GETTING STARTED IN REENACTING
by Anita Mills
How to Get Started -- Where to Look for Guidance -- What Are Those Little Details? -- Thoughts to Carry With You
Reenacting is an aspect of "living history." You are "time traveling" and portraying the time period to spectators. As such, your appearance can make or break your impression. Little details are important and can carry an impression or undermine it. We will discuss a few considerations to keep in mind as you start, as well as digress into some terms you might encounter. Then we will discuss how to start right, where to look for guidance and what little details beyond the basics to concentrate on. We'll end with some thoughts to carry with you as you journey further down the road of reenacting.
Some Considerations
Because your wardrobe and accessories can be a major investment, it is important not to waste money on items that will be cast aside when you are more knowledgeable. The idea is to start correctly, with a basic wardrobe, and with as little monetary outlay as possible. As you progress in reenacting and living history, you can add to the basic "core" wardrobe, and upgrade or replace items as they become worn out.
Key factors to consider when starting will be your age, where you are from, the impression you wish to portray and the level of your involvement in living history. Then, as now, women of 50 did not dress in the fashion of a 20-year old. An older woman would be less likely to be at the forefront of fashion than a younger one. Because fashion did not burst forth out of nowhere in 1860, it is important to be versed in fashion of the years prior to the War. A woman would tend to feel most comfortable in styles she wore when she was in her 30's. (When were you born? 1812? In which case you'd be in your 30's in the 1840's. Were you born in 1825? In that case the 1850's would be the decade guiding your fashion sense.) Blending your fashions between earlier and later periods will lend a "reality" to your wardrobe.
Consider where your persona lives. Is it Galveston, where ships come to port constantly and goods and fashion news is up to date? Or is it Jacksboro on the frontier, where survival is the primary focus and news of fashions somewhat dated, not to mention the inaccessibility of printed fabric and time to sew luxurious dresses.
Consider your social status (and impression, or image you wish to convey). Is your family of yeoman class on a subsistence farm? Are you a merchant's wife in Dallas (remember - Dallas had less than 1000 people in 1860)? Are you a doctor's wife living in Austin? Are you a planter's wife (a rarity, because less than 5% of Texans had more than a handful of slaves)? Are you a refugee from another state, such as Georgia, who has taken shelter with kinfolk in Texas? Your social status determines the ease with which you could purchase fabric, the luxury of keeping current with fashion trends, or the necessity of weaving your own fabric.
If you're married, your impression should coincide with your spouse's. (Even soldiers were civilians before and after the War.)
What level of involvement in reenacting/living history do you foresee for yourself? If you attend one or two weekend events a year, you may only need one or two outfits. If you participate in living history frequently or year round, you will need a larger wardrobe. If you are mostly out of doors, you should consider fabrics that can be laundered (i.e., cotton). If you are usually indoors, you can consider silks.
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DIGRESSION
At this point we will digress for a moment into terminology that you will encounter in your reenacting journey. You will hear certain adjectives bandied about from time to time, such as "Farb" or "Hardcore" or "Progressive", and it might be well to pin down some definitions for these. Paul Calloway, who hosts the "Authentic Campaigner Forum" has attempted to define these terms, and I will relate how he does this. First, we must remember that there is a vast variety of approaches to reenacting. One person's level of authenticity (and involvement and research and views thereof) may not coincide with the next person's. No matter what our view, we must remember that there is a place for everyone in reenacting, regardless of their agreement or disagreement with our opinions. We all seem to sort ourselves out at reenactments. There is a continuum from entry into reenacting all the way to the pinnacle of authenticity.
A "Farb" is where most reenactors start - this is a person who is not authentic. They may have some items which are deemed correct, but still wear a wristwatch or modern eyeglasses. They may drink a coke straight out of the can in front of EVERYONE, instead of pouring it discreetly into a period mug (I've been known to do it once or twice), or call home on their cell phone in front of spectators. No one seems to know where the term came from - there have been many conjectures, but it seems to have just evolved sometime in the past 25 years or so.
The next step up is "Mainstream". The term probably describes the majority of reenactors. If you are a mainstreamer, your gear may be general-line, with no real hard and fast research to back it up - it just looks "old". Some people are comfortable with remaining mainstream throughout their reenacting career. Ice chests seem to be regarded as a defining item in the debates of mainstreamer vs. progressive or hardcore.
"Progressives" are taking reenacting to another level. They are more interested in living history and begin making an all-out effort (money permitting) to have gear which is document ably authentic. A progressive may avoid drinking coke at a reenactment altogether and is trying to wean themselves away from all modern anachronisms (including ice chests). They have changed to period appropriate spectacles and do not wear their wristwatch. I would place myself somewhere between mainstream and progressive, because it depends on the situation and reenactment atmosphere.
"Hardcore" is the big leagues where total immersion is the goal. These are the folks who go to a 3-day event and never break out of first person interpretation. Even their midnight conversations with friends will be in first person. They have no anachronisms in their environment - no ice chests, no out-of-season foods. Very few reenactors achieve this, though many strive for it.
And then there is "Authentic" - no one will reach this pinnacle, because this is the person who actually lived in the time and through the events we portray. This is the guiding light.
DIGRESSION ENDED
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This discussion will talk about women's clothing. Later discussions will cover children's clothing as well as a civilian man's clothing. Let's go to the basics for women.
A woman will need: To which she may add:
Drawers Corset
Chemise Collar for
dress
Petticoat
Brooch at neck
Stockings Day dress
Shoes Corded
petticoat
Wash dress Hoop
Apron
Gloves
Shawl
Bonnet or hat
Carrying Basket
Eating utensils
Plate/cup
Towel
It is possible to begin rather inexpensively. The first Attachment to this paper recounts how one can manage a basic "starter set" that you can sew yourself. The prices listed have not changed all that much since it was written.
Patterns are available for drawers, chemise, petticoat, wash dress, and apron. If you have even a little experience in sewing, you do not need to purchase a pattern for anything other than your dress.
Elizabeth Stewart Clark has posted a free pattern for drawers, as well as a chemise on her website. Otherwise, Homespun pattern W-002 for drawers and W-004 for chemise are excellent. Underpinnings should be made of muslin.
Your petticoat can be made by pattern, or you can just take about 3 1/2 yards of muslin (3 lengths of muslin measured at 6" longer than your measurement from waist to 2" above your ankle), sew the 3 panels together at the selvedges (leaving a 6" placket in one seam), put in a 3" hem at the bottom, make a 1 1/2" casing at the top, and insert a drawstring (40" of wide twill tape), and you have a petticoat. You can even add a 10-12" ruffle on the bottom to help add fullness. This petticoat is worn with your wash dress, and as a modesty petticoat under your hoop.
A woman will need a wash dress no matter what impression she decides on. For a yeoman farmwife, it may be her main article of clothing. For an upper class woman, it can be the dress she wears when she cleans house or does dirty labor. It's the dress you'd wear if you were cooking over the fire, or doing laundry. It's your "blue jeans". The modern term for this dress is "work" or "camp" dress. The period term was "wash" because it could be laundered. Homespun Patterns puts out a good pattern: W-001 (available from James Country Mercantile. It takes about 7-8 yards of cotton solid, stripe, check or period appropriate print (NOT quilting calico with small figures). Use only 100% cotton. Not only is it more authentic, but it will be cooler than a blend which would tend not to breathe in hot weather. It is recommended that this dress not be a solid because a solid would tend to show dirt and stains more easily. Darker colored checks or stripes will not show dirt, and can be torn and mended without the mending being readily apparent.
Your apron will be a necessary item as you go around camp. It should be a "pinner". That means, it has a gathered/gauged skirt that wraps about 1/2 way around your waist, with a bib for your chest area. The bib is not tied on - it is pinned with straight pins to the dress. The apron should ideally have a waistband that buttons in the back, but a tie arrangement is acceptable. You will need about 3 yards of woven cotton. Dark checks, or stripes are recommended because grease stains and dirt will not readily show, unless you're doing a nurse impression in which case you might want a white/muslin apron. Most aprons were re-cycled skirts from dresses that had worn out. They would NOT match anything else you have. Pockets are nice to have - for tucking your hot pad or towel into, or any number of things you might put into your pockets for safekeeping while you're working.
Stockings should be solid white (stripes came in after 1861). They were over-the-knee, and held up with garters. An easy garter you can make yourself is a 12" piece of 1/4 inch elastic tied with a bow (for adjustment). Period garters can be knit or crocheted from patterns published in some of the period needlework reprints.
Shoes should be black or brown ankle boots. You can usually find these at Payless Shoe Stores or Wal-Mart rather inexpensively. Sutlers, such as Frazer Bros. or SideKick Sutlery carry period appropriate shoes at a higher price.
A bonnet is a must, especially in the hot Texas sun. A slat bonnet is not that difficult to make (Citizen's Companion published a how-to article in the December-January 1998/99 issue). Patterns are available also, from Miller's Millinery. The slat bonnet is excellent for keeping the sun from your face and shading your eyes. It does take some getting used to, though - you feel like a horse with blinders, because peripheral vision is totally cut off. A corded (or quilted) bonnet would be similar to a slat bonnet, but the cording or quilting would allow the front portion to be folded back. A straw hat was worn, too, and would be best suited for a rural impression - otherwise, younger ladies "at watering places" (i.e., resorts) would be the ones wearing hats. A fashion bonnet could be worn by just about any lady in a nice dress. Remember, bonnets didn't have to match the dress (they weren't as conscious of color-coordinating all accessories as we are today). The bonnet was just attractive and thus the lady wore it. Bonnets can be made (with patterns from Miller's Millinery) or purchased (from Miller's as well as The Lady's Parlor; Frazer Bros. is or will be stocking bonnets, also).
When you are ready to make a daydress, I recommend that you consult one of the excellent websites, such as for Southern Refugee Society or CW-Reenactors.com (their Civilian School button), for specific characteristics of dresses. These sites carry detailed descriptions of dresses. Past Patterns carries a bodice (both darted and gathered) and skirt pattern that is recommended by those who have done far more research into the subject that I. Briefly, the neckline for a daydress will be snug to the neck with a jewel neck line. Usually piped. No attached collar. Shoulder seams are about 2-3" off the shoulders and sleeves are either coat or bishop (gathered into a slim cuff). The bodices are either gathered (usually found on cotton dresses) or darted (more often found on silk or wool dresses, although there are no absolutes). Dresses can either have an inset waistband with the skirt attached to the waistband, or the skirt is attached directly to the bodice without a waistband. The armsleeyes are piped (with SMALL string to make a teeny-tiny piping), as is the waist seam. Piping was used extensively in early and mid-19th century to lend strength to seams. The bodice and skirt should be of the same fabric, and piping should not be a strong contrast (most commonly it is of the same fabric as the dress). Very little lace was used in decoration - because it was so expensive. Most commonly, decoration took the form of self-fabric ruching, or ribbon or braid. More elaborate outfits should be attempted after you have researched dress styles and fashion more and settled on your impression.
A collar is seen in almost all pictures of women of the period. The collar is white, plain and usually 1-2" wide. It is detachable for laundry purposes. A collar can be cut from the dress pattern, and will then fit the neckline nicely. Collars were basted on for wearing, then removed for laundering. An occasional older woman may have a crocheted collar a bit wider, because they were more common in the 50's.
A pair of gloves adds to an impression. Ladies wore gloves - usually kit or plain cotton, although older ladies might also wear lace gloves or mitts (popular in the 50's). Gloves were worn by a proper lady anytime she travelled out of her home - shopping, to church, to socials, to balls. Gloves (even for the ballroom) were wrist length - the elbow length gloves did not appear until later in the century. The only time a lady removed her gloves was to eat. The ballroom etiquette dictated that a lady (and gentleman) wear gloves so that skin would not touch skin.
A corded petticoat is a nice addition to your wardrobe. It keeps your wash dress skirt away from your legs (highly recommended for warm weather events), and can even be worn with your day dress, reserving your hoop or cage for more formal wear. A corded petticoat can be made in about 2 hours by taking two LONG (about 18-24" longer than you cut for an underpetticoat) lengths of muslin, sewn together at the selvedges (to be between 75" and 90" in circumference) to make a tube, with a placket in one seam. Mark lines around the tube about every 2" up from the bottom to the height of your knees, leaving room for a hem. Get 3 packages of corded cable (10-yds to the package) in the upholstery section of the yardage store (e.g., JoAnn's). Starting at the hem, sew the cable into a casing made by the hem. Use your zipper foot so that you can sew in tight. Cut the cable so that it overlaps slightly at the beginning/end. Now go up to the next line. Tuck the cable from the back into the line drawn on the outside of the petticoat. Sew around. Do this again and again. Note that the cords stick out on the outside of the petticoat. The underside is smooth. It takes about 10-12 rounds. Now, put it on and measure the length, leaving room for a casing at your waist. Cut the excess length off the top. Make a casing and put in a drawstring (that wide twill tape again). Now you have a corded petticoat. (Remember to starch and iron it after each washing so that it will stick out better and not hang in limp folds.)
A hoop can be purchased at a sutler. You will eventually want to move up to a cage - not only is it more authentic, lighter and cooler in warm weather, but you can get mighty tired of removing hoops every time you want to wash the hooped petticoat. One thing to remember when you buy your hoop - the diameter should not be more than 50-60% of your height. 110-120" circumference hoop is probably about as much as the average height woman should have for any day wear. Save the 140" hoop for your ballgown.
Once you get a well-fitted corset, you will not want to return to those un-corseted days again! The corset sets the line of the dress, and insures that your dresses will fit even if you gain weight! A working stay (unboned corset) is acceptable, especially if your impression is a yeoman farmwife. See the Sources attachment for a good source for either a finished corset or a kit. A well-fitted corset is most comfortable (forget those myths of being laced in so tight you can't breath).
A towel should be plain woven or huck weave. Not one of our modern "Turkish" towels. You can get huck toweling in the utility fabrics section of most fabric stores. Hem a couple of lengths of it and pack it into your trunk. I use shorter lengths for "kitchen" towels and longer lengths for washing up.
So where do you go for information on what is correct as you decide on your impression and advance in the hobby? There is one that is becoming the basic reference piece for fashion - Who Wore What by Juanita Leisch. Her research is based on a study of thousands of CDVs (Cartes de Visite - which were calling cards with the bearer's picture on them). She also wrote An Introduction to Civil War Civilians. For Texas, a good reference is Calico Chronicle by Betty Mills, the former curator of the Textile Museum at Texas Tech. Also, Texas: the Dark Corner of the Confederacy is a good reference for the tone of the times in Texas during the War. For pre-war years, Teresa Viele's Following the Drum is a good narrative of army life in the Rio Grande Valley during the mid-late 1850's. Diaries can be a wonderful reference for the life and times. Kate Stone's Brokenburn yields wonderful views of North Texas through a Louisiana aristocrat's eyes. The Diary of Sarah Morgan gives a narrative of Southern Louisiana during the War years. And, when you're looking for fabrics that would be appropriate, consult Dating Fabrics, which was originally published for the quilters. Also, many fabric manufacturers (catering to the quilting crowd) are putting out reproduction prints. JoAnn's carries the Shenandoah line which is Civil War. Hancock's has Lancaster series prints, which are late 1700's, early 1800's. Ask the manager of a fabric store - they can be very helpful in directing you to the proper line of fabrics. Marcus Bros. manufacturer's puts out a line by the designer Judie Rothermel that is Civil War reproduction. I am still looking for a retailer who carries this line.
The second attachment to this paper includes some initial resources available for assembling your beginner's (and advanced) kit. A good place to look for fabrics is a quiltshop (although the prices may be a bit more than at a mainline fabric store). WalMart's (referred to as Mr. Walton's Mercantile among some in the reenacting community) has a good array of $1 and $2 a yard fabric, all cotton, in checks (woven in - not printed onto the fabric) as well as stripes and plaids. Selection varies from store-to-store and time and year. Keep checking.
If you don't sew, there are a growing number of ladies in the reenacting community in the Dallas area who will do so for a modest sum. Contact the author for referrals.
What Are Those Little Details?
And finally, let's cover some details that will enhance your impression and help you move rapidly from Farb to Mainstream:
Stay away from:
1. Zippers, snaps and
velcro
2. Synthetic/man made fabrics - use natural fibers only
3. Patterns by mainline makers (e.g., Butterick, McCalls, Simplicity). They
are costumes, not authentic reproductions. One maker recently came out with a
beautiful dress pattern, touted as "Civil War"; it is so complicated to
construct, that some of the experienced CW seamstresses (who just had to go out
and test it) were tearing their hair out - and the dress is actually a pre-CW
design! Go for Past Patterns and Homespun Patterns until you have done your
research and then you can branch out.
4. Anything having to do with Scarlett O'Hara - this is Hollywood, not actual.
5. Low-necked dresses and bare arms, unless it is a ballgown.
Observe these cautions:
6. If you buy a dress at a sutler's, ask for documentation of the design.
Reputable sutlers will have documentation available and eagerly provide it. If
you don't sew, Gala Rock Mercantile makes a very pretty, well-fitting and
good-looking dress.
7. Be careful with laces. Battenburg is after our period. Lace was almost
exclusively white, ecru or black. Some colored laces have been found, but it is
surmised that these were originally white, then dyed with the garment. There is
much debate in the more learned reenacting circles right now on the subject of
colored laces. Remember - lace was VERY expensive or laboriously crocheted,
knit, netted or tatted. Its use would be limited. Look for cotton or silk
laces at heirloom sewing suppliers.
8. Part your hair in the center, pull it back into a bun. Women and girls
parted their hair in the center; men and boys parted their hair on the side.
9. Wear white collars on your dresses. Most were 1-2" in linen or cotton,
plain.
10. Limit your day hoop to 90-120".
11. Stay in period dress the whole time you're at the reenactment.
12. Minimize anachronisms - especially wristwatches, modern eyeglasses, nail
polish, modern jewelry (esp. earrings).
13. Pick an impression and DO something - don't just wander aimlessly through
the camps. Ladies did not go into military camps unless escorted by an officer
or guard.
14. Cover or keep out of sight items that are inauthentic or don't bring them.
15. Wear appropriate headwear. Period nets were made of very fine thread -
not coarse cording. Some specialty hairnet affairs were woven of ribbon as a
decorative head covering for dressy evenings. A lady normally wore a day cap
indoors, or a work cap to cover her hair and keep it from getting dirty. A
bonnet was worn out-of-doors. A sunbonnet or slat bonnet was worn in Texas by
nearly all women. A corded bonnet would also substitute. Fashion bonnets would
be most appropriate for upper class impressions or dressy affairs.
I want to leave you with two thoughts as you move beyond basic in your impression:
A valuable reference for the period, and pre-War days, is Godey's Lady's Book. It was the Goodhousekeeping of the 19th century. It not only kept women all over the country abreast of fashion trends, but it also included housekeeping and medicinal hints, serialized stories, poems, and feature articles. Many issues have been reproduced and are available for sale from various sutlers. HOWEVER, you just because it's printed in Godey's in November 1861 doesn't mean that you would have the dress made in December 1861! Consider your impression. The fashion plates were fascinating to look at, but was not what an average woman might wear. They were extravagantly trimmed. They were the haute couture. In the South, the magazine became scarce after the War started. Godey's was published in Philadelphia and would be shipped to subscribers via the mails. The blockade of Southern ports cut off the mails. Diaries of the period comment on the difficulty of getting mail into and out of the Confederacy. Mail service on the frontier was sparse because it would have had to be transmitted by rail, water way, stage and even horseback to get to its destination. It has been argued that, once the blockade was in place, Southern women were cut off from fashion magazines and that their clothing during the War was what they'd last seen discussed - styles from the late 1850's and 1860. Only a small percentage of fashion magazines may have gotten through the blockade, and only a small percentage of women may have seen them. During the War years, most of the Confederacy was manufacturing its own homespun. It would have been difficult to duplicate a Godey's dress with linsey-woolsey or homespun. Silk dresses from pre-War days were often cut up to make flags for the troops to carry. Now...with that said, we should concentrate on Texas, which was not as severely effected by the blockade as the states in the Deep South. Texas was fortunate, in that it had a long border with Mexico that couldn't be cut off. There was a lively trade in cotton into Mexico and goods coming back to Texas. However....those goods were still expensive. Hundreds of miles had to be tranversed by wagon, and bandits inhabited the area just north of the Rio Grande. If a lady's husband made it through the blockade on a trip to Canada or France (as Mary Chesnut's husband did), then she (and her friends) begged him to return with bonnets, fashion accessories and fashion magazines. And I'm sure these were copied (as in the cash of the bonnets) or passed around (as in magazines) among the lady's friends. They were still scarce, though, and this should be remembered as you fill out your wardrobe.
And then this observation, dated April 1863, from a woman's diary:
"The Yankees have come, and our homes are no more. The army has taken our husbands, our brothers, and our sons. We fled to the cities, but the cities are overrun. There is no food, and there is rioting in the streets [Atlanta, GA and Richmond, VA]. We finally found this peaceful place, and laid down our weary burdens. We simply desired a quiet place to survive until this cruel war is over. But it was not to be, for now the armies have come. Our wagons are confiscated, and the horses and mules with them. We huddle close to the army, and pray for its protection. We share what little we have with each other, and with 'our boys' until they go to fight again. It is the fate of women in war to watch and to wait. Eventually the fight will move past us, but we will still be here in this place, waiting for the war to end, and our lives to begin again."
Click on the Getting Started Attachment button below to continue.
June 23, 2001
Anita Mills
835 W. 8th Street
Dallas, TX 75208
214.942.3485
anita1836@earthlink.net
