Nancy Harriott Costume
Oh hey guys, check it out! :D
History is very serious, guys. (Or perhaps it's just difficult to hold a smile for minute-long exposure times for early cameras. Either/or.) Also, I feel I look silly when I smile broadly, especially in costume. Still, here are a few photographs of that new costume I've been promising you!
The costumers at Fort Edmonton refer to this outfit as the Rowand daughter's dress. Essentially, I can be any of the four daughters of John Rowand ( the Chief Factor of Fort Edmonton, remember?): Sophie (the lifelong spinster), Nancy ( the second wife of the Chief Trader of Rocky Mountain House, Edward(?) Harriott), Margaret (the one who married James McKay, a Métis interpreter and future Manitoban politician), or Adelaide (the "cute" one, in that she was only moderately overweight and not almost obese like the others, but who died a few weeks before taking her vows as a nun). I mostly play Nancy, because there are Harriotts about to play my husband. I am fated to die in about half a decade of the consumption!
The outfit itself is a bit more reminiscent of the early 1840s than 1846, for good reason, as it always takes a few years for the fashions to trickle down from London or Paris to the Saskatchewan district. For example, the distinct poofiness of the elbows of my sleeve is more reminiscent of the gigot sleeves of the 1830s, although it's much slimmer, foreshadowing later trends. Compare with this example from the Victoria & Albert museum via Wikipedia.
And yes, that is my real hair. Ringlettes done the traditional way, with rags. The rest of my hair is in a bun about a third of the size of my skull. ;) Compare with this portrait from 1845You can also see a hint of my mocassin peeking out from beneath my dress. It's very difficult to catch glimpses of footwear in anything but the fashion plates of the era - they seem to be square-toed, but beyond that it's very difficult to tell. The only things that I've found that come close are very expensive ballet shoes, and I'd need black ones. Still, because the woman I portray is Métis, and apparently Métis women were notorious for eschewing uncomfortable European shoes in favour of traditional mocassins even if they wore otherwise European clothing (I read this in a chapter of a book, photocopied and placed in an era manual in our library at the Fort), so it should be accurate for Nancy to be wearing them... especially if they're nice. In fact, a wonderful Cree interpreter has lent me a pair that belonged to an older relative. They are gorgeous, and I should show you a photograph of them as well, especially the beadwork.
Oh, and I have a black felt bonnet, too. It's intended to shade my entire face, but is only supposed to be worn outdoors, hence its absence in these photographs.
History is very serious, guys. (Or perhaps it's just difficult to hold a smile for minute-long exposure times for early cameras. Either/or.) Also, I feel I look silly when I smile broadly, especially in costume. Still, here are a few photographs of that new costume I've been promising you!
The costumers at Fort Edmonton refer to this outfit as the Rowand daughter's dress. Essentially, I can be any of the four daughters of John Rowand ( the Chief Factor of Fort Edmonton, remember?): Sophie (the lifelong spinster), Nancy ( the second wife of the Chief Trader of Rocky Mountain House, Edward(?) Harriott), Margaret (the one who married James McKay, a Métis interpreter and future Manitoban politician), or Adelaide (the "cute" one, in that she was only moderately overweight and not almost obese like the others, but who died a few weeks before taking her vows as a nun). I mostly play Nancy, because there are Harriotts about to play my husband. I am fated to die in about half a decade of the consumption!
The outfit itself is a bit more reminiscent of the early 1840s than 1846, for good reason, as it always takes a few years for the fashions to trickle down from London or Paris to the Saskatchewan district. For example, the distinct poofiness of the elbows of my sleeve is more reminiscent of the gigot sleeves of the 1830s, although it's much slimmer, foreshadowing later trends. Compare with this example from the Victoria & Albert museum via Wikipedia.
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And yes, that is my real hair. Ringlettes done the traditional way, with rags. The rest of my hair is in a bun about a third of the size of my skull. ;) Compare with this portrait from 1845You can also see a hint of my mocassin peeking out from beneath my dress. It's very difficult to catch glimpses of footwear in anything but the fashion plates of the era - they seem to be square-toed, but beyond that it's very difficult to tell. The only things that I've found that come close are very expensive ballet shoes, and I'd need black ones. Still, because the woman I portray is Métis, and apparently Métis women were notorious for eschewing uncomfortable European shoes in favour of traditional mocassins even if they wore otherwise European clothing (I read this in a chapter of a book, photocopied and placed in an era manual in our library at the Fort), so it should be accurate for Nancy to be wearing them... especially if they're nice. In fact, a wonderful Cree interpreter has lent me a pair that belonged to an older relative. They are gorgeous, and I should show you a photograph of them as well, especially the beadwork.
Oh, and I have a black felt bonnet, too. It's intended to shade my entire face, but is only supposed to be worn outdoors, hence its absence in these photographs.