Month: May 2026
Month: May 2026
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“To maiking a skcy blew sute”
How do you know when a painting is made? For Charles Willson Peale, diaries, letters, and receipts play a large role in determining when his portraits were made. Peale kept extensive diaries and lists,…
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A 1920s Party Dress
Two years ago, Drunk Tailor and I celebrated my birthday at a vintage event at the Congressional Cemetery in DC, for which I obviously needed a new dress. We bought the tickets not long…
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To a plain Mahogany Cradle
There is only one known image of Anne Cadwalader, John and Elizabeth Cadwalader’s first-born child. She sits on Thomas Affleck’s mahogany card table, the carving-embellished knees visible in the foreground of Peale’s family portrait.…
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I Want Candy
Some ages ago (3 years), I bought a few yards of pink figured shantung from Renaissance Fabrics. I had a cloak or mantle in mind, as I’d seen this one at the MFA (left)…
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Passing Strange
In representing Magdalen Devine at the Museum of the American Revolution’s Revolutionary Philadelphia event, I decided to make a brown silk gown. This is an easy and solid choice for nearly any (every) woman…
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Looking for a Ship
This past weekend (November 1-2) at the Museum of the American Revolution’s Revolutionary City (Pre-Occupied) event, I was pleased to represent Magdalen Devine, a feme sole trader in Philadelphia who ran a mercantile business…
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Unpacking Wedgewood at the End of the World
I’m standing at the sink in the kitchen in my Baltimore apartment. It’s the smallest kitchen I’ve ever had, but I’m unpacking Wedgewood plates, cups, and saucers. There’s a creamer and a sugar bowl.…
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Furniture Check
Lo these many years ago (one dozen) I embarked upon a gown-making folly based on the familiar Oyster Seller image. There was collective interest in this gown 12 years ago, probably because the original…
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A Blue Homespun Gown
How long does fabric need to ‘season’ in your stash? I like to savor yardage for half a decade or so, as once I have fabric I really like, I never think I’m adept…
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