A Tintype Photo in Gettysburg

Ashley in a tintype photograph.

Taken at the Victorian Photography Studio in Gettysburg, July 2012.

While visiting Gettysburg a week and a half ago, we were looking forward to the opportunity to have a wetplate photograph taken in costume.  We had received a few recommendations before arriving and were excited to find that there are several experienced wetplate photographers in town.  During a chat with Frank Orlando at the visitor's information center upon our arrival, he highly recommended the Victorian Photography Studio and happily shared some of the photographs that they've done for him.  Their website has an excellent reservation page that shows available times, so I used that that night to make my appointment for the following day.  Very convenient!

Since Gettysburg is such a busy tourist town, the studio offers some wonderful choices for families who are looking for a memento of their vacation to the 1860s.  They have a closet full of costumes and accessories appropriate for all ages, and even offer a digital photography option, which manipulates the photo to look "antique" like a tintype.  But for those of us who are always interested in preserving the authenticity of the time period, the Victorian Photography Studio offers exactly what we need!

Cory preparing the metal plate for my tintype photograph.

Victorian Photography Studio, Gettysburg

From the moment I walked in, the entire staff were so gracious and accommodating.  I arrived with my own clothes and Tish (co-owner with husband, Del) kindly offered her dressing room for me to change.  My wonderful photographer, Cory, was very helpful in deciding details such as whether or not to wear my glasses and how to sit.  Before I posed, he showed us how he prepares the metal plate with the collodion emulsion to make its surface receptive to light.  The plate must remain wet through the development process or it will not be light sensitive.

I sat very still while Cory did his magic and then we watched as he dipped the plate into cyanide and my photo began to appear!  The plate is then heated to dry and additional coats of oil are added to protect the image.

The negative image on the plate is soaked in chemicals to develop.

Victorian Photography Studio, Gettysburg

We were all very interested to see how my sheer, light yellow gown would appear in the final plate.  I know very little about photography, but apparently, as Cory explained, yellow and other light colors usually appear completely dark when using this process.  Since this photography process only detects certain colors, it is always difficult to say for sure what colors people were wearing in Victorian photographs.  The gown came out light, but the fabric looks so much heavier than the sheer cotton that it is.  Below is a photo that Rebecca took during the process.  Isn't it amazing how different the tintype looks?!  This just goes to show that you can never judge a gown by its tintype!  :-)

Ashley sitting very still for the tintype photograph.

Victorian Photography Studio, Gettysburg

Thank you to the Victorian Photography Studio for your most excellent and impressive service and for so kindly allowing me to share my experience here.  And a huge thank you to Cory for giving me such a fine plate to display!

The pictures included in this post were taken by us during the sitting and were done with the generous permission of the folks at the Victorian Photography Studio.  Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you again soon!

Threaded Bliss

A Sheer Yellow Cotton Dress of the Early 1860s

Colonial Williamsburg, May 2012.

This is our very first venture into recreating the costumes of the mid-nineteenth century and we're having a splendid time exploring the new fashions and silhouettes and researching how to recreate them.  This first dress was completed in time for last weekend's commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Williamsburg.

The pattern: As this was my first experience with an 1860s garment, I elected to begin with a pattern - the Peachtree Mercantile dress - which reproduces an original in the collection of the Atlanta History Center.  The sheer number of mid-century patterns currently available was a little overwhelming at first, but after some research into cuts and styles, and after reading about the experiences other seamstresses have had with many of the patterns, I selected this one because it includes what can easily be called a "crash course" in mid-century construction technique, with meticulous and clear instructions that aid in the production of a genuine reproduction piece. In the end, I couldn't have been more pleased with the pattern, and adamantly recommend it.

Colonial Williamsburg, May 2012.

Inspirations: The original dress is made in a semi-sheer, light-weight printed cotton.  Ashely knew she wanted something appropriate for wear in summer heat (further Civil War events are in the works!), so she began her image inspiration search with sheer dresses, which were extremely popular in the first half of the 1860s.  These are some of our favorites that led us to select this particular pattern and Ashley's choice to make it using a sheer cotton voile.

An 1860s sheer cotton gown from the private collection of K. Krewer.

Image linked from The Graceful Lady.

Sheer dresses were lined in a variety of ways. Those with round jewel necklines could have a "full" or "high" lining which extended from the waist to the neck, or a "half" lining that left the shoulders mostly bare and replicated the look of a low-cut evening bodice. V-necked sheer dresses typically used this "half" lining or one that was even more minimal, being just a partial lining that helped support the armscye and side-seam areas only. The Peachtree/Atlanta dress features this last style of lining, but Ashley really likes the look of the low neckline beneath the sheer, as seen in the portrait below, so we used that cut for the petticoat body (corset cover) that she wore underneath to prevent her corset from showing through the sheer cotton.

An 1860 American portrait from the El Paso Museum of Art.

Image linked from Civil War Civilian History blog.

Construction details: Because I used a pattern for this project, which I don't normally do, I can't go into as great an amount of detail as is typical of "Threaded Bliss" because the pattern directions are, of course, copyrighted.   I will, however, give a brief overview of how this dress is put together, and of some of the interesting little features it has that helps make it so drastically different from our well-loved and much-familiar 18th-century clothes.

In keeping with the original, this dress is entirely hand sewn.  It has a gathered (or "O") bodice, with the fullness concentrated in tiny gathers along the center front and center back, and along the shoulders. 

A detail view of the back waistband, showing the bodice gathering

concentrated at center back, and the tiny gauging that

controls the fullness of the skirt.

The only fastenings on the bodice are four sets of hooks and eyes on the waistband.  The dress, like the original, closes off-center, a slight variation on the "standard" dog-leg closure, but still very efficient in preventing gaps as the skirt falls from the center front.

The modified dog-leg closure that replicates the original.  You can also see

the excess fabric from the shaping of the skirt hanging down inside.

The armscyes of the dropped shoulders are piped, as is typical of the majority of dresses dating from this period.

Piping finishes the armscye.

As I mentioned above, the dress has only the most minimal of linings; white cotton supports the armscyes and side seams, as well as the waistband, but other than that, the dress is simply a single layer of voile.

The partial lining of the bodice.

If you're interested in exploring construction details in more depth, check out this original 1865 sheer bodice on Katherine's site.  With the exception of the neckline and center-front closures, the construction is nearly idential to our dress and the Peachtree/Altanta original, from the reinforced shoulder seams to the angle of the shoulders/sleeves, to the concentration of the pleats to the piping around the armscyes to the partial lining.

Because the Peachtree/Atlanta dress only has a partial lining, with just the armscyes and side seams lined, a corset cover (known as a petticoat body/bodice) must be worn underneath to keep the corset from showing through the very sheer voile. I used this 1862 pattern from Peterson's to create one, and if Ashley did not have the neckerchief on covering her shoulders, the neckline of the lining would look just like the one in the 1860 inspiration portrait above.

The bishop sleeves have a row of gathering stitches along the sleeve cap to help control their fullness.  At the bottoms, they are gathered into a band and then finished with a horseshoe cuff that folds up and over to conceal the wristband.  The sleeve bands fasten with two sets of hooks and thread eyes.

The top of the sleeves have a single row of gathering stitches

to help control their fullness.

The sleeves are finished with a band and cuff.  Here, the cuff

is folded down to reveal the band...

...that is concealed by the cuff when it is turned up to be worn properly.

As in eighteenth-century gown skirt and petticoat construction, the hem of the dress is on the straight grain.  All adjustments in skirt length necessary to accommodate the shape of the cage crinoline are made at the waist; excess fabric is not cut, but instead folded in so that the pleats at the top of the skirt actually contain two layers of fabric.  The hem - a 3" deep one common for this period - is made only of folded self-fabric.  While gowns of more opaque fabric tended to be faced (and sometimes bound) at the hemline with another textile and/or tape to help protect the hem from wear, sheer dresses tended to use only a simple folded hem.

The fabric: A delightfully sheer cotton voile in "sunshine" yellow.  The gown is only lined around the armscyes and side seams, in a plain-weave white cotton.

Finishing the look: This dress, like the original, has no fasteners other than at the waistband.  This means it must be pinned closed at the V-neck, either over a chemisette or a neck handkerchief.  Ashley recently purchased a gorgeous green vintage floral cameo brooch that proved to be the perfect match in color and size for just this purpose.  The pin secures dress and handkerchief at once.

A vintage floral cameo secures the front of the bodice closed

over a white cotton neck handkerchief.

Because of the extreme sheerness of the fabric of the unlined skirt, the dress is worn over an underpetticoat of medium-weight cotton, which also helps obscure the lines of the cage crinoline from showing through the outermost skirt layer.  A red corset of cotton sateen (more on this to come soon!), worn over a cotton batiste chemise and drawers provide the requisite underclothing to support the dress, to lend it the proper early-1860s silhouette, and to help keep it clean from body oils.

A pair of Robert Land Balmoral boots and antique silver and amber earrings complete the outfit, along with a blue silk bonnet trimmed to coordinate with the voile (more to come on that as well!).

Showing off the new boots!
Colonial Williamsburg, May 2012.

Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Williamsburg.

Colonial Williamsburg, May 2012.

Coming soon are additional posts that will take a look at the bonnet, the corset, and the underpinnings.  In the meantime, additional photos of the dress can be found on in its flickr set.

Battle of Williamsburg

Last weekend we ventured into the tumultuous year of 1862 in Williamsburg, VA.  As I'm sure you all know, the country is in the midst of commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and this was the first opportunity we have had to take part in these events.  Most of us know Williamsburg as the restored 18th century capitol of Virginia, and while we love to spend our time there visiting the late 1700s, it is easy to forget that other important historical events also took place there.  As one of our most excellent guides pointed out over the weekend, all of the original 18th century buildings standing today have also survived the Civil War, and Williamsburg certainly saw its share of that dark time in our nation's history.

Colonial Williamsburg, May 2012

The events of the weekend were presented more as an educational and commemorative experience rather than as a reenactment of the events that took place on 4-6 May 1862.  There were a small number of Civil War reenactors encamped in town who provided a glimpse into what the soldiers there might have experienced.  While we were expecting this to be a larger event, I feel that it was a very proper homage in tone and scale.  It was an especially moving experience for us, having recently discovered the roles that many of our ancestors played in the war.  We were most especially honored to pay homage to our great-great-uncle James, who was actually present in Williamsburg on May 5, 1862 and fought with his unit in the battle.

I prepared for our Civil War excursion by (what else?!) dressing the part!  This was our first encounter with recreating 1860s apparel and we had a fun time assembling my ensemble.  Rebecca will be sharing more details about my gown and bonnet in some upcoming posts.  I thoroughly enjoyed dressing for this "new" time period, although I definitely prefer my stays over a corset any day! 

Saturday morning we arrived in town early to catch the first presentation in front of the Courthouse, which provided an overview of the events that led to, surrounded, and followed the Battle of Williamsburg.  It was a bright and steamy day and everyone huddled in the shade to listen.

 

Union soldiers drilling in camp.

Colonial Williamsburg, May 2012

We then headed down the street to the Capitol where the Union camp was set up.  A guide provided us with some information about the conditions of the camps just outside of town and then took us through the camp as reenactors described various aspects of their camp life, describing how soldiers coped during war time.  All of the information was provided in third person, which meant that the reenactors were able to provide some of their personal perspectives on reenacting this historic time, as well as contributing a lot of very interesting historical information.  In the Union camp, for instance, we learned about rations and how they were cooked in camp, and also heard a fantastic discussion about field music.  Some ladies provided us with insight into the U.S. Sanitary Commission, which collected fresh food from towns to distribute to the camps and helped soldiers by aiding with health issues, as well as writing letters or reading for those unable to do so for themselves.

Ladies of the Sanitary Commission describe their role in the Union camp.

Colonial Williamsburg, May 2012

Next, we stopped in the Courthouse which, as in 1862, was set up as one of the many field hospitals.  Mr. Hudson met us in the main room and provided us with an overview of how injured men were triaged at the time.  We examined some of the medical instruments and supplies that were laid out and then ventured into a side room where the surgeon was speaking. 

Carson Hudson describes military medicine during the Civil War.

Colonial Williamsburg, May 2012

He described some of the most common procedures that would have been performed at a field hospital, which of course included amputation and the techniques used to accomplish it successfully. A young soldier entered the room while we were there with a "gun shot wound" in his arm. The surgeon examined him quickly and decided that the bullet could easily be extracted with minimal damage. Across the way in another room was a pharmacist discussing the types of medicines used and how they would have been prepared, including how pills were prepared and how poisonous some of the medications actually were.

The surgeon examines a soldier with a gun shot wound, pronouncing it easily removable.

Colonial Williamsburg, May 2012

After lunch, we joined the crowds surrounding Market Square to witness the commemoration ceremony.  Both Union and Confederate troops marched onto the field and stood together as an introduction was made.  Dr. James Robertson from Virginia Tech spoke eloquently about how crucial it is for us to remember and preserve our nation's history, eliciting a number of cheers from the crowd.  Following a salute, the soldiers and cavalry paraded around the grounds before returning to their camps.

Union troops listening to the words of Dr. Robertson.

Colonial Williamsburg, May 2012

Union troops in the commemoration ceremony.

Colonial Williamsburg, May 2012

Conferedate troops and cavalry march after the ceremony.

Colonial Williamsburg, May 2012

Following the ceremony, we took a brief reprieve from the heat in the Governor's Palace gardens and enjoyed the colorful flowers in bloom.  This was also our opportunity to capture some photos of my new outfit with a picturesque background!  Although some clouds were beginning to roll in, we did not want to miss that afternoon's Rev City events, so we grabbed our umbrellas and made our way down to the backyard of Charleton's Coffeehouse. 

The "Revolutionary City" scenes that afternoon were chosen for their relevance to the issues of the Civil War era, but I will cover my thoughts about those in a separate post.  Immediately after that, we planned to attend the military music demonstration, but unfortunately it was rained out.  Fittingly, the day closed with a deluge of rain, much like it did at the actual battle on that same day, exactly 150 years ago.

Ashley walking in the rain.

Photo by RH from a post on the Colonial Williamsburg facebook page.

That evening, we attended a concert program, "Uncivil Harmony: Music of the Civil War".  I saw the Christmas version of this program last December and greatly enjoyed it.  I was excited for the rest of my family to experience it this time, and the presentation did not disappoint!  Once again, Mr. Hudson, along with several other talented performers, combined his many talents to give us a evening filled with stirring stories and music.  If anyone has the opportunity to see this program, I highly recommend going!

The next morning, we paid a visit to the Confederate camp where they were laying out blankets and clothes after a second night of camping in the rain.  We had a lovely chat with the washerwoman, met some ladies who were sewing while preparing lunch, and watched the cavalry taking care of their horses.  One reenactor described how coffee was made in camp and how he's adjusted his period recipe to make it more enjoyable today!  Sunday evening, we participated in a walking tour that focused on the experiences of female residents of Williamsburg during the occupation of the city.  We met a tavern keeper who was working as a spy and a mother who described the recent marriage of her daughter to a soldier.  The final woman we met was Dorothea Dix, superintendent of Union nurses, who described how she chose and managed the nursing staff throughout the war.

Additional photos from the Civil War commemoration weekend in Williamsburg may be found in our flickr set.  Stay tuned for more posts about our 18th century activities during this visit and Rebecca's "Threaded Bliss" review of my 1860s ensemble.