What's in My Pocket? A Look at the Hidden Treasures of 18th Century Colonial Women

If you read my post about colonial women's fashion, you'll remember my interest in colonial women's pockets. They're another amazing example of women's culture and development.
Pockets were worn separately under a women's skirt or petticoat on a long string that was tied around their waist. These pockets were the equivalent of our purses today. (Ranging between 10 and 20 inches deep!)

 Indecent colonist alert! Me in my pockets before my skirt and bodice are added.

What I love about pockets is the real intimacy they represent. Women didn't have privacy the way we think of it now. Legally, a husband owned everything that belonged to his wife. Women didn't have their own room or even drawers they could lock away from their husbands or parents, so in my mind, pockets could serve as a special secret place to tuck away one's secrets and treasures. It reminds me of O-Lan's hidden pearls in The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. (You guys remember that?) 


I keep a long knife, 6 pewter dice hammered from musket balls (perfect for playing Farkle!), a painted sandlewood fan, a pewter spoon for taste tests during cooking demonstrations, and my silver bodkin for any wardrobe malfunctions ;) The dice and spoon were made by a local reenactor during our Colonial Faire and Muster, check out his Etsy site here!

So, what little treasures would actual colonial women have kept?

 
First, the unsurprising and everyday. Coins, sewing supplies, small knives, fans, spectacles, and watches would have all been commonplace in most women's pockets.

 
What happens when we dig a little deeper? The fashionista's secrets come out! Small mirrors, scent bottles, and combs could have been hidden within the folds of the pockets. Even the design of the pockets could have been a testament to the desire to have or own beauty. While some women would embroider their pockets to the point that they could be worn OVER their other layers to be shown off, many might have embroidered them just to have a nice thing to call their own tucked away. Think of the way we might buy a lacy bra without the intention of anyone ever seeing us in it!

Most importantly to me are the items that are never talked about but can be assumed would have been kept hidden away. I imagine an early colonist tapping her pockets and getting the same feeling we do when our phone or wallet unexpectedly isn't in our back pocket, or when we forget we removed a ring and then go to adjust it and don't feel it there. What are the items that would have made her feel that flash of panic(like us) when they weren't in their usual spot?

Letters and diaries (for the literate) may have had a special spot within.
Special jewelry and lockets, whether due to monetary or heirloom value, may have been kept hidden during day to day activities and only taken out and worn during special events. (And again I'm thinking of O-Lan and her pearls!)

Locks of hair. Okay, this one gets me. While researching the DeRenne family in Savannah, GA, there are multiple generations in which 1 out of 12 to15 children would survive to adulthood. I can imagine a mother in mourning keeping a lock of her lost child's hair, and the way that that could add up for women in this period. Locks of hair could even have been kept in or made into jewelry.

Wearing these pockets helps me connect with the colonial lifestyle a little better (even if I did tuck my cell phone away in there, too!) Never underestimate your ability to connect with the past, no matter what your interests are ;)

What else could you image finding hidden within the secret pockets of a woman in colonial America? What else do YOU keep? (I have kept a Ponyta Pokemon card in my wallet for years. To be honest I can't even remember why anymore but it comes with me everywhere I go!)

How to Pass as an Early Georgia Female Colonist - 1700s Colonial Fashion

Yesterday our new reenactment clothing came in. Don't get me wrong, I've dressed out plenty of times, but this is the first time I've had an entire outfit tailored to me: my exact measurements, color preferences, and fashion choices. (within the 18th century boundaries)
I can not overstate what a huge difference it makes! I went from "having fun dressing up" to holding my breath in a fully laced Stay and sweating through my stockings (and that was before I was even fully dressed!) Everything came from Jas. Townsend & Son, Inc. except for my shoes. Definitely check them out!

I'm still new to colonial fashion but I wanted to share what I'm going to be wearing during all of our demonstrations here. If you have anything to add to the following, please let me know! I would love to learn more about it!








The Shift (or Chemise) is usually made out of white linen, but, like mine, could be made from cotton. It is basically a long shirt and is worn day and night under all of a woman's other layers. It could have just a plain hem, mine has drawstrings to create gathers, or could have been embellished with lace at the sleeve and collar edges. 

The Stay. (or Corset) Mine is a half-boned stay made with cotton canvas. High fashion stays would have had shoulder straps that would inhibit movement of the arms and shoulders, but I'm a colonist and have work to do! I still get the benefits of a shaped torso and straight back while still being able to maintain productivity. I FLIPPIN LOVE my stay. It's beautiful. That doesn't mean its fun to wear. I use a Silver Bodkin to lace my stay, it has an eye long enough for the laces to fit through and cuts down the lacing time by what I can only imagine would otherwise have been an eternity.

Pockets weren't sewn into clothing at the time, they were small bags tied around the waist on a long string. Mine are unadorned, so, true to the period, I wear them underneath my skirt. If I choose to embroider them, I would then wear them over my skirt. There is a ton on information on 18th Century women's pockets online, check out the blog post about Pockets and Women's Empowerment. What I love about them is that they are truly a woman's own. Their pockets could hide any little treasure and be kept secret from the world. I just like to think of what precious things a colonial woman would have kept hidden away in her pockets day after day. 

A Drawstring Skirt (or Petticoat) is the easiest thing, go sew a billion of them. I chose a solid color for my skirt since it was going to be mostly covered up in the front with my apron anyway. It has opening on either side so that I can access my pockets easily and in the 1700's could have adjusted the size back and forth during pregnancy. (I'm hoping to do a colonial pregnancy post soon, so come back for more on that!) Keep in mind that we are not talking about the Victorian era, ankles aren't the "supremely scandalous" anymore. I can have my skirt hemmed a few inches shorter so that I can work around the house with a baby on one hip and a basket of vegetables in the other and not have to worry about lifting my skirt up while walking. 

 

My Drawstring Apron is made of white cotton and ties on top of my skirt. It doesn't cover the opening in my skirt so I can still easily access my pockets. Not much to say about this one, we still use aprons today!







Stockings are such a bummer in the summertime. They go above the knee and are made of cotton. I'm hoping to go around barefoot come the hundred degree weather! (Maybe the tattoo isn't completely period accurate...)




My Black Leather Shoes were donated a while back and, lucky me, they fit perfectly. What is so special about them is the bottoms. They're RED (What now, Louis Vuitton!) During (but not limited to) the 18th Century, individuals would paint the heels of their shoes red to signify that they had been accepted at Court. (One of the reenactors saw them on me and laughed that "I had met the queen!" It is known that a lot of people would just paint their heels red without ever having had the honor that the red signified, but I like the think the colonial woman I portray was a little more honest than that ;)






French Bodice Cue controversy. Okay, okay, this is not period appropriate (probably.) You can find some period artwork that depict women in these types of bodice, but most likely women in colonial Georgia would have been wearing sleeves. I don't know if you have been to Savannah in the summertime but there was NO WAY they were getting me in sleeves on top of everything else I was already wearing! I ordered this on my own, so blame me :) If this type of sleeveless bodice was worn, it would probably have been in place of a stomacher. 


In the 18th Century, women would have worn a sleeved jacket with a stomacher beneath it. The stomacher is a triangular piece of fabric used to hold the front of a woman's jacket together, and also serves to hide a woman's stay underneath her jacket.

Hair didn't get washed very often. Luckily, it was tied up daily under a cap so it wasn't really a problem. I wear a few strands down around my face, but the rest I tie in a tight bun at the back of my head. 

A Mob Cap (or bonnet) would keep your dirty hair up and hidden, would keep hair out of your face and away from a cooking fire, and would serve as a fashion accessory. I wear a gathered cotton cap, but caps could have been made in multiple different styles with ruffles, lace, and ribbons.

When I'm outside, I wear my Straw Hat over my mob cap. Mine is a "high crown" hat with a diameter of almost 20 inches! Many straw hats would have been "low crown", but both could be decorated with ribbons, flowers, lace, etc. I can't wait to get creative with my new hat! Any suggestions on what I should do? There are a few different ways one could wear a straw hat, I like mine simply tied town around my chin.

Aaaaand the finished product! Hello dramatic pose! Hehe I wanted to show off my hat :D

There are a few things I don't have that one could add to this ensemble, I am going to link to the Jas. Townsend website so you can check them out for yourself!

Garters would be tied around stockings above the knee to ensure the stockings didn't slip down. They usually would have been made up of a cotton decorative piece attached to a long silk ribbon string.


A Silk Fichu is basically a big square kerchief that has been folded and then tied or tucked (and maybe pinned) into a woman's bodice. This was used for modesty, so having already gotten a little reckless by choosing a French Bodice, it was a little too late for me to try and salvage using one of these! A woman could dye her fichu to match her other clothing.


Linen Shawls are worn over the shoulders to protect from sun or for additional modesty. The ends are long enough to be tucked into the skirt. I think the Linen Shawl from Jas. Townsend is beautiful with it's ruffled edges- I'm am kicking myself for not having ordered it!

Make Your Own 18th Century Straw Poke Bonnet

Tried my hand at creating an 18th Century Poke from a straw cap!

I started out with a High Crown Straw Hat from Jas. Townsend & Sons, Inc. for $14 (Get your own here!) But I bet you can find them all over the place. I spent about $13 everything else, I got 3 yards of a solid green ribbon and 3 yards of a frilly white lace.

I started out buy cutting 5 feet off of my green ribbon. (You have to give yourself plenty of space to line the diameter of the hat and still have enough to tie it beneath your chin. 5 feet ended up being just about perfect!) I hot glued it all of the way across, keeping it tight against the corners of the crown. I put a little extra glue at the edges of the at since that's where most of the tension will be. 

 
Next, I moved in about 4 inch segments hot gluing the white lace around the border. I didn't cut it beforehand so I had a ton to work with. I positioned it so that the middle seam was right against the edge of the hat so that some of the frill hung over the edges. 

I positioned the seam in a random place toward the back and then glued all of the edges together to try and hide it.

I used my remaining 4 feet of green ribbon to wrap around the crown. I chose where I wanted to position my bow and centered the ribbon opposite of that spot. I glued it down as best I could but like you can probably tell, it gathered it a couple places.

I added another layer of the lace centered at the base of the green ribbon, and glued the ends behind my bow.

Trimmed the edges of my straps and added a few flowers to the front. 

Done!

I'm wearing it with a Mob Cap, Chemise, and French Bodice, all from Jas. Townsend & Sons, Inc.