By My Own Hand

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My experiences wearing corsets with 18th and 19th century costume

I have gone to a couple of American Civil War events in painfully accurate costume (painful as in effort, not comfort), once as a 'lady spectator' with my mother(who taught me to care about details to begin with) and other times with friends. With mother, we picnicked within sight of the battlefield, and with my friends we toured the camps. I have to say that the reactions we got from the few people who *did* really appreciate accurate ladies made it all worth it. Very positive, so I can say that there are those who do care and do notice when ladies are accurate.

My 1860's clothes had been made by me so that I could be an accurate costumed interpreter at a local (built in 1860) house museum, at which I volunteered my time nearly 7 years ago, and were as accurate as I could make them. I spent most of my time explaining my clothes and how ladies did their hair and how one moved around a house with a carriage hoop on. The visitors were genuinely curious, but some of the other museum volunteers had the vaguely scandalized "isn't that painful" attitude about my clothes. I think I spent more time explaining myself to some of the other volunteers than I did to some of the visitors.

A favorite moment comes from the opening festivities, when a girl in the dance group who performed at the event asked me if the corset squashed my boobs and made them hurt. I laughed. This was going on while all of us were changeing back into street clothes, so when I took off the stays I showed her that the busty-with-tiny-waist was an illusion created by the shaping (I am neither busty, nor naturally tiny waisted) and the contrast between the upper body and the hoops. She was really surprised.

I have also gone to black powder events, with my ex-husband. We did F&I period, and I was as accurate as I could possibly manage, even to the stays I wore (based on an actual set of colonial-period home-made working stays I was lucky enough to see). I got some good reactions and some odd ones. Some people seemed to expect me to be rude about their clothing because of the way I was dressed, and some ignored me entirely. Fortunately, we always had freinds there, so the brushoffs were not so much of a problem.

In my experience, having done real, physical, hard work in stays from the 18th C, I would have been bad shape from two weeks of hauling water and cooking in heavy iron pots over a fire without them. They did an excellent job of reminding me to squat instead of bending at the waist to pick things up, and to lift with my legs. I've also done work in an Elizabethan corset, and I'd have to say that it helped to remind me to use my body correctly as well. I guess it really depends on how dedicated to accuracy you are.

A social observation on interacting with onlookers

Why do people stare so much when reenactors are doing everyday things? I think it's because people are attracted to the familiar.

My renfaire group got huge audiences for the following things: cooking and eating - "Is that real food?" baby minding - "Is that a real baby?" and also for spinning, but that is less familiar and I think that the kids (the audiences were mostly kids) liked it because it looked like magic.

I've had similar experiences everywhere I've done costumed interpreting/docenting/'acting'. The familar draws people in to the history experience. I say, whatever works to do so is wonderful.