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"Dressing in the 17th Century," a talk on colonial clothing with researcher and blog writer Tara Mancini

  • Deyo Hall 6 Broadhead Avenue New Paltz, NY, 12561 United States (map)

Researcher and writer Tara Mancini of Calicos, Camelots and Swords will dive into the wardrobes and hampers of some of our earliest settlers, including the farmer Jan Gerritsen and Goertje Huybertse in 1664, and the Dutch doctor Gysbert van Imbroch and his French wife Rachel Monger de la Montagne in 1665. Mancini explains why Icelandic, Flemish, and Native American stockings were used and why the textiles serge and laken were all-important. She'll also get to describe the Dutch “vlieger,” the fabulous “tabaard” gown, and a surprise garment from the far East that was popular with both the Dutch and French. Mancini uses primary sources from personal probate inventories to bills of lading and even shop and store inventories to uncover how the people of the Hudson Valley dressed from the 1630s to 1700. 

In Mancini’s own words: "I was once told that all colonists dressed, ate, and did things in the English fashion. Living in Buffalo with annual trips to the Hudson Valley, I started on quest to understand if the primary sources backed up this claim when applied to New York. It turned into a specialized study of records and documents including bills of lading, probate, ship, store, and shop inventories. The end result was a database with over a 120 inventories specific to the Province of New York and New Netherland 1630s-1760s with supplemental info from court and journal records.”


General admission $10 

Discounted Tickets for HHS members, seniors, students, active military members, and veterans

Please note that all ticket sales are final and non-refundable.

Sponsored by Ulster Savings Bank.