by gwffoundation | Jul 24, 2024 | 18th Century Crafts, Archaeology, British Empire, Daily Life in the 1700s, Developing America, Fashion in History, George Washington's Ferry Farm, History of Slavery, Lives & Legacies, Washington family
Figure 1: Ferry Farm cowries Many readers will undoubtedly recognize these two artifacts (Fig. 1). Known as cowrie shells, these artifacts have become synonymous with slavery and serve as identifiers for the presence of free and enslaved Black individuals in the...
by gwffoundation | Oct 18, 2023 | 18th Century Crafts, Archaeology, Fashion in History, Ferry Farm, George Washington's Ferry Farm, Lives & Legacies, Macabre Artifacts
There’s plenty to be frightened about in the colonial period. But teapots? Not exactly. However, aesthetics change as time passes. We see things through different lenses. As I type this, my substantial black cat with big yellow eyes stares at me, demanding attention....
by gwffoundation | Oct 4, 2023 | Fashion in History, Lives & Legacies
Collections managers deal with a wide array of objects. Sometimes those objects can be quite odd and even a bit gross to the modern person. One object that has always fascinated me is mourning jewelry and the hair of the deceased that jewelry contains. Not many...
by gwffoundation | Jul 26, 2023 | Archaeology, Daily Life in the 1700s, Fashion in History, George Washington's Ferry Farm, Lives & Legacies
Whilst I costume actors, living historians, and myself from time to time in 18th century clothing, I find myself puzzled about the stark difference between the closures and attachments of ladies’ and men’s garb. I have to lace myself into my stays, tie on layers...
by gwffoundation | Mar 8, 2023 | Daily Life in the 1700s, Fashion in History, Lives & Legacies
You have probably seen an enormous amount of corsetry imagery in your life. Whether it was the scene in Gone with the Wind where Mammy is lacing Scarlet into her corset as she holds onto the bedpost or a social media post about waist training using a modern piece of...
by gwffoundation | Aug 30, 2019 | Fashion in History, Lives & Legacies
There truly is a National Day for absolutely everything and even a National Underwear Day! That’s right! Undergarments have their own appreciation day and, to be precise, it was August 5. At first glance, National Underwear Day may seem rather silly but actually we...
