adventures in the low country part 3
Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton,
Old times there are not forgotten
Look away, look away, look away Dixie Land.~Stephen.Foster~
Before we begin, I’m going to flat-out admit to some corner cutting tonight, namely in the area of providing y’all with links for professional photos versus Lisa’s Very Own Polaroids. Because I lacked a digital camera for our excursion (mainly because I can’t find the dadgum cord that will allow me to actually get photos off the device and onto my computer) and was using my cell phone camera throughout our journey, overall I took a limited amount of photos.
HOWEVER.
We actually saw each and every thing
in the linked photos.
I SWEAR.
The Charleston Museum, America’s first museum founded in 1773 and ever-so-conveniently located across the street from our hotel, is an incredible treasure trove of artifacts.
The museum displays range from the current
‘Threads of War’ exhibit of Confederate clothing, shoes, fans, and hats to artillery and guns from the Revolutionary War to locally-dug dinosaur bones. The antiquities run the gamut of All Things That Once Existed in Charleston. While I very much enjoyed every nook and cranny of the museum, I will confess that the Confederate clothing collection, well putting it mildly …
BLEW MY PEA-PICKIN’ MIND.
And if we said it once, we said it (at least)
a million times.
‘LOOK AT HOW TINY THE WAIST IS ON THAT DRESS?’
Check out the Charleston Museum Threads of War Exhibit
Even the photos in the link above do not adequately illustrate the diminutive size of these articles of clothing. My (un)educated guess would be that the waist sizes on the dresses were no more than 18″, and I’d hazard to say even that’s being generous. I’m here to tell y’all the women’s dresses could easily be worn rather smartly by today’s 12-year old girls.
IT’S NO WONDER THESE WOMEN HAD TROUBLE BIRTHIN’ BABIES.
And the shoes? Ohmygoodnessgolly, the women’s evening slippers were the size of
Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls.
NO CROCS FOR THESE GALS.
Another notable fact was that a few of the printed fabrics weren’t exactly what I’d have imagined would have been manufactured during that era, much less something an 1860′s woman would have worn. One of the Lilliputian-waisted dresses was a Barney purple print with white circle clusters scattered about, and in the center of each circle was a tiny black star.
SHALL WE SAY, PERTY DERN UGLY.
But lest you think I was disappointed in the clothing, oh mercy no. It is actually all quite stunning, not only is the excellent condition of nearly 150-year old clothing a marvel, and discounting the purple catastrophe of a frock, the clothing is simply exquistite.
BREATHTAKING.
And while we’re on the topic of clothing, the day we visited the Charleston Museum several women clad in (what I actually envisioned women wearing) homespun dresses were re-enacting Confederate life in the outside courtyard. One re-enactor’s assigned task was to explain the Civil War-time laundry process to us Yankees. Apparently, so she tells us, the Union army set up a rather vexatious blockade in the Charleston Harbor, preventing the transfer of goods from European ships to the Confederacy.
WHERE IS CAPTAIN RHETT BUTLER, BLOCKADE-CRASHING SUPER HERO WHEN YOU NEED HIM?
So. Among other inconveniences, this blockade prevented receipt of such luxury items as milled laundry soap. The Confederacy stood strong. They merely improvised. From lye soap made from lye and wood ash to a Highly Unique and Essential Ingredient for a successful wash, they persevered. And. Because we’re all friends here, I’m going to bestow upon you an 1860′s Very Special Laundry Tip for Spot Removal.
URINE.
Yes, those resourceful women used human pee to remove stains. And you thought Tide sticks were ingenious? Apparently, and I’m not about to actually verify the fact myself, urine is the ultimate stain remover. Empty the odorous contents of family’s chamber pots into a large copper bin, bring to a boil, soak your clothes, stir them up a bit with a wooden paddle and there you have it. Ummm. (Questionably) clean clothes.
In fairness, there are several processes beyond the pee soak, including a good scrubbing with the aforementioned lye soap on a glass washboard (no tin cheese grater-like washboards for these ladies) and adding blue indigo dye (think the consistency of good old Mercurochrome only blue, not red) to the final wash water to keep your whites white (of course).
AND REALLY. WHO’D A THUNK MOST CLOTHES DIDN’T GET WASHED FOR 5 MONTHS?
If you were really rich and had fancy clothes with lace and other delicate materials, well sometimes that apparel didn’t get washed at all. Merely brushed and hung out in the sun to air out for the next wearing.
THE THINGS I NEVER KNEW SEEMS QUITE ENDLESS.
Now since I’m quite certain you’re getting read to nod into your soup, I shall close this blog with photos (yes folks, these are my photos) of the Joseph Manigault House located across the street from the Charleston Museum and the Edmondston-Alston House located on Battery Street overlooking the harbor.
Of the two homes we visited, the Joseph Manigault House was my favorite. The furnishings were gorgeous (and original to the home), the tour guide informative. Not to mention it didn’t smell musty.
WHICH IS A BIG PLUS IN MY BOOK.
joseph manigault house, considered the original owner's city 'townhouse' and used in the summer months. the family moved into Charleston from their plantation home in the months of June, July and August and would throw lavish parties on the second floor.
Check out the Joseph Manigault House
edmondston-alston home
our view from the second-story 'porch' of the edmondston-alston home. when the union fired on ft. sumter in 1861, the original owners of this home, along with their neighbors, clamored to their rooftops in horror to watch the battle unfold out in the harbor.
I remain fondly (and clad in clean Tide-washed, Downy-fresh clothes) yours,
