Inspiration for the Modern Revolutionary
Let’s face it, 2016 has been a bumpy ride. Many people are counting down the days until the New Year, but as historians, we must point out the usefulness of looking back, as well as forward. To help motivate you for the year ahead, here are some of the quote memes, featuring thought-provoking words from our Founders, that were designed and posted to our social media channels in 2016. …
This evening is a special one for Historic Trades & Skills of Colonial Williamsburg. Tonight, tradespeople who are usually seen by their colleagues in 18th-century attire (attire often marked with charcoal, dirt, or other evidence of the day’s work) will don 21st-century duds and gather for this year’s Annual Trades Dinner. The purpose? To recognize those who have completed their formal apprenticeship and are advancing to the status of journeymen, as well as a group of journeymen supervisors who have advanced to the prestigious title of master.
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One of the most common questions I’m asked is, “Would a woman be allowed to be a cooper?” In fact, we know of three women who were coopers in Virginia in the 18th century, although none worked in Williamsburg.
My attire is usually the next subject of curiosity, since I dress like a man but am not pretending to be a man. Why, you wonder?…
Our purpose as Actor and Sites Interpreters is to provide the context and information—in the form of tours and fielding questions—for visitors to not only appreciate the history of the building they are inside, but also to understand what happened within it in the 18th century. Thanks to the hard work of many before us, we’ve had the privilege to lead excellent, engaging tours. Yet a conversation over lunch last spring got us thinking about what we might address in a more comprehensive way: colonial women.
That was the moment Colonial Williamsburg’s 2016 Women’s History Tour, Pleading Her Cause was born.
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Today, Carrie MacDougall is wearing a shift, stays, a petticoat, and an apron. That’s how you know she is portraying a camp follower. You see, if she were wearing breeches and carrying a firearm, she would be playing a member of the Virginia militia—in other words, a man. Her hair would be tucked up and she would be doing the work of the colony’s citizen soldiers….
What was it like to be part of the team who helped develop Felicity? A 26-year veteran of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation opens up about her experience and meeting the founder of the Pleasant Company.
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Photo Courtesy: Virginia Historical Society (1857.3)
What image do you think of when the name Martha Washington is mentioned? Maybe one similar to this? …
If someone would have told me a year ago I’d be taking nine of my colleagues out to Great Hopes Plantation to spend the day tending chickens, cooking, gardening, fetching water, and cleaning… I would have called you crazy. And yet, that’s exactly what we just finished doing. I’m still reveling in the experience and fighting off the disbelief. We did actually get to do this!…
Love is a powerful emotion. It can build us up, and tear us apart. Love is universally experienced in many forms, and many ways. I genuinely believe this emotion influences how we perceive history. Time and time again, love (or a lack thereof) has affected the choices people make. In this way, we are connected through time and space to those we will never know….
Susanna Stuart Fitzhugh Knox by John Hesselius, c.1770, Sothebys Auction lot 718 (She’s Virginian!)
It was around this time last week that an image in one of our blogs sparked a debate over the representation of a woman’s body. As an apprentice Milliner & Mantua-maker, the Making History team immediately reached out to me for historical perspective. I hope this explanation helps clarify why the image was indeed period correct in its representation. I’d also like to use this opportunity to initiate a discussion of the female body and how it was viewed in the 18th century versus today. …