by gwffoundation | Apr 22, 2025 | 18th Century Crafts, 20th century, Architectual Restoration, Collections Management, Daily Life in the 1700s, Historic Kenmore, Lewis Family, Lives & Legacies
Linum (“Flax”) and oleum (“oil”) – Fashionable and Affordable As a Historic Preservation student at the University of Mary Washington, I’ve grown to appreciate almost all aspects of materiality. Over the past four years, my education has...
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 | Jan 8, 2020 | Archaeology, Historic Kenmore, Lives & Legacies
‘Haughty’ is not a word used often to describe artifacts. That is, of course, unless the artifact in question is a glass wax seal stamp with a kind of snooty message on it. Of diminutive size (smaller than a dime) with a pretty little flower in the center it...
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...