Navigating New England Fashion & Politics During the Revolutionary Era

Join the Bidwell House Museum for their first history lecture of the 2023 season with University of New Hampshire Faculty Member Dr. Kimberly Alexander. In this talk, Professor Alexander will trace patterns of global production and local consumption and reuse, demonstrating how New Englanders used fashion to establish their social and economic positions, and as an expression of their political affiliations. Extant examples of clothing of patriots and loyalists such as Hancocks, Adamses, Dawses, and Olivers make an appearance in this richly illustrated PowerPoint presentation. Creating a context for the clothing, we will look at receipts, daybooks, account books, diaries which further amplify the historical insights.

Dr. Kimberly Alexander is on the faculty of the History Department at the University of New Hampshire, where she is Director of Museum Studies and Lecturer. She has held curatorial positions at several New England Museums, including the MIT Museum, the Peabody Essex Museum and Strawbery Banke. Her most recent books are Treasures Afoot: Shoe Stories from the Georgian Era (2018, Johns Hopkins University Press) and Fashioning the New England Family (2021, Massachusetts Historical Society).

This lecture will be held on Zoom. Attendees will receive an email 1-2 days in advance of the talk with the link to access the Zoom presentation.