How Laundry in the Eighteenth Century Helped Prevent Disease
Deadly and incurable diseases were a part of everyday life in the eighteenth century. Fortunately, laundry procedures at the time helped save lives. Laundry was a major part of health and hygiene at home, in military camps and in hospitals. Laundresses, without understanding the science, adopted habits that prevented disease. Doing laundry in the eighteenth […]
A Coffee Chat
A few years ago I ran into a mention of coffee in Bedford County, Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War. Other than visiting the Williamsburg coffeehouse I knew little about the subject. Coffeehouses are not one of my “things”, but the cultures of the counties that are carved out of Bedford County are an interest of mine.
Poem – The Woman’s Labor
A few years ago I stumbled into a poem. At the time I did not realize that Mary Collier, the woman who wrote this poem was, herself, a poor washer woman. An early self taught woman with a voice, and a hard life. It was done as a rebuttal. She felt that Stephen Duck, a […]
Thoughts on 18th Century Caps
This post is a basic post about 18th century caps. If you want to see some solid research on caps go to https://capalog.blog. Her research is AMAZING. It may be a little heavy for a beginner but be sure to peak at it no matter your level. When I first wrote this blog I was unaware […]
B&T – Copying Ads Using Merchants
What is this all about? My goal is to take an ad, artwork, or account from the 18th century and use a merchant, or several sellers of wares to make the look come to life. Making it happen is the focus of this section of articles. I will try to post them periodically. This post highlights […]
Draper – Copying Ads Using Merchants
What is this all about? My goal is to take an ad, artwork, or account from the 18th century and use an 18th century merchant, or several merchants to make the look come to life. Making it happen is the focus of this section of articles. I will try to post them periodically. This post highlights […]
A Gown – The Shortened Hot Mess
A Gown – The Shortened Hot Mess In 2016 I thought I had lost a gown. It is one of my early gowns. I had drafted the pattern myself. Although there was a lot wrong with the construction I was very fond of it. This image of me in it was the first time I […]
Yokes Made From Hoops In The Colonies
Previous Next Until 2015 the 18th century living history community believed that the round yokes shown here were only found in Europe. Reading the following article about hoop yokes I realized the mistake. Once again memories of one’s youth during the late 18th century have gave me new insights. In the 18th century, and throughout […]
Runaway Thoughts
I decided to write down my reading of a runaway this morning. I decided I wanted to re check a runaway where I knew a wrapper was mentioned. I think every time I read this ad I get more confused on things. It confuses even things I thought I kind of had sorted out. This […]
The Making of a Shirt
Where This Pattern Originates Most of this post is not from my personal research. In combining research others have done and posting it here, all of the information I have used in making shirts is in one place. I am not a shirt expert. The pattern is a pattern that Deb Najecki shared freely, with […]