Aaaaaaand The Modern Mishaps Begin...

I’m not gonna lie. I was kinda bummed out when I didn’t have any comments on the blog. I know, it was one day, but I’m an impatient sort of person. Of course, while still exploring Blogger and how it works, I discovered that my comment settings were not allowing anyone to post unless they had a Blogger account...or something like that, I think. Regardless, I have adjusted my settings so you may comment without being anything more than a nice and supportive person.  So publically, we are now 1- Modern Technology, 0- Mary. Just as well, privately I’m sure we’re like 12,345- Modern Technology, 12-Mary.  Fortunately, I don’t keep track.

Obviously, I did not receive any suggestions as to what I should write about in today’s blog, so I turned to, my beloved boyfriend, Teddy, for some advice. Which, of course, was excellent, so, of course, I will not follow. Today, that is.  Teddy had some great ideas on what I should write about, but before I start his list (yes, list!), I thought I should cover all bases and explain exactly what living history is.

Living history is essentially a mix of education and the ultimate game of pretend. In my case, I reenact the American Civil War, but there are many, many eras other reenactors and living historians do from the medieval era to the Vietnam War. The difference between living history and reenacting is debatable. In my opinion, the difference lies in why and how you do it. A living historian is portraying life to an audience for an educational purpose. A reenactor is re-creating life during a particular time period for a variety of different reasons. Some are honoring a relative, some simply wish they were born in another time, others, still, enjoy the hobby the same way anyone enjoys a hobby: the activity is fun, your friends are involved, you’ve always been interested in it, etc.  Basically, a reenactor is involved for his or herself, where a living historian is involved for the benefit of the public. Again, this is my opinion of the difference.

Anyway, as I said I both reenact and interpret the American Civil War as a living historian.  When reenacting, I essentially live the same way as a woman from the 1860s. Granted, there weren’t many women in camps during the Civil War unless they were, uh, plying their trade, so my story has always been that I am the niece of one of the officers in my unit. Recently, I’ve taken up responsibility of camp cook. Still a little uncommon, but it DID occur, so it is acceptable.  I dress in all period correct clothing. This includes nineteenth century undergarments including corset, petticoats, pantaloons or drawers, chemise, and underskirts. Yes, it is hot.  As cook for the camp, I use cast iron pots and pans and cook over a fire.  Yes, that’s hot too.

Perhaps surprisingly, I do not sew…yet. It’s on that aforementioned wish list in my About Me. I can hand sew, this Christmas I made Teddy a housewife (or sewing kit) using an original for a model. I was so proud of it. Learning to use a machine is one of my goals to accomplish this year. I am fairly certain I could happily make period clothes for the rest of my life.

There is actually a great deal more to say about living history, but I don’t want to go off on tangents or rambling.  Are there any questions you have regarding living history/reenacting? Or is there anything I’ve mentioned and not explained thoroughly? Please let me know in the newly activated comments!