Toe exhibit upstairs.  (Just so you all know (because it is that important to me!), I did finally get my Brunswick stew at Huzzah! that evening!)

Following lunch was a presentation by Frances M. Burroughs (director of operations, Educational Programs, Productions, Publications and Learning Ventures, CW) titled “Extending the Message: Historical Csotume Exhibitions and Media.”  She shared with us some of the innovative ways that CW is using to extend its exhibits to a wider audience, such as the use of the current Historic Threads online exhibit, photos and slideshows, podcasts, and even a video which plays in the exhibit space (we all got to view the video on the “big screen” accompanied by some fun production stories and anecdotes about the filming process!).  Clips from the video can be seen in this recent vodcast about the exhibit.

“Stepping into Their Shoes: Visitor Engagement at Historic Sites through Costuming” by Elizabeth L. Mauer (creative director, Re-Living History, Alexandria, VA) took a look at how visitors wearing costumes affects their interactions and experiences with costumed interpreters.  She used a story of a young visitor to CW who, while dressed in costume, received special attention from interpreters; they acted as if she was “one of them” or “in the know," encouraging her to adopt her own period persona in a way, immersing her fully in the educational interpretive scenarios.  Dressing up as a type of “play” thus becomes an invaluable method for learning through suggestive interaction, rather than passive didacticism.  Elizabeth said that this paper will be on her website soon, so be sure to check there to read more.

The next presentation by A. Newbold Richardson (Past Crafts Textiles and The Costume and Textile Specialists, Alexandria, VA)  entitled “More Than Play: Serious Interactive Dress-ups for Museum Educators” flowed nicely from the previous talk to further explore the use of costumes to transport children in order to help them grasp a better understanding of the time period portrayed.  Since so many museums have limited budgets (especially when it comes to costumes), and since most children do not really know how accurate a piece of clothing is, she suggests using the costumes as more of a tool to understand period posture and deportment - to help feel what it felt like "back then" - rather than as strictly historically accurate objects of study.  For example, a tight fitting waistcoat (even if it is the only piece of clothing for a child to wear) will give them an idea of the posture and restrictions of the time period much better than simply seeing the garment worn by an interpreter.  Shy children or those with disabilities can be easily incorporated into the lesson through the simple act of being costumed alongside their peers, providing a shared experience through what she termed "socio-dramatic play."

Tailors' workspace at the Margaret Hunter shop.

Following our last coffee break was a panel discussion titled “How Accurate is Accurate Enough?”  The panel consisted of Tom Hammond (CW, CDC), Jenny Tiramani (costume designer and dress historian), Hannah Howard (Pennsbury Manor State Historic Site, PA), Natalie Garbett (costumer), and Mark Hutter (CW journeyman tailor).  I was very excited for this discussion, but as the first questions were put the panel, I could tell that this was going to be a very general discussion.  I felt that the panel, as well as the participants from the audience, was being too careful and polite about certain issues.  Based on the presentations and discussions so far, it is evident that everyone and every site has their own opinion and standards when it comes to the use of costumes.  However, it was also evident that many have a very strong opinion on one practice or another, and I think it would have been enlightening to delve into further discussion and debate concerning some of these practices and issues.  I think this may have also provided those who are new to costuming or who are struggling with issues at their site to examine more closely the possibilities that are out there and to consider what might work best for their own individual site.

Following the panel, Dr. Jane Malcoln-Davies returned to discuss “Measured Smiles: Benchmarking Front-of House Staff’s Contributions to Visitor Experiences.”  Once again, her research and discussions with various historic sites allowed her to share statistics on interpreter training, effectiveness, and visitor reactions to costumed interpreters. 

Our keynote speaker, Richard Pickering, ended the session with another rousing talk.  He described how we are “standing on jello”: what we think is right today, will inevitably change tomorrow.  Our vision of history is constantly shifting and it is important that we help the public to understand this, while keeping aware of it ourselves as we continue to learn and grow and educate.

I want to say congratulations and thank you to Colonial Williamsburg, the staff who organized this conference, the wonderful presenters, and all of the registrants who attended.  This was such a unique opportunity for us all to explore the many uses and advantages of costumes and how they can impact our educational efforts.  These two days were packed full of new ideas and important discussions which I hope will continue throughout the museum and costuming communities.

The conference ended with an open house and reception at the CW Costume Design Center.  The staff kindly placed projects around the building for us to admire and examine, and very graciously answered all of our inquiries and curiosities while we enjoyed some tasty treats.

Costumes on display at the CW Costume Design Center.

K.C. and Rebecca drooled over the bolts of fabrics...

...While I drooled over this reproduction of Jefferson's 1790 great coat!

A Reconstructed Visitable Past: Day One, Part Two

Following lunch, the Case Studies session continued, reconvening with “The Hive: Creating a Buzz” presented by Stephanie Smith and Hallie Larkin (volunteers, Minuteman National Historical Park, Concord, Massachusetts).  They relayed the inspiring story of creating a volunteer-run organization which provides workshops and events to aid reenactors in acquiring the most accurate clothing and accessories possible.  Independent reenactors oftentimes are unsure of where to go for resources or simply don’t know where to start.  The Hive uses a variety of primary sources (from extant garments to prints and paintings to runaway ads) and offers a fun, free, and friendly atmosphere where reenactors and volunteers are taught by example, not just told, how to portray accurately.  They have offerings for men and women as well as children, and offer support for projects both small and large.  They use their own experiences and even have a “dos and don’ts” fashion show where common clothing mistakes are highlighted in a jocular manner, so that no one will feel embarrassed about making the mistakes we've all made as beginners.  Be sure to visit their website to read about their work and their upcoming workshops.

CW actor-interpreters strolling on Duke of Gloucester Street

In “What Are You Obsessing Over Now? Twenty Years of Clothing Continental Army Interpreters,” Michael S. McGurty (interpretative programs assistant, New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site, Vails Gate, New York) told us about his trials in costuming living history sites, most specifically in persuading management to dedicate more time and resources to accurate clothing.  One anecdote he shared described his elatation when at one point in his career, he actually achieved permission to procure a large amount of wool from an English supplier who dates back to the 18th century to recreate some new regimental coats for the museum staff.  The shipment, however, was stopped by customs on its way into the country and ended up costing a great deal more than anticipated.  But these, he said, are the necessary trials of this field, which is still worth it despite them all.

Following this was Lindsey Holmes (costumier, Past Productions Museum Theatre Company, London, England) who presented “Dress Sense: Costume as a Multisensory Historical Experience.”  She described several of her recent projects which used clothing, either as the topic itself or as an accessory to the theatrical production, to engage the audience further into the stories.  For example, for one museum-based performance, actors were stationed in rooms around a house as the audience moved from one room to the next.  She noted how the sounds and movements of the costumes (going up the stairs, rustling as they walked, etc.) enhanced the characters and their portrayals and gave the audience a multisensory experience of what the sights and sounds of the period were actually like.  Even the smell of the clothes, by washing or storing them in the manner of their time period, can greatly enhance the believability of a living history performance.

 A doll on display at the George Wythe House, CW.

After another short coffee break, we heard “The Mythical Bodice and its Successors at Colonial Williamsburg,” presented by Claudia Brush Kidwell (curator emeritus, National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C.), Sally Queen (manager, CW Costume Design Center, 1987-1995), and Linda Smith (cutter-draper-patternmaker, CW Costume Design Center).  This presentation and discussion was a lot of fun and is one of my favorites from the conference.  I think we’ve all witnessed examples of how historical costume recreation has evolved over time, and this was just one example.  The panel began by sharing one of their favorite slogans: ISLAGIATT ("it seemed like a good idea at the time").  They described how a few of the hostesses at CW began wearing costumes in 1934 as part of the special Garden Week.  The public loved the idea and both visitors and management started asking for more.  CW experimented with different styles and levels of clothing (even modern uniforms, which angered visitors!) over the years, until in preparation for bicentennial celebrations, they needed to construct many costumes quickly and at a low cost.  Enter "the bodice," with no historical basis whatsoever, but it was quick and easy to make and, well, ISLAGIATT.  By the 1980s, clothing accuracies were just beginning to be researched and discussed more widely; as knowledge was enhanced, the CDC decided to replace the bodices with historically documented short gowns.  In order to fund this new project, however, CW sold the bodices to other historic sites, thus perpetuating the practice of wearing this "mythical" piece of clothing and passing it as one with historical basis.  Through this presentation, these ladies called on us all to get the word out there: stop wearing them and teach the next generation about proper garments instead!  The presenters also described some of the projects the CDC has pursued since that time which help portray an accurate sense of the time, and which also fit the needs of the employees, their physical work, and the agenda of the Foundation as a whole.

The afternoon ended with our keynote speaker, Richard Pickering (deputy executive director, Plimoth Plantation).  His presentation, “Shifting Seam: Tailor Made History for the Next Generation,” began with the story of his first steps into history, thanks to a Miss Harris who noticed his interest and drew him in further by taking down the barriers and allowing him to witness history on an entirely new level.  As practitioners of historical research and interpretation, it is our responsibility to train the next generation by opening their imaginations and inspiring them to ask questions and to encourage them to make inquiries.  Mr. Pickering also told us about a project which placed a group of female college students into a full immersion experience at Plimoth Plantation.  With only a few weeks of training, the students were literally left in the woods at night as interpreters led them to Plimoth and through a full reenactment of a documented scenario.  They were reenacting the actual event of a ship, stuck on the rocks near Plimoth, which they needed to abandon in the middle of the night.  As they walked through the woods, unaware that any settlement was nearby, they encountered some Native Americans who led them to Governor Bradford in Plimoth.  The ladies were then dispersed as servants to the families in the settlement.  Click here for a NY Times article about the project.

What a wonderful first day of the conference!  So many stories and experiences shared and so many discussions opened.  I am looking forward to seeing how some of these discussions progress and how they affect the use of costumes and the costuming practices of living history sites in the years to come.

But first, day two of the conference!

A Reconstructed Visitable Past: Day One, Part One

Thursday morning began the two day conference at Colonial Williamsburg titled, “A Reconstructed Visitable Past: Recreated Period Attire at Heritage Sites.”  The aim of this conference, following the Costume Accessories: Head to Toe symposium, was to share and discuss topics relating to the use of costumes in museums and living history sites.  The roster of speakers was a broad collection of costume designers, museum managers, and independent scholars from North America and Britain.  The registrants at this conference were just as varied and included museum staff, scholars, re-enactors, and costume enthusiasts from around the globe.  Costuming is an amazing tool for portraying and teaching history and an essential element for any living history museum.  As we discussed during the conference, costumes can also transport and engage visitors in a number of ways.  We touched on so many topics and issues, so I am going to try to keep this outline of the presentations as brief as I can.

Brenda Rosseau (manager of the Colonial Williamsburg Costume Design Center) and James Horn (vice president, Colonial Williamsburg Research and Historical Interpretation and Director of the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library) welcomed the group to the conference and opened by giving a brief description of the use of costumes at CW.  With over 800 employees to dress, the Costume Design Center currently has approximately 55,000 pieces in circulation, with an average of 50-60 items issued per employee.  The staff at the CDC is responsible for the research, construction, and care of all costumes and accessories used by interpreters throughout the historic area, as well as those worn by the actors in the Emmy-winning Electronic Field Trips series.  In addition, costuming comes to life in the historic area itself, where the mantua makers, milliners, and tailors of the Margaret Hunter shop practice and portray 18^th century sewing techniques on a daily basis, producing entirely accurate pieces that are both worn and put on display in the shop.

Colonial Williamsburg interpreters, costumed by the CW

Costume Design Center.

The first formal presentation was given by Dr. Pravina Shukla (Indiana University) who discussed "Costume and Sites of Heritage."  Dr. Shukla began by categorizing different types of heritage sites, such as those sites with educational goals, sites where history and culture are interpreted by professionals, or heritage sites that are only significant to the people, where no tourist or official interpreters are found.  For this last type, she gave an example of some traditional costume in Sweden which is only worn for ceremonies as part of their own heritage preservation.  Just like historical interpreters or reenactors, they strive to keep their costumes as accurate as possible.  One of my favorite anecdotes from her presentation was a discussion with a Civil War reenactor who used his own independent research and the resources available to him in order to assemble his costume and persona to be meticulously correct.  He felt that unless he was doing his best to portray his interpretation as accurately as possible, he would be doing the public a great injustice.  And while he knows that he can never fully become the character he interprets, he would not want to wear something or do something in public that would embarrass the historical person he has taken the responsibilty to preserve and portray.

Next on the program was Dr. Jane Malcolm-Davies (director JMD and Company, The Tudor Tailor, Godalming, England) discussing "A World in a Wardrobe: Costume as Communication in Historic Sites."  This fascinating study compiled data from sites currently utilizing costumed interpreters and discussed the use of costumes from the perspective of the costuming staff, the interpretive staff, and vistors themselves.  She explored how much of sites’ budgets on average are allocated to costumes and why these sites decided to start using costumes in the first place.  Information was also gathered concerning any procedures in place for training costumed staff (were they taught how to wear their costumes?), for the maintenance of the costumes (are interpretive staff in charge of cleaning their clothing?), and evaluation processes (do supervisors evaluate the staff's appearance?).  Finally, she shared how the costumed interpreters felt about their costumes, including their attitudes about wearing them and how they felt it influenced the way they perform their jobs.

A costumed interpreter at the CW Magazine engages visitors in military discussions.

The final presenter in the first session was Heather M. Meiklejohn (costume curator, Parks Canada) who gave us an overview of her specific job challenges.  As the sole costume curator for an extensive region, she does not even have the opportunity to visit all of the sites she manages in person.  One of the neat ideas she shared with us is something Parks Canada has developed called “History Online.”  This online resource for staff begins with a page listing all of the sites.  From there, staff can explore each site and find anything they might need to know, like details about the educational offerings of the sites and even a section called “How to wear your costume.”  This online “manual” is also available in hard copy or on a DVD for all staff.  One of the biggest challenges, she explained, is getting the staff to actually read this and to refer to it when they have a question.  In addition, they are beginning to explore additional interactive opportunities (such as facebook, flickr, Wikimedia, etc.) to reach out to staff and to encourage questions and conversation among staff and between sites.

After a quick coffee break, Session II: Case Studies began with “'The Devil’s Brood': Interpreting Henry II, His Family and Court at Dover Castle."  Mark Wallis (managing and artistic director) and Stephanie Selmayr (director and head of costume, Past Pleasures Ltd., Godalming, England) shared with us some beautiful slides of the costumes and new interpretations at Dover Castle.  They addressed the challenges posed when one is required to costume a period in which little to no extant examples remain, and images are inconclusive and often difficult to decipher.

Christopher Daley (historical clothing services supervisor, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation) followed with his presentation titled, “Counterfeited According to Truth”: The Challenges of Accurately Clothing Powhatan Indians at Jamestown Settlement."  I really enjoyed Mr. Daley’s presentation, in which he clearly discussed where their costuming inspirations came from, what their specific challenges are, and how they overcome those challenges.  Because Jamestown is a state-owned site, he explained, certain concessions need to be made, which often conflict with the historical accuracy of their interpretation (for example, wearing latex gloves when slaughtering animals or safetly glasses when working with hot metals).  Another very interesting topic which he brought up was public perception; when visitors come to a site, they bring certain preconceptions and expectations. In some cases, those preconceptions are wrong, and visitors consequently have trouble accepting the truth, which in other cases, they struggle with putting their preconceptions aside to focus on the interpretation.  For instance, some of the interpreters who portray the Powhatans are not Native Americans, so the public sometimes has trouble seeing beyond this necessary inaccuracy of portrayal to learn from the interpretative actions, settings, and lessons being offered by the interpreters.

Wigs on display at the Governor's Palace, CW.

The final presentation prior to lunch was Denise Lebica (manager, historical clothing and textiles, Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, Massachusetts) with “Dressed to Till: Clothing as an Interpretive Tool.”  She described how Plimoth teaches their interpretive staff how to wear their costumes and to be aware of what they are doing and how their clothes should change to fit the task at hand.  For example, when staff are preparing to do some sort of dirty work, they make sure that visitors see them put on their aprons; this conveys through the physical use of clothing the fact that since clothing was valuable, Plimoth's settlers would have done their best to protect it while they worked.  One neat tool they sometimes use in interpreter training is bringing the people of a painting to life.  After looking closely at the painting, a staff member appears wearing the same clothes, which gives the trainees a sort of 3D view of how the clothes are actually worn in the past.

I was told from the café staff at the DeWitt Wallace that Brunswick stew would be on the menu for Thursday, and I was so looking forward to it!  Alas, when I arrived at the café on Thursday, I was greeted with the sad news that the stew never made it, but was promised that it would be there the next day.  So we ran over to the Cheese Shop once again and spent the remainder of our lunch time shopping in the historic area.

Stay tuned for more!