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!)