I asked one of the women, in a big hoop skirt, was it comfortable and she laughed long and loud, before she said NO. She said there are 8 layers of clothes to being in that period dress. Yowsa from me in my t-shirt and Capri pants.
I have my mother shawl in the closet, that is identical to this one.
Enlarge to see the whiskey bottle, this is the nurse for the Confederate hospital
Harriet Tubman was a black woman and called The Union Spymaster. She was the first woman in our history to lead a military expedition when she lead a night raid to free slaves from rice plantations.
Read about here here at Women Spies of the Civil War
There were hundreds of lady spies for both sides in this war. If you are interested, go to
Secret Agents In Hoop Skirts
Trivia Facts from Aha Military Jokes
BIGGEST MAN... The biggest man in the Union Army was Capt. David Van Buskirk of the 27th Indiana Regiment who stood 6 feet 11 inches and weighed 380 pounds. He was captured in 1862 and was sent to a Richmond Prison where a Confederate entrepreneur put him on exhibit. Even Confederate President Jeff Davis came to see him and was astounded when the impish Van Buskirk claimed that back home in Bloomington Indiana, "when I was at the train station with my company , my six sisters came to say goodbye. As I was standing there, with my company, they all came up to me, leaned down and kissed me on top of the head."
BATHROOM... Although not listed in the rules of war, soldiers on both sides did not shoot at the enemy when he was going to the bathroom
You should have seen these hoops skirted ladies trying to sit down on the train.
26 comments:
How DID they sit in a hoop skirt? Wouldn't it all come up around their heads? I'm trying to remember Gone With The Wind... The bathroom rule is hilarious to me and I don't know why!!! Except it is 2 A.M. and when I am tired I giggle at anything. Actually, my favorite picture here is the sixth one...I think six. Where the woman in short shorts is staring at the costumed lady, what a total difference, hilarious!! You really captured a moment there!! The costumes all look right except the first one, the hat does not seem to go with the dress. The dress looks everyday cotton and the hat is gauzy and dressy...
Been forgetting to tell you, I love your new profile picture!!!! Gosh, it's 2:30 A.M. and I'm the only idiot who is commenting, and I have the blogs all to myself!!!! Off to bed, hope you are having sweet dreams!!!
Reading Ginny comments and now I'm giggling.
I love those old dresses but would not want to wear one. Do you remember the crinolines from the fifties. Did you ever try to sit down wearing one of those things?
That was very gentlemanly of them to respect each other when nature called.
Hi Sandra, All of these posts on the Civil War have really captured my attention. We forget what we have learned in school. I did skip over to read "Women Spies of the Civil War" and "Secret Agents in Hoop Skirts". Fantastic reading. I did an essay on Harriet Tubman years ago when I was in the 7th grade. She is buried not far from here. Thanks, Sandra...your recent posts have been very interesting.
I enjoyed this post so much, Sandra. Oh, how I love t-shirts and capris!!!
I actually love the look of how they dressed in that period but I certainly wouldn't want to have to wear all that, especially in the summer.
That is quite gentlemanly of them not to fire upon each other while taking care of nature's business. How funny.
I like the regal look of those old dresses,but am thankful that I am free to wear jeans and a shirt instead.
could you imagine having all those hoops...they are beautiful...but I couldn't imagine chasing little britches around in that...
One of these days, I'm going to participate...:)JP
I can't imaging wearing those dresses here in south Florida.. especially in the summer humidity.
Had to chuckle when I read about Mr Bigs sisters kissing the top of his head :)
Oh yes! Wonderful!
The things they had to wear, back then.
And links to women spies. Love it!!!
Gentle hugs,
"Auntie"
i would not have survived that age. i think the only fashions more dreadful were the corset/wig/white powder era in europe. :)
Terrific photos! I had to laugh at the remark about the clothes. My daughter worked for a summer at Old Sturbridge Village where she had to dress as if she were in the 1830s. She mostly complained about the hats that were designed so that a woman could only look frontwards unless she turned her head. Of course, they didn't wear hoops or she would have complained about that, I supppose. But she didn't mind the dresses...hoopless, of course.
I know the fashions of that period must have been uncomfortable. Hot to.
I think they are beautiful! I wore a dress that required a hoop for prom my junior year. I still have the dress but I borrowed the hoop from someone I can't remember who. It was interesting wearing it. My senior year I wore a dress with a crinoline under it or was it a hoop too? Wow! I can't remember! Seems like my wedding dress I wore a crinoline that I borrowed.
Well, anyway, you know I like the big puffy dresses! lol
Ginny has me giggling! It's funny that on blogs I'm usually laughing at your comments or Ginny's.:) The skirts are pretty, but I wouldn't like it! I'm all about being comfortable! Jeans, capris, shorts, t-shirts and I love flip flops! I would be so hot in all those layers of clothes...sweating in places women shouldn't sweat! THH
I always wonder if every one wore all those layers of clothing all the time. Just think of the amount of material it took to make those full skirts...and then think of all that it would take for all the layers...it is just something I always think about.
Wonderful to see... as a child I loved seeing old pictures (just like your sepia shots).
It was only as I grew older I started to realize that the green grass and blue skies I saw was what the people in black and white images could also marvel.
Your lovely images brought back that childhood memory.
Very interesting post.
Fantastic pictures that tell oh so many stories. The shawl is beautiful. Here I thought with the hoops they could catch a good breeze under the heavy fabric...lo and behold there were layers and layers.
NO THANK YOU>
Hugs C
Such pretty period dresses- I don't think I could handle all that material though- too hot!
These are all fabulous! I wonder where they store those hoops when they're not in use!
Another fantastic period post! I loved the sepia header. And the contrast of the costumed ladies with the cars and modern attire in some of the photos was priceless. Great job!
I really enjoy the Civil War era. Ours here won't be till summer time. Fantastic photos. Have a great week.
Lynne
I love to hear about strong women who played important roles in history - I know there are a lot of them.
Those dresses are gorgeous - but boy would they be hot and uncomfortable.
No shooting when they were going to the bathroom? You learn something new everyday.
Love, sandie
What a terrific event. We have a large Civil War Enactment coming in April, there will be Cavalry but no trains.
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