York town, including liberty fever,. She developed exhibitions for your, town and jamestown, including ken asieh women, which i highly encourage you to go see before it closes in january. Also, forgotten soldiers, African Americans in the revolutionary war. Open until march 22nd, 2020. She will present a tailormade revolution. Please welcome kate grubber. Good afternoon. You have to get through me before you can get too happy hour, so i promise i will make it happen quickly. Mark twain said it best, as he usually does. Close make the man. Naked people have little to no influence on society. All right. But mark twain also said, the more i learn about people, the more i like my dog. So maybe, we shouldnt exactly take his word for it. Also, he addressed like this. laughs so why dont we go to the british author, robert campbell, who wrote and 1740, seven no man is ignorant that it taylor is the one who makes our clothes, to sum he not only makes their dress, but in some measure, maybe said to make themselves. So, yes in short, clothes make the man. In the 18th century, people really had a relationship with their clothing, a relationship or at least a knowledge of the trades, men women, merchants, seamstresses, in slaved africans, and others who had a role in producing clothing. This is very true for alexandria, virginia, on the eve of the revolution. The residents of 18th century alexandria were part of a world that adhered to strict social hierarchies, and clothing and textile consumption presented a very unique dichotomy. It was based on choice and the nature of trade. I want to take you on a journey through 18th century alexandria, a city on the eve of revolution. Our time machine is the only known surviving account book from a virginia taylor in the colonial and prerevolutionary period. Can everyone hear me okay . I will try better. Utilizing this account book as a guide, my goal this afternoon is to give you just a glimpse of prerevolutionary alexandria through the lens of how its residents acquired clothing. And importantly, the lives they lived in their clothing. Hopefully, what will emerge as a more complete picture of a city on the eve of revolution, and how the simple every day active dressing had revolutionary consequences, or at the very least, eliminates with some of Alexandria Society wore to the revolution. Lets get started right away. William lived in alexandria from 1763 to 1782, as the only known surviving account book from a virginia taylor from this colonial, period his record offers a rare and unique insight into the world of consumerism and material culture. Its a world in which alexandria is like the rest of colonial virginia are really deeply entrenched. Provides the name of 103 customers that he measured unfit for clothing in his shop. Garlands tailoring business flourished in alexandria shortly after its founding and 1749, when the virginia meeting at the college of william and mary and williamsburg propose, that thank, you yes, i invite Public Participation in this presentation so anytime, just go for it. Thank you. The house of burj us is proposed an act for erecting a town at Huntington Creek in the county of fairfax. You realize i am literally preaching to the choir here. You know the history of this town. Alexandria thrived on imports and exports. Prominent planters exported hogshead, tobacco, a lot of tobacco, and wheat of course, across the atlantic in exchange for other goods like rum, sugar, and fashionable luxuries. We have also heard about factories operating stores and warehouses for scottish and english merchants to imported those goods across the atlantic. Eventually, all those goods made their way right here to alexandria. By 1776, the city had a population of just under 2000 inhabitants. That population would grow to about 5000 by 1800. The residents of alexandria than were shipbuilders, carpenters, merchants, silversmith, blacksmith, jen tree planters and enslaved African Americans. Tavern keepers and white indentured servants also found themselves here. Many of the inhabitants were immigrants from england and scotland and one was a taylor named william karlan. We dont have a portrait of william karlyn. In my mind, this is how i imagine him. laughs i am going to let that sink in for a moment. Sort of middle aged, short, maybe a round figure, working on a bald spot or a receding hairline from excessive worrying that his seems werent quite right. Given the move towards handmade goods and things sourced from local materials and now of course i realize that car than was roughly the same age is i am now. I picture him a bit more like this. Okay. laughs to be fair, how about that . Unfortunately, i havent been able to uncover too much about karlyns life before he began to council here. According to Family History, he was born in 1732 near a place called pale a bridge in england. He then lived in london before emigrating to virginia. I dont know yet whether he completed his apprenticeship as a tailor in england or virginia. Probably in england, but he was 31 years old when he made his first account book and 1763. By then, alexandria was a power base for emerging jan trees who owned vast plantations on the cities periphery, including influential planters like George Washington and george mason who lived within a few miles of the city center. Scottish an english merchants set up shop in alexandria. They made the most of the citys population and karlan is a part of that. A Family History states that his shop was located on the corner of king and royal street. Guess what . You get to walk right by it when you go to happy hour. There is a handy little directional map for you. Yes what guys . You get to walk right by it. Heres a handy little directional map for you. Spend some time last night. Conveniently located next to a subway. I told my husband that is why he was so young. He was on the jarrett diet. Anyway you can see the shop was prominently located in the citys developing downtown. It must have been a visible feature on the landscape. You really did not have to travel too far to visit the shop from the places where they themselves worked or lived. Of the customers where ive identified where they live, it is a lot, no one was actually more than one mile away from the tailor shop. That includes george mason who owned a town house about 100 feet from the shop, and George Washingtons town house was less than half a mile away. I guess that is north, and not on the map. Merchants and treatment were crucial links to jim tree planters in washington. They really needed these luxury items. Silks, linens, pulls, cottons. It would provide props of social performance of dominance. As a taylor karlan supplied the man of alexandria with many of these props that they needed to perform this act. The account book actually reveals that the customers who patronized the shop was were reflection of the cities demographics as a whole, which is really fascinating and i will get into that a little bit later, but before we can fully comprehend, we need to talk a little bit about the relationship of the taylor to his clientele in the form of the applicant in art and ministry of the taylors trade. We talked a lot about George Washington today. When he ordered suits and delivery from his london taylor, he included the language, the suits must be taken my measures taken of men as nearest to their side so you can judge. The service of these deliveries were intended for five feet nine inches and five foot four height and proportionately made. These are simple instructions that were essential communications to a tailor. If you are expecting him to construct a handson fitted garman. Its important to remember here that until the very recent past, closure clothing was not a luxury item like we associate it so shaded today. It was just clothing construction. In the mid 19th century, hand sewn remained the standard mode of production for any garment, whether it is where was an artisan or enslaved. Men and women in the 18th century who are familiar with the needle and thread and they could probably make some simple repairs, maybe some Household Items and linens as well, but fuller garments required the knowledge and skills of men and women who learned their trade through a partnership with the master tailor. Article such as breaches, coats, waistcoats, they fit closely in precisely to the body. It required the skills of a tailored to construct. At taylor skill lay in his ability to fit, measure, or cut garments for a man. This is just men here, actually. I want to make a quick point. Im talking about men being customers, because womens garment construction was completely different. Ill talked about that at the queue in a. These are just men and mens garment here. With some exceptions. Its 18th century corset. Hello because most colonists lack the ability to construct their own clothing, somewhere along the line they really needed to utilize the school of taylor at some point. Even the Virginia Company included a tailor and 16 oh seven. They actually send six more tailors to the colony and 16 away, making tailors one of the most represented trade in colonial virginia, second only to carpenters in the early years of the colony. If you know anything about what happened to the Virginia Company, the fact that there are predominant, preoccupation was what we need more taylors, that says a lot. They are not eating but got a look good. That trend holds out throughout the 18th century. The virginia gives that, taylors advertisements make up 6 of total tradesmens advertisements from copies of the gazette from 1736 to 1780. Only a third behind tutors and doctors. And alexandria were karlyn is of course, a distribution of the cities occupation began from 1764 to 1800, reveals that 20 of local artisans were involved and clothing crafts. Just like 17th century jamestown, its second to those in the construction trade. This is an important part of our everyday life in the society. In this overwhelming number of tailors on the landscape speaks to the necessity in a society where individuals did not routinely make their own clothing. Why were tailors and their skills so important to communities like alexandria . According to one 18th century source, a tailored must be skillful enough to quote, be still a good shapewear nature has not designed it. To accomplish this, a tailor needed to take systematic measurements across a mans body. Very detailed measurements, so male hat at may i have a volunteer who knows french. I need somebody. Thank you. I do not want to butcher this on cspan. Please, if you could read the title of this book for me, please. The art of the tailored descriptions of arts and skills. Thank you very much. applause you see why did not want to tackle that . I took latin, and its useless. Thank you for saving me from that embarrassment. This is the 1769 treaty on the art of tailoring. A chronicles 20 different measurements needed on a mans body in order to construct a well fitted and well cut suit. The author has written in english, thankfully. A tailor must take the measurements of the person for whom the clothes are going to be made. A strip of paper, one inch wide of the opposite length is used. It is called a measure. It is placed on the body wherever the sizes require and each measurement is marked on the measure by a snip of the scissors. Hes careful measurements ensured that the finished garment would fit the customer properly and the weight garments fit a mans body was really as important as the fabric choice. George washingtons relationship with clothing provides a really fun lens to explore the importance of cut and fit even further. When washington sent orders for close to london taylors, he consistently noted his size and lanky stature. He was the tallest. He knew that these details were necessary in the construction of fitted clothing. In order for a suit, washington wrote to Charles Lawrence. Let it be fit in other respects for a man full six feet high and a proportionately made. Further correspondents from washington to his london factors reveals that washington was just not satisfied with the quality of the garments that he received from his london taylor. I have hitherto had my clothes made by one Charles Lawrence, an old fish street. Whether it is the fault of the taylor or of the measures sent, i cannot say but certain, it is my clothes have never fit me very well. To eradicate his own frustrations with fitted garments that he was receiving from london, washington turns to karlyn. He brought to karlyn shop coats that needed to be mending. Suits that needed altering. Washington he could widen the breath of coats. He could restore an appropriate shape to the tall and proportionately made gentlemen. Karlyn charged washington to myself, one day altering your close to altering your breaches to altering your gray coats, so on and so on. As a gentleman in a prominent city, excuse me. Im so sorry. Keep looking at washington for a while. George washingtons really at the top of alexandrias social ladder. He did warn that, he warned his friends that fine clothes he really knew as his ali contemporaries how to dress the part. Weve already seen that washington turned to karlyn to fix the mistake of london taylors, but he also came to a local tailored for making new clothes themselves. Washington ordered a variety of garments from karlyn including coats, waistcoats, leggings and even more formal attire. Breaches however, should be noted, where the most common garment that karlyn made for George Washington. Though he continued to play place orders for suits and coats her miss taylor in london, it seems washington may have given up on Charles Lawrence is ability to accurately judge the height and breadth of his client for the purpose of making comfortable and satisfactory breaches. By june of 1768, washington wrote to lawrence, i think that you have generally sent my close to short and sometimes too tight, for which reasons i think it is necessary to mention that i am full six feet high. I love how he just blames it on everybody else. Again, carlon in alexandrias complex and visible social order. Revered and respected within the region, washingtons case his tastes really set the bar for the remainder of society who were seeking to emulate fashionable dress for each entry. So far we have explored washingtons account with karlyn, but artisans, merchants and enslaved man also passed through the doors of carla taylors shot. It showed that it can uphold so social hierarchies an inequalities the taylor space itself and sure that even for a brief moment, social mixing could be explored and experienced in this prerevolutionary space which was quite rare at the time. Additionally, the very act of being measured and fit for clothing was something that nearly all members of the social strata could experience in the 18 century virginia. We are going to bid washington and edgier. We are going to explore some of the other 130 members of alexandrias community. Accounted for over 2000 transactions in that surviving account book. The karlyn constructed garments for washington and george mason and the fairfax family. At least 38 members of alexandrias merchant class sought his talents as well. Among the men in this category is james kirk, hopefully someone that you have heard of. He is noted for hosting the prudish, nicholas crystal when he seated in alexandria and 1774. John carlile, a highprofile merchant, a frequent customer. In addition to the chancery of merchant alexandria, he had a working relationship with the artisans and tradesmen as well. It represents a white Cross Section of the man who worked with their hands in dirty shops, at smoke and soot field blacksmith. Shipbuilder thomas fleming. Silversmith, charles turner. In all, he produced close for architects to blacksmith, when builder, to coopers, one hatter, to ship, one silversmith, no partridge is no pear trees. He produced 205 garments for alexandrias artisans, including 38 waistcoats, 36 coats and 17 suits with fabric choices that range from a velvet suit for hatter jonathan butcher, to a country suit for silversmith charles turner. Making breaches, drab suits in between. Karlyn also served a other equally visible yet marginal members of Alexandria Society. The plantations and home of planters and in the workshops of the cities artisans in taverns as well. Carlon made clothing for princesses and some of alexandrias artisans as well. Alexandria made provisions for the clothing of their premises and the accounts when they come to carlon themselves. They would later try to in addition to the premises alexandrias free citizens also utilized a workforce of both white servants and enslaved African Americans and many customers in carlons have not been identified. That is because at this time, alexandria really relied heavily on white servitude. It is many of these unidentified individuals who were members of the social class alexandria. Just one example, robert adam, he may things for himself and at least 12 other individuals that are only identified by their first names. It is possible that some of them were enslaved or otherwise somehow part of adams working household. Further to this point, carlons accounts provide an interesting view of how alexandra alexandrias delivery accounts for over 50 of the clothing that carlon produced for enslaved men, the taylor constructed garments for members of the enslaved Community Working for and owned by alexandrias interesting, lee clothing makes specifically for the enslaved members of alexandrias community account for over 10 of the total transactions in the account because of all. 37 of karlans customers also purchased clothing for enslaved men at the same time they purchase clothing for themselves. I should mention to that i am a quantitative historian, and i do not think concluded that in my biography. Really sorry about that. I think that is the most matthew will hear today. But the types of clothing that karlyn produce for these men is typical of what they would receive from this taylor. All carlon produced is 90 coats, 39 suits, seven great coats and 14 frocks for enslaved men owned by other alexandria citizens. I would like to do a bit of further into the clothing that carlon made for these and slave members of Alexandria Society. We know precious little about this very prominent and visible part of the citys population. Through his account book, we gain so much more insight into the material on the eve of revolution. His a