the Sestercentennial begins: Boston Massacre 250th

Yesterday marked the 250th anniversary commemoration of the Boston Massacre. The actual anniversary was thursday, but many of the commemoration ceremonies were this weekend. Photos and videos are being shared on social media, and I have to admit to a fair bit of jealousy and feeling left out, but when I watched the video of the event last night, I was glad to have stepped back from this event. It was beautiful, don't get me wrong, more that I would have felt 'far too much emotion' (tm). It was beautiful.

Seeing the event shared through social media has me thinking of my own living history practice, and what I need to be working on for this season's eventing. The first event we will be participating in will be the No Quarter event at Ticonderoga in May. Pierre will be a British soldier, working as a servant. I have pulled his white small clothes already, having made them the year before we moved up here as part of a naval midshipman's uniform. To round out his clothing for the event, he will need a brown work jacket, black half gaiters, and a black silk neck stock. The Fort is sending me a forage cap kit. All of this work will go into the dissertation, as one of my character sketches is of a British soldier. I will not be building a regimental for him, as he will not ever need one as more of a support soldier than a musket carrying one.

Paul Sandby RA, 1731-1809, British, London Cries: A Fishmonger, ca.1759. Yale Centre for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection. watercolour and graphite on laid paper.

For the 'Brown Work Jacket', we have very little evidence as to what they looked like, so I went to one of the best sources for working class people of the period, Paul Sandby. This image of a fishmonger shows some really great detail of a work jacket, right down to what the cuff should look like. Henry Cooke has an extant blue wool jacket (though of French provenance) in a very similar cut, and will provide excellent construction details. Now I just have to hunt for a good serviceable brown wool and get that cut so I can bring it with me to stitch while I am away next month.As for the half gaiters and neck stock, those will both come out of stash, thankfully.

Then it will be working on items for my own kit. I have stays that are almost ready for a fitting, then binding off. After that, a cotton short gown, based on the one in the Colonial Williamsburg collection and featured in Costume Close-up, page 43. That short gown is not strictly required for May, but will be needed for July when it's +40C so I don't drop of heat exhaustion like last year.

After that, it will be back to men's wear, as I will have two complete suits to build, and parts of two others to finish, plus a regimental to make over the summer months.

It's going to be a busy year ahead, and I can't believe that I am writing about revolutionary war living history RIGHT when it is happening! This is unintentional nerding out in the extreme, as when I began, I hadn't realized how close we were, and throughout my first year, I wasn't sure I would even make it this far. I'm doing this!