Pricing starts at $180 for 4 lectures, 4 classes, and Friday evening sociable.
Online registration will open at 6am November 4, 2019.
Online registration will open at 6am November 4, 2019.
featured Lectures
So You Want To Be A Farmer (Or A Farmer’s Wife)?
presented by Susan Lyon Hughes
Friday
Today we can have strawberries in January and oranges in July – and we have forgotten about the seasonality of life in the early and mid-19th century. This presentation will provide important background information about farm life including the technological developments, transportation improvements, animal husbandry, land management and crop evolution that made up the complexities of 19th century agriculture. The development of breeds of animals, month-by-month tasks on an average farm, and home skills associated with farming will be addressed.
presented by Susan Lyon Hughes
Friday
Today we can have strawberries in January and oranges in July – and we have forgotten about the seasonality of life in the early and mid-19th century. This presentation will provide important background information about farm life including the technological developments, transportation improvements, animal husbandry, land management and crop evolution that made up the complexities of 19th century agriculture. The development of breeds of animals, month-by-month tasks on an average farm, and home skills associated with farming will be addressed.
Life on the Changing Frontier
presented by Elizabeth Stewart Clark
Saturday
From 1830 to 1870, the boundaries of the American frontier change dramatically, and with them, so do communities, amenities, and opportunities! Exploration, social expansion, interactions with indigenous communities, settlement patterns, communication, commerce, notable personalities… from the hardscrabble to the elegant, we’ll explore the adventures that await you on the frontiers!
presented by Elizabeth Stewart Clark
Saturday
From 1830 to 1870, the boundaries of the American frontier change dramatically, and with them, so do communities, amenities, and opportunities! Exploration, social expansion, interactions with indigenous communities, settlement patterns, communication, commerce, notable personalities… from the hardscrabble to the elegant, we’ll explore the adventures that await you on the frontiers!
No One Bathed and Everyone Died
A Crash Course in Myth-Busting through the Lens of Experimental Archaeology
presented by Lindsey Foster
Saturday
There are so many myths and misconceptions that get shared around social media that center around how/why women wore corsets (and how tightly they were laced!), if/when they bathed, what life expectancy was, how menstruation was handled, and so on. Working in first person means understanding the world historical figures inhabit- even the stuff that doesn’t get discussed in polite company. Lecture will discuss hygiene, medicine, and social mores in a research based, lighthhearted way giving participants ample material with which to humanize historical figures.
A Crash Course in Myth-Busting through the Lens of Experimental Archaeology
presented by Lindsey Foster
Saturday
There are so many myths and misconceptions that get shared around social media that center around how/why women wore corsets (and how tightly they were laced!), if/when they bathed, what life expectancy was, how menstruation was handled, and so on. Working in first person means understanding the world historical figures inhabit- even the stuff that doesn’t get discussed in polite company. Lecture will discuss hygiene, medicine, and social mores in a research based, lighthhearted way giving participants ample material with which to humanize historical figures.
Needful Things:
Essential Everyday Objects in Antebellum American Households
presented by Nicky Hughes
Sunday
This presentation will introduce participants to objects commonly found and used daily in the homes of middling families in the antebellum era – very roughly, the second quarter of the 19th century. These items would have been perfectly familiar to most such folks, and should be similarly familiar to persons seeking to accurately re-create the lifestyles and experiences of Americans before and during the Civil War. Some attention will be given to seasonal, regional, and economic class variations in commonplace objects, but the objective will be to provide a guide for the selection and acquisition of affordable and generally representative reproduction and original objects. The presentation will take those in attendance from room to room through a routine day, describing essential objects encountered in each place and situation. Cookware, food storage containers, beverage and condiment bottles, food preparation tools, china, glassware, silverware, toiletry essentials, bedding and other textiles, furniture, lighting devices, and such will receive attention. Examples of period items will be shown in photographs, accompanied by images of currently available reproductions. Some critical objects will be displayed and will be available for hands-on examination. Current sources of goods will be recommended, and a list of printed and online references will be provided.
Essential Everyday Objects in Antebellum American Households
presented by Nicky Hughes
Sunday
This presentation will introduce participants to objects commonly found and used daily in the homes of middling families in the antebellum era – very roughly, the second quarter of the 19th century. These items would have been perfectly familiar to most such folks, and should be similarly familiar to persons seeking to accurately re-create the lifestyles and experiences of Americans before and during the Civil War. Some attention will be given to seasonal, regional, and economic class variations in commonplace objects, but the objective will be to provide a guide for the selection and acquisition of affordable and generally representative reproduction and original objects. The presentation will take those in attendance from room to room through a routine day, describing essential objects encountered in each place and situation. Cookware, food storage containers, beverage and condiment bottles, food preparation tools, china, glassware, silverware, toiletry essentials, bedding and other textiles, furniture, lighting devices, and such will receive attention. Examples of period items will be shown in photographs, accompanied by images of currently available reproductions. Some critical objects will be displayed and will be available for hands-on examination. Current sources of goods will be recommended, and a list of printed and online references will be provided.
Classes and Workshops
(Pick 4. Each one should be in a Separate Time Block.)
Humors of the Day
Instructor Nicky Hughes
Contrary to their appearance in many period photographs, our 19th century ancestors did not spend all their time scowling grimly. They did smile and laugh – a lot. This presentation takes a whimsical look at the humor that tickled the funny bones of everyday Americans in the 1850s and 1860s. Newspaper humor columns, minstrel show scripts, published cartoons, letters, and early joke books have preserved commonplace examples of period humor, and all of these are sampled in this presentation. Particular attention is paid to the comical reaction of the day to women’s fashions – especially the crinoline supported skirt. The wit of a few humorists of renown, notably President Abraham Lincoln, will be presented.
Members of the audience at Humors of the Day are likely to enter the room utterly ignorant of the difference between a cat and a legal document. Few will understand why white sheep produce more wool than do black ones. Almost none will arrive fully cognizant of the true purposes of the rigid framework of the “hoop skirt.” But they will leave Humors of the Day fully enlightened – in these matters and in many others of similar import.
Instructor Nicky Hughes
Contrary to their appearance in many period photographs, our 19th century ancestors did not spend all their time scowling grimly. They did smile and laugh – a lot. This presentation takes a whimsical look at the humor that tickled the funny bones of everyday Americans in the 1850s and 1860s. Newspaper humor columns, minstrel show scripts, published cartoons, letters, and early joke books have preserved commonplace examples of period humor, and all of these are sampled in this presentation. Particular attention is paid to the comical reaction of the day to women’s fashions – especially the crinoline supported skirt. The wit of a few humorists of renown, notably President Abraham Lincoln, will be presented.
Members of the audience at Humors of the Day are likely to enter the room utterly ignorant of the difference between a cat and a legal document. Few will understand why white sheep produce more wool than do black ones. Almost none will arrive fully cognizant of the true purposes of the rigid framework of the “hoop skirt.” But they will leave Humors of the Day fully enlightened – in these matters and in many others of similar import.
Romanticism in Charleston Architecture
Instructor Ernest Shealy
Instructor Ernest Shealy
It's All in the Bag
Instructor Jessamyn Reeves-Brown
Work-bags, purses, tobacco-bags, carriage-bags, carpet bags, shoe-bags, watch-pockets, reticules ... while
there wasn't really a mid-19th-century equivalent to the modern tote-your-life-around handbag, much as
we'd like there to be, there were an amazing array of special-purpose fabric "baskets," pockets, and bags
made at home by diligent fingers. Whether you are a city mouse of fashion or a country mouse with more
practical needs, you can enrich your impression with an understanding of the styles and uses of mid-
century bags, and open up a wealth of possibilities with a resource list of free on-line period projects.
Instructor Jessamyn Reeves-Brown
Work-bags, purses, tobacco-bags, carriage-bags, carpet bags, shoe-bags, watch-pockets, reticules ... while
there wasn't really a mid-19th-century equivalent to the modern tote-your-life-around handbag, much as
we'd like there to be, there were an amazing array of special-purpose fabric "baskets," pockets, and bags
made at home by diligent fingers. Whether you are a city mouse of fashion or a country mouse with more
practical needs, you can enrich your impression with an understanding of the styles and uses of mid-
century bags, and open up a wealth of possibilities with a resource list of free on-line period projects.
Tied up in Knots-Learning to Tie Cravats
Instructor Kara Bocek
Learn how to tie different style of cravat knots, which type of
cravat works best for each style. 4-5 options from 1830-1870.
Instructor Kara Bocek
Learn how to tie different style of cravat knots, which type of
cravat works best for each style. 4-5 options from 1830-1870.
Essential Stitches and Seams
Instructor Carolann Schmitt
Essential Stitches and Seams. Participants in this hands-on workshop will learn
some of the techniques essential for re-creating clothing c.1830-1870. We will
view the techniques on original garments and discuss when, where, and why they
were used. The discussion will also include comments on appropriate fabrics, the
importance of good pressing techniques, and dressmaking. No experience
necessary!
Instructor Carolann Schmitt
Essential Stitches and Seams. Participants in this hands-on workshop will learn
some of the techniques essential for re-creating clothing c.1830-1870. We will
view the techniques on original garments and discuss when, where, and why they
were used. The discussion will also include comments on appropriate fabrics, the
importance of good pressing techniques, and dressmaking. No experience
necessary!
Science for the Young
Instructor Elizabeth Stewart Clark
In the 1860s, Godey’s Lady’s Book ran a series of monthly articles expounding science
to the “young people”… learn about the series and recreate some of the safer
experiments for a truly “experiential archaeology” undertaking! (I’d be looking to
recreate the physics side of things, rather than mixing noxious chemicals in the
firehouse. Make a thaumatrope, other hands-on science things from period magazines.
In the book I’d do an outline of the series, with additional notes and entries for the ones
we’re replicating, and how to do them in living history settings, etc. This would be a
grand one for anyone needing to bring more STEM aspects into their impression or site
interpretation!)
Instructor Elizabeth Stewart Clark
In the 1860s, Godey’s Lady’s Book ran a series of monthly articles expounding science
to the “young people”… learn about the series and recreate some of the safer
experiments for a truly “experiential archaeology” undertaking! (I’d be looking to
recreate the physics side of things, rather than mixing noxious chemicals in the
firehouse. Make a thaumatrope, other hands-on science things from period magazines.
In the book I’d do an outline of the series, with additional notes and entries for the ones
we’re replicating, and how to do them in living history settings, etc. This would be a
grand one for anyone needing to bring more STEM aspects into their impression or site
interpretation!)
Netting Workshop
Instructor Jessamyn Reeves-Brown
Netting is a nearly forgotten craft now, but it was very popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries,
and netting projects were still turning up regularly in ladies' books and magazines in the 1850s and '60s.
Easier than knitting, more straightforward than crochet, and working up faster than either, netting is
portable, practical, and opens up a host of period projects. Using the same base technique as fishing and
tennis nets but on a finer scale and with better materials, there were instructions for all kinds of things,
including shawls, evening hoods, mitts, bags, cravats, cushion-covers, and even hoop skirts! In this
workshop we will be making a netted hair net, and come away with the resources to tackle other period
projects.
Instructor Jessamyn Reeves-Brown
Netting is a nearly forgotten craft now, but it was very popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries,
and netting projects were still turning up regularly in ladies' books and magazines in the 1850s and '60s.
Easier than knitting, more straightforward than crochet, and working up faster than either, netting is
portable, practical, and opens up a host of period projects. Using the same base technique as fishing and
tennis nets but on a finer scale and with better materials, there were instructions for all kinds of things,
including shawls, evening hoods, mitts, bags, cravats, cushion-covers, and even hoop skirts! In this
workshop we will be making a netted hair net, and come away with the resources to tackle other period
projects.
Putting Your Best Face Forward
Instructor Courtney Read
3 hour Workshop
This course will cover historical skincare and cosmetics. We will discuss how cosmetics evolved from the bold
looks of the 1830s, to the very natural look of the Victorian era. We will also cover skincare, treatments, and
their evolution with beauty standards. Students will learn the “when and where” of cosmetics, as well as how to
properly apply period correct makeup (No Maybelline!).
Kits for this class will be optional. I can have them available before and after the class, but they will not be
required. Students can follow along using samples provided.
Instructor Courtney Read
3 hour Workshop
This course will cover historical skincare and cosmetics. We will discuss how cosmetics evolved from the bold
looks of the 1830s, to the very natural look of the Victorian era. We will also cover skincare, treatments, and
their evolution with beauty standards. Students will learn the “when and where” of cosmetics, as well as how to
properly apply period correct makeup (No Maybelline!).
Kits for this class will be optional. I can have them available before and after the class, but they will not be
required. Students can follow along using samples provided.
Photography Workshop
Instructor Grant Kirkwood
90 minute Class with approximately 20 Students
Time Block C-Saturday 9:45-11:15 am
The workshop
would begin by explaining to each participant that they will be treated as if they are an apprentice and it
is their first day in a mid-19 th century photographic gallery. Each person would be given the basic
photographic manual from 1851, a guide used by all amateur photographers throughout the period.
Participants will be introduced to the names and pieces of the camera and darkroom. Starting
with the most important piece of equipment, the lens. Light, aperture and exposure time as a tool for
gathering the most light needed to produce a clear image. Participants will then be instructed in the
photographic process, demonstrating and explaining to the group how each and every chemical works in
a step by step process. They will practice pouring a plate with oil, until sufficiently able to pour a plate of
collodion in preparation for taking their own photo at the end of the workshop
We will then discuss posing and the importance of how the person being photographed should
be positioned and why the photographer should take the greatest care in this process. Taking special
care to highlight the personal relationship formed between the photographer and his subject causing
the subject to feel welcome and calm, achieving the greatest photo when this is made a priority. The
minute details of hand placement, angle, the differences between photos of friends, those in
relationships or even those going off to war.
The participants of the workshop will walk away from the program understanding in a small way
what the daily life of a photographer was like in the middle 19 th century. They will have taken an image
of their very own, in a style that is correct to the period, using only materials that were available during
the period. They will finish as any apprentice would, varnishing and finishing of the days works.
Instructor Grant Kirkwood
90 minute Class with approximately 20 Students
Time Block C-Saturday 9:45-11:15 am
The workshop
would begin by explaining to each participant that they will be treated as if they are an apprentice and it
is their first day in a mid-19 th century photographic gallery. Each person would be given the basic
photographic manual from 1851, a guide used by all amateur photographers throughout the period.
Participants will be introduced to the names and pieces of the camera and darkroom. Starting
with the most important piece of equipment, the lens. Light, aperture and exposure time as a tool for
gathering the most light needed to produce a clear image. Participants will then be instructed in the
photographic process, demonstrating and explaining to the group how each and every chemical works in
a step by step process. They will practice pouring a plate with oil, until sufficiently able to pour a plate of
collodion in preparation for taking their own photo at the end of the workshop
We will then discuss posing and the importance of how the person being photographed should
be positioned and why the photographer should take the greatest care in this process. Taking special
care to highlight the personal relationship formed between the photographer and his subject causing
the subject to feel welcome and calm, achieving the greatest photo when this is made a priority. The
minute details of hand placement, angle, the differences between photos of friends, those in
relationships or even those going off to war.
The participants of the workshop will walk away from the program understanding in a small way
what the daily life of a photographer was like in the middle 19 th century. They will have taken an image
of their very own, in a style that is correct to the period, using only materials that were available during
the period. They will finish as any apprentice would, varnishing and finishing of the days works.
The Rise of Truck Farming
Instructor David Shields
His lecture will include the restoration of several important cultivars: Carolina Gold Rice,
Purple Straw Wheat, Seashore Black Seed Rye, Sea Island White Flint Corn, Jimmy
Red Corn, Purple Ribbon Sugar Cane, Carolina African Runner Peanut, Bradford
Watermelon, Rice Pea, Sea Island Red Pea, and Benne.”
Instructor David Shields
His lecture will include the restoration of several important cultivars: Carolina Gold Rice,
Purple Straw Wheat, Seashore Black Seed Rye, Sea Island White Flint Corn, Jimmy
Red Corn, Purple Ribbon Sugar Cane, Carolina African Runner Peanut, Bradford
Watermelon, Rice Pea, Sea Island Red Pea, and Benne.”
"As Pleasing as Your Means Will Permit"
Instructor Janine Whiteman
Dressing her children was an important duty for mothers in the mid-nineteenth century just as
it is for mothers today. How did children dress? What undergarments did they wear? Does a
little girl need all those accessories? Does a little boy need a hat? This presentation will explore
the clothes worn by children of various ages and other demographics using primary sources
including photographs, articles in ladies’ magazines, books, diaries and original garments.
Instructor Janine Whiteman
Dressing her children was an important duty for mothers in the mid-nineteenth century just as
it is for mothers today. How did children dress? What undergarments did they wear? Does a
little girl need all those accessories? Does a little boy need a hat? This presentation will explore
the clothes worn by children of various ages and other demographics using primary sources
including photographs, articles in ladies’ magazines, books, diaries and original garments.
Sheer Pleasure: Transparent Accessories
Instructor Carolann Schmitt
Sheer Pleasure: Transparent Accessories, 1830-1870. Transparent accessories
add grace, elegance, and delicacy to a garment. They can greatly change the
appearance of a dress, taking it from plain to fancy, from simple to refined. Sheer
fabrics from the mid-19th century are glorious: finely woven, light, airy. They have
body, a smooth hand, and lovely drape. They were available in a variety of fibers -
cotton, silk, linen, wool, pina; and a variety of fabrics - organdy, organza, lawn,
batiste, mull, cambric, clear muslin, Swiss dot, net, point d'esprit, lace. From these
fabrics, period seamstresses and needleworkers created a variety of light and airy
accessories including caps, headdresses, mantles, collars, cuffs, undersleeves,
tuckers, chemisettes, fichus, pelerines, canezous, overbodices, shawls, mantles
and cloaks. Profusely illustrated, this class will use primary sources including
images, written descriptions and original garments as we discuss styles, fabrics,
construction techniques, and when and where these accessories were worn.
Instructor Carolann Schmitt
Sheer Pleasure: Transparent Accessories, 1830-1870. Transparent accessories
add grace, elegance, and delicacy to a garment. They can greatly change the
appearance of a dress, taking it from plain to fancy, from simple to refined. Sheer
fabrics from the mid-19th century are glorious: finely woven, light, airy. They have
body, a smooth hand, and lovely drape. They were available in a variety of fibers -
cotton, silk, linen, wool, pina; and a variety of fabrics - organdy, organza, lawn,
batiste, mull, cambric, clear muslin, Swiss dot, net, point d'esprit, lace. From these
fabrics, period seamstresses and needleworkers created a variety of light and airy
accessories including caps, headdresses, mantles, collars, cuffs, undersleeves,
tuckers, chemisettes, fichus, pelerines, canezous, overbodices, shawls, mantles
and cloaks. Profusely illustrated, this class will use primary sources including
images, written descriptions and original garments as we discuss styles, fabrics,
construction techniques, and when and where these accessories were worn.
"Running with the Masheen"
Instructor Marc Hermann
Of all the trades and professions practiced in New York City in the mid-19th century, one in particular garnered attention, admiration, and curiosity more than any others. It was hardly a gathering of the social elite. The work was dirty and dangerous. It wasn’t even paid. Yet, the role of the fireman during the period was an acknowledged vital aspect of society, and his exploits were woven into popular culture.
Young New Yorkers from all walks of life flocked to their local firehouses for a chance to be a member of their favorite engine, ladder, or hose company; those who didn’t get official status would make themselves a presence, anyway—one pioneering African-American woman among them—and pitch in as “runners” who got the hand-pulled apparatus to the scenes of conflagration. Before long, these fire companies were acknowledged epicenters of power, becoming irrevocably intertwined with local elections.
Rivalries between companies ranged from friendly races to bloody brawls over claims to water sources at the scenes of fires. Disciplinary measures ranged from expulsion to disbandment, with apparatus held in quarantine by city officials. With the start of hostilities in 1861, these companies provided ready repositories of men ready to serve and fight—while previously expelled undesirables found themselves being asked to fill their vacancies.
Technological and procedural advancements marked this period, with the advent of steam-powered engines and the use of horses to pull them, as well as the concept of the firehouse-as-dormitory, while telegraphy was adopted as an efficient means of signaling for help and spreading information. The classic design of the present-day firefighter’s helmet originated in the leather shop of New York luggage-maker Henry Gratacap.
From the elaborate torchlight parades and charity balls to the songs, plays, and printed media that featured the fire department’s heroism and pageantry, New York’s firemen were universally known throughout the country, and were a key element of urban life.
The program will draw upon published memoirs, newspaper sources, original fire department records, and visual materials to provide participants with a solid understanding of how the New York Fire Department, while unique in many ways, was representative of the dynamic present in many other urban centers.
Instructor Marc Hermann
Of all the trades and professions practiced in New York City in the mid-19th century, one in particular garnered attention, admiration, and curiosity more than any others. It was hardly a gathering of the social elite. The work was dirty and dangerous. It wasn’t even paid. Yet, the role of the fireman during the period was an acknowledged vital aspect of society, and his exploits were woven into popular culture.
Young New Yorkers from all walks of life flocked to their local firehouses for a chance to be a member of their favorite engine, ladder, or hose company; those who didn’t get official status would make themselves a presence, anyway—one pioneering African-American woman among them—and pitch in as “runners” who got the hand-pulled apparatus to the scenes of conflagration. Before long, these fire companies were acknowledged epicenters of power, becoming irrevocably intertwined with local elections.
Rivalries between companies ranged from friendly races to bloody brawls over claims to water sources at the scenes of fires. Disciplinary measures ranged from expulsion to disbandment, with apparatus held in quarantine by city officials. With the start of hostilities in 1861, these companies provided ready repositories of men ready to serve and fight—while previously expelled undesirables found themselves being asked to fill their vacancies.
Technological and procedural advancements marked this period, with the advent of steam-powered engines and the use of horses to pull them, as well as the concept of the firehouse-as-dormitory, while telegraphy was adopted as an efficient means of signaling for help and spreading information. The classic design of the present-day firefighter’s helmet originated in the leather shop of New York luggage-maker Henry Gratacap.
From the elaborate torchlight parades and charity balls to the songs, plays, and printed media that featured the fire department’s heroism and pageantry, New York’s firemen were universally known throughout the country, and were a key element of urban life.
The program will draw upon published memoirs, newspaper sources, original fire department records, and visual materials to provide participants with a solid understanding of how the New York Fire Department, while unique in many ways, was representative of the dynamic present in many other urban centers.
Ballads, Banjos, and Brass
Instructor Nicky Hughes
This presentation takes two approaches to help participants better understand and enjoy early American music. First, the genres of music routinely experienced by our ancestors will be surveyed – church music, sentimental ballads, ethnic tunes, minstrelsy, patriotic anthems, music from the operatic stage, military marches and signals, “hit songs” popularized by “big stars,” and others will be touched upon. The second approach will examine the technology of music production, which was undergoing constant change in the antebellum decades. Color lithography helped sell sheet music; the piano became a commonplace form of entertainment and a status symbol; brass instruments outfitted with valves and marketed in easily tuned ensembles brought new brilliance to music; the banjo emerged from its obscure origins to provide a soundtrack for period American life.
Instructor Nicky Hughes
This presentation takes two approaches to help participants better understand and enjoy early American music. First, the genres of music routinely experienced by our ancestors will be surveyed – church music, sentimental ballads, ethnic tunes, minstrelsy, patriotic anthems, music from the operatic stage, military marches and signals, “hit songs” popularized by “big stars,” and others will be touched upon. The second approach will examine the technology of music production, which was undergoing constant change in the antebellum decades. Color lithography helped sell sheet music; the piano became a commonplace form of entertainment and a status symbol; brass instruments outfitted with valves and marketed in easily tuned ensembles brought new brilliance to music; the banjo emerged from its obscure origins to provide a soundtrack for period American life.
Newly Patterned: Sheer Bodice
Instructor Mackenzie Anderson Sholtz
Workshop focused on making a first muslin for personalized fitting of a sheer bodice from
Jeannie Rucker’s collection. Focus on period construction techniques and details.
Pattern-in-Progress graded pattern and sewing instructions will be part of the workshop.
Prior to workshop, more information on materials to be purchased will be given.
Instructor Mackenzie Anderson Sholtz
Workshop focused on making a first muslin for personalized fitting of a sheer bodice from
Jeannie Rucker’s collection. Focus on period construction techniques and details.
Pattern-in-Progress graded pattern and sewing instructions will be part of the workshop.
Prior to workshop, more information on materials to be purchased will be given.
Frock Coats: A Study in Black
Instructors Kara Bocek & Phillip Whiteman
A study of original frock coats 1830-1870, looking at style and construction changes. Originals
from my collection and other private collections.
Instructors Kara Bocek & Phillip Whiteman
A study of original frock coats 1830-1870, looking at style and construction changes. Originals
from my collection and other private collections.
Practical Historical Hairdressing
Instructor Courtney Read
90 minute Class with approximately 20 Students
Time Block E-Sunday 9-10:30 am
This class with cover the techniques for dressing the hair. This will not focus on one particular style, but the
individual steps used to create multiple historical looks. Students will be given the opportunity to try their hand
(on sample hair wefts, NOT their own) at using antique curling irons, papillote irons and papers, as well as the
proper uses of oils, pomades, and powders for setting these styles. We will also discuss different hair types, and
how to achieve the best style and hold for their individual hair types. This will allow them to tailor their styles
to their particular impression and period. From simple, provincial styles, to pearl draped evening hair, students
will be able to apply the discussed methods to all types of historical styles!
Kits for this class will be optional. I can have them available before and after the class, but they will not be
required. Students can follow along using samples provided. Waivers will be required to use the period tools.
They can get very hot!
Instructor Courtney Read
90 minute Class with approximately 20 Students
Time Block E-Sunday 9-10:30 am
This class with cover the techniques for dressing the hair. This will not focus on one particular style, but the
individual steps used to create multiple historical looks. Students will be given the opportunity to try their hand
(on sample hair wefts, NOT their own) at using antique curling irons, papillote irons and papers, as well as the
proper uses of oils, pomades, and powders for setting these styles. We will also discuss different hair types, and
how to achieve the best style and hold for their individual hair types. This will allow them to tailor their styles
to their particular impression and period. From simple, provincial styles, to pearl draped evening hair, students
will be able to apply the discussed methods to all types of historical styles!
Kits for this class will be optional. I can have them available before and after the class, but they will not be
required. Students can follow along using samples provided. Waivers will be required to use the period tools.
They can get very hot!
Voices from the Sumter County Museum
Instructor Mackenzie Anderson Sholtz
90 minute Class with approximately 20 Students
Time Block E-Sunday 9-10:30 am
Often when a garment is donated to a museum’s collection, there is very little information given
with the garment as to the original wearer or the donor’s family. In my research at the Sumter County Museum, I have come across several garments which have more information. There are two dresses
which belonged to Elizabeth Ann Fullwood Aycock. Along with these mid 19 th C garments came a family
history with letters and other items which belonged to the family. These two dresses were some of the
first garments drafted to make patterns in the Fig Leaf Patterns® line.
Instructor Mackenzie Anderson Sholtz
90 minute Class with approximately 20 Students
Time Block E-Sunday 9-10:30 am
Often when a garment is donated to a museum’s collection, there is very little information given
with the garment as to the original wearer or the donor’s family. In my research at the Sumter County Museum, I have come across several garments which have more information. There are two dresses
which belonged to Elizabeth Ann Fullwood Aycock. Along with these mid 19 th C garments came a family
history with letters and other items which belonged to the family. These two dresses were some of the
first garments drafted to make patterns in the Fig Leaf Patterns® line.
From Wet Plates to Megapixels
Instructor Don Schmitt
90 minute Class with approximately 20 Students
Time Block E-Sunday 9-10:30 am
Nineteenth century photographic techniques produced images with incredibly high resolution,
making them ideal for close study of small details today – if you know how to effectively enhance and
manipulate them. Advances in digital technology today allow researchers the ability to photograph
and enhance for study details that are difficult or impossible to distinguish with the naked eye on the
originals. Online databases have made access to tens of thousands of original images easy and
affordable to anyone with an Internet connection.
Participants in this workshop will learn the basics using digital cameras and photographic
accessories to make clear, sharp photos of original images, clothing and artifacts. They will learn
some basics on how to use the inexpensive Adobe Photoshop Elements software, and similar
software, to enhance and manipulate digital images for research and study. Several actual
demonstrations will illustrate techniques and results. You may be astounded at what you see.
Other topics to be discussed include photographing versus scanning images; suggested
minimum standards for digital cameras, computers and software; sources for purchasing these items;
and how to save and properly store images for future use.
Instructor Don Schmitt
90 minute Class with approximately 20 Students
Time Block E-Sunday 9-10:30 am
Nineteenth century photographic techniques produced images with incredibly high resolution,
making them ideal for close study of small details today – if you know how to effectively enhance and
manipulate them. Advances in digital technology today allow researchers the ability to photograph
and enhance for study details that are difficult or impossible to distinguish with the naked eye on the
originals. Online databases have made access to tens of thousands of original images easy and
affordable to anyone with an Internet connection.
Participants in this workshop will learn the basics using digital cameras and photographic
accessories to make clear, sharp photos of original images, clothing and artifacts. They will learn
some basics on how to use the inexpensive Adobe Photoshop Elements software, and similar
software, to enhance and manipulate digital images for research and study. Several actual
demonstrations will illustrate techniques and results. You may be astounded at what you see.
Other topics to be discussed include photographing versus scanning images; suggested
minimum standards for digital cameras, computers and software; sources for purchasing these items;
and how to save and properly store images for future use.
Traveling Entertainments
Instructor Elizabeth Stewart Clark
Whether high brow or low brow, there is a traveling entertainment option for all! We’ll
tour with notable acts from the past: musicians, lecturers, performers, and more. What
is it like to attend a traveling show? What is it like to be in a traveling show? Learning
about the entertainment options for mid-century helps us build rich detail into living
history, and opens the door for expanding opportunities for all.
Instructor Elizabeth Stewart Clark
Whether high brow or low brow, there is a traveling entertainment option for all! We’ll
tour with notable acts from the past: musicians, lecturers, performers, and more. What
is it like to attend a traveling show? What is it like to be in a traveling show? Learning
about the entertainment options for mid-century helps us build rich detail into living
history, and opens the door for expanding opportunities for all.
In Their Own Words: Slave Narratives and their Impact on the Abolitionist Movement
Instructor Lindsey Foster
- Work Progress Administration interviews (some audio of these exist!)
- Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs
- Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave, written by himself, Frederick Douglass
- Narrative of Henry Box Brown, Who Escaped from Slavery, Enclosed in a Box 3 Feet Long and 2 Wide.
Written from a Statement of Facts Made by Himself. With Remarks Upon the Remedy for Slavery,
Charles Stearns
What I envision for this session is a lesson/overview, and a time to read/discuss selected excepts “in-
class”. All of these things are publicly available/public domain, so it would be lovely to have familiarity
with the text/ “homework” beforehand. I’d love to be able to share the exceptional narratives, yes, but
more I would love to illustrate how literacy as a form of resistance was incredibly effective for enslaved
and formerly enslaved individuals to tell their stories in their own words, and garner international
support for the emancipation of all enslaved people in the United States. I also want to talk about white
censorship, which is a prevalent force in almost every single surviving narrative. I’ve listed four sources
from which I could draw, but am open to suggestions if there’s a key narrative I’m missing.
Instructor Lindsey Foster
- Work Progress Administration interviews (some audio of these exist!)
- Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs
- Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave, written by himself, Frederick Douglass
- Narrative of Henry Box Brown, Who Escaped from Slavery, Enclosed in a Box 3 Feet Long and 2 Wide.
Written from a Statement of Facts Made by Himself. With Remarks Upon the Remedy for Slavery,
Charles Stearns
What I envision for this session is a lesson/overview, and a time to read/discuss selected excepts “in-
class”. All of these things are publicly available/public domain, so it would be lovely to have familiarity
with the text/ “homework” beforehand. I’d love to be able to share the exceptional narratives, yes, but
more I would love to illustrate how literacy as a form of resistance was incredibly effective for enslaved
and formerly enslaved individuals to tell their stories in their own words, and garner international
support for the emancipation of all enslaved people in the United States. I also want to talk about white
censorship, which is a prevalent force in almost every single surviving narrative. I’ve listed four sources
from which I could draw, but am open to suggestions if there’s a key narrative I’m missing.
