Joan Leotta has been playing with words since
childhood. She is a poet, essayist, journalist, playwright, and author of
several books both, fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. She is also
a performer and gives one-woman shows on historic figures and spoken word
folklore shows and teaches writing and storytelling. Learn more about Joan and
her books at her website.
Storytelling—An
excuse to play dress-up!
Civil
War Costuming
As a professional performer and writer,
I have the excuse to wear "costumes." When I perform shows from the
US Civil or Revolutionary War eras or other historical periods, I find that costumes
help reinforce the verbal and storyline cues. Moreover, wearing the clothes of
a person of that era, allows you as performer to literally "walk in the
shoes" of the characters you have created. Yes, wearing a corset and large
crinolines does affect the way you walk, sit, and think about your daily tasks.
As a writer, wearing costumes to a
signing calls attention to your book and helps put you in the mind of your
characters during the research phase of your writing. Civil War appearance is
one of the easiest of past eras to duplicate. Not only is there a plethora of
actual books and drawings available, but also there are organizations called
"sutlers" who frequent the many Civil War reenactments. Undergarments
will be the most expensive part of your ensemble, especially the corset. And
yes, in almost all cases, you will need a corset to achieve the proper "look".
Modern lingerie store options do not give the correct look to your body. Do not
waste money on those.
Many of these purveyors of clothing and
more also have a strong online presence. If you are writing about an historical
period like the Civil War, attending a reenactment will act as a time
machine—well, almost.
Unless you are performing in a National
Park, you can obtain costumes (all except for the underwear) that are cheaper
by purchasing patterns (if you can sew) or buying costumes that
"look" authentic but have hidden zippers, etc.
Here are my favorite resources:
For
Inspiration--Gody's Lady's Book
This magazine was once only available
to those with funds to purchase old copies. Now you can peruse it online. Women
on both sides (Union and Confederate) kept up with the latest fashions via this
publication. At one time over 150,00 subscribed.
www.accessible-archives.com › Collections and Coverage
For
the practical—two sites
When it comes time to dressing
yourself, I highly recommend two sites: Both of these tell how to put your
ensemble together from underwear on up, as well as help you choose patterns,
accessories, etc.
Secrets
of the Heart
In the middle of the night in January, 1865, two Union
soldiers set out on a reconnaissance mission just before the battle of Fort
Fisher, North Carolina. Rinaldo DeBartolo wants to finish the mission and to
return to Italy and his sweetheart, Emilia. When he and his partner, Walter
discover hidden gold, a trail of secrets begins.
That trail winds through the Italian unification, two
world wars and a tangle of immigration to reach into Rome Italy in the 1990s at
the time of Desert Storm. There the descendents of the American De Bartolo
family meet Rinaldo's descendents.
Kathy Ann, the
youngest of the clan is working a gap year as a journalist in Her writing
endeavors and the family's reunion become complicated by romance, stolen art,
and the discovery that not all secrets, even family secrets, are good ones.
Buy Links
1 comment:
You are so right.
I was on a boat carrying Civil War reenactors from Delaware City to Pea Patch Island. The woman who was sitting across from me didn't have enough hands to keep her hat in place and her hoops under control. I vowed that day never to wear hoops. A friend suggested I be a Quaker. I put together a simple dress out of a bed sheet. I can now dress in the periods of my characters (1640, 1750, 1860, and 1890). I wear which ever is appropriate for the signing and I always stand up, never sit behind the table. People who won't approach the sitting writers are happy to come up and talk to me about my clothing.
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