From the Archives: The Unsupervised Tailor's Apprentice & the Christmas Coat for a Cat, c. 1775

Susan reporting,

Most memoirs written by veterans of the Revolutionary War concentrate on glorious battles won, comrades lost, and patriotic fervor, and the memoirs of James Potter Collins (1763-1844) are no different. Born in Tryon County, NC, Collins enlisted in a local militia company at the age of seventeen, and saw action in several of the most important battles of the southern campaigns. But Collins's memoirs also include this entertaining anecdote from his days as a twelve-year-old tailor's apprentice with a bit too much unsupervised time.

"I had been at work about two months when Christmas came on – and here I must relate a little anecdote. The principal [the tailor] and his lady were invited to a party among their friends...while it devolved on me to stay at home and keep house. There was nothing left me in charge to do, only to take care of the house. There was a large cat that generally lay about the fire. In order to try my mechanical powers, I concluded to make a suit of clothing for puss, and for my purpose gathered some scraps of cloth that lay about the shop-board, and went to work as hard as I could. Late in the evening I got my suit of clothes finished; I caught the cat, put on the whole suit – coat, vest, and small-clothes [breeches] – buttoned all on tight, and set down my cat to inspect the fit. 

"Unfortunately for me there was a hole through the floor close to the fireplace, just large enough for the cat to pass down; after making some efforts to get rid of the clothes, and failing, pussy descended through the hole and disappeared; the floor was tight and the house underpinned with brick, so there was no chance of pursuit. I consoled myself with a hope that the cat would extricate itself from its incumbrance, but not so; night came and I had made on a good fire and seated myself for some two or three hours after dark, when who should make their appearance but my master and mistress and two young men, all in good humor, with two or three bottles of rum. After all were seated around the fire, who should appear amongst us but the cat in his uniform. I was struck speechless, the secret was out and had no chance of concealing; the cat was caught, the whole work inspected and the question asked, is this your day's work? I was obliged to answer in the affirmative; I would then have been willing to take a good whipping, and let it stop there, but no, to complete my mortification the clothes were carefully taken off the cat and hung up in the shop for the inspection of all customers that came in."

–– Autobiography of a Revolutionary Soldier, by James Potter Collins, published 1859

With his own master away from the shop for the holiday, Michael McCarty, above, a tailor's apprentice in the Historic Trades program, Colonial Williamsburg, was inspired to copy Collins' achievement, and make a miniature red hunting coat for his own cat. The coat was made to measure like every 18th c. gentleman's coat would have been, and cut and sewn entirely by hand of fine red woolen, trimmed in black with tiny covered buttons and gold-thread buttonholes. And just like young Collins' cat-coat, Michael's handiwork was on display in the shop window throughout the Christmas season, below left – although someday I'd really like to see it on the cat, too.

Update: I visited Colonial Williamsburg this past weekend, and although the tailors have now moved further down Duke of Gloucester Street to a new shop of their own, I'm happy to report that their holiday decorations still include the little red cat's coat, prominently pinned in the window.

Photographs copyright 2013 by Susan Holloway Scott. 

Day III: Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg, 2014

Isabella reporting,

Here are four more 18th c. houses from Colonial Williamsburg decorated for the holidays to wind up our seasonal visit.

Despite the rainy skies that are just about the same color as the clapboarding, the house, above, sports a, well, sporting theme, with the popular apples mixed with antlers from regional white-tail deer (male white-tailed deer grow new antlers each year, and shed the old ones.)

Unlike most of us who rely on the same holiday decorations from the attic every year, the ones in CW change each year. In 2011, this house has had its front door decked with a padded horse collar. In 2010, things were politically charged (in a 1776 way), and the holiday decor included George III hung in effigy plus a coiled rattlesnake warning visitors "Don't Tread on Me."

The wreath on the house, above left, could have been honoring a writer. The greenery features 18th c. style quill pens and rolled-up writing paper. Of course in a town that was at the heart of the American Revolution, those papers and pens would likely have been furiously writing pamphlets or declarations, not novels - but we can't help but dream.

The door, right, would have belonged to a merchant whose advertising sign was a unicorn's horn, proudly rising from the front of the house regardless of the season.  This wreath must be as fragrant as it is festive, with oranges and cinnamon sticks.

The last door, lower left, proves that simplicity can be prize-winning. This decoration includes two green apples, a red pomegranate, glossy magnolia leaves, and wispy ears of wheat, all symbols of prosperity and plenty for the coming year - which is what we wish for all of you in 2015, too. Happy new year!


Like to see more holiday decorations from Colonial Williamsburg? I've posted all the photos from previous year's blog posts on our Pinterest board here.

Day II: Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg, 2014

Isabella reporting,

While everyone hopes for a white Christmas (or at least a Camelot-version of a white Christmas, with snow appearing in the morning and disappearing by nightfall), this year in Colonial Williamsburg the temperatures did not cooperate. Christmas Eve was warm and rainy, a typical December day in Tidewater Virginia.

But while the rain didn't dampen holiday spirits, it did keep most visitors indoors, leaving these three 18th c. gentlemen, left, to carry on their conversation in peace in the middle of an empty Duke of Gloucester Street.

Here are two more decorated houses, both featuring apples. The doorway, right, also includes more local elements, including pinecones and the dried magnolia leaves. (As always, click on the images to enlarge them for detail.)

The wreath on the house, lower left, includes apples and red strawflowers, but there's another uniquely Virginian element as well. Those are the fossilized shells, Chesapecten jeffersonius, from the nearby James River. Chesapecten fossils were first noted by the 17th c. settlers at Jamestown, and officially given their scientific name in 1824 in honor of President Thomas Jefferson. Chesapecten fossils were also the first North American fossil to be depicted in a European scientific publication, Historiae Conchyliorum, published in 1687 by Martin Lister – all of which makes this a thoroughly historical Christmas decoration.

Day I: Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg, 2014

Isabella reporting,

We're easing back into blogging, and hope that your holidays have been fine and dandy and are not quite over.

As I do each year, I'll be sharing a few photographs of the houses and buildings in Colonial Williamsburg decked out for the season. The decorations all use greenery, fruits, shells, and other natural items that are indigenous to Virginia; no strands of multi-colored lights, giant inflatable snowmen, or grinning animated Santas are to be found here. (As always, please click on the photos to enlarge them for detail.)

The effect is charming and festive, if not historically accurate to colonial America. No 18th c. homeowner would ever waste a costly imported pineapple by sticking it on his front door, nor is there  any primary source documentation for seasonal decorations beyond green boughs and the occasional sprig of mistletoe.

The Della Robbia-inspired wreaths and swags are the product of the 1930s, when Colonial Williamsburg was still trying to balance its evolving mission as a museum devoted to 18th c. Virginia with the 20th c. Virginians who happened to be living in the town. The decorations featuring bright fruit and pine cones were a compromise, and also proved very popular with visiting guests. Over time this 1930s-style decor has become accepted as traditional – just not traditional to the 18th c.

But not all the seasonal finery was reserved for doorways. Our friends the mantua-makers in the Margaret Hunter milliner's shop (from left to right: Samantha, Abby, Rebecca, and Nicole), above, were wearing their favorite cottons and brightest silks in honor of the holiday. Look for more of their latest work in future blogs in the new year.

The Unsupervised Tailor's Apprentice & the Christmas Coat for a Cat, c. 1775

Isabella reporting,

Most memoirs written by veterans of the Revolutionary War concentrate on glorious battles won, comrades lost, and patriotic fervor. But the memoirs of James Potter Collins (1763-1844) also include this entertaining anecdote from his days as a twelve-year-old tailor's apprentice with a bit too much unsupervised time.

"I had been at work about two months when Christmas came on – and here I must relate a little anecdote. The principal [the tailor] and his lady were invited to a party among their friends...while it devolved on me to stay at home and keep house. There was nothing left me in charge to do, only to take care of the house. There was a large cat that generally lay about the fire. In order to try my mechanical powers, I concluded to make a suit of clothing for puss, and for my purpose gathered some scraps of cloth that lay about the shop-board, and went to work as hard as I could. Late in the evening I got my suit of clothes finished; I caught the cat, put on the whole suit – coat, vest, and small-clothes [breeches] – buttoned all on tight, and set down my cat to inspect the fit; unfortunately for me there was a hole through the floor close to the fireplace, just large enough for the cat to pass down; after making some efforts to get rid of the clothes, and failing, pussy descended through the hole and disappeared; the floor was tight and the house underpinned with brick, so there was no chance of pursuit. I consoled

myself with a hope that the cat would extricate itself from its incumbrance, but not so; night came and I had made on a good fire and seated myself for some two or three hours after dark, when who should make their appearance but my master and mistress and two young men, all in good humor, with two or three bottles of rum. After all were seated around the fire, who should appear amongst us but the cat in his uniform. I was struck speechless, the secret was out and had no chance of concealing; the cat was caught, the whole work inspected and the question asked, is this your day's work? I was obliged to answer in the affirmative; I would then have been willing to take a good whipping, and let it stop there, but no, to complete my mortification the clothes were carefully taken off the cat and hung up in the shop for the inspection of all customers that came in."

–– Autobiography of a Revolutionary Soldier, by James Potter Collins, published 1859

With his own master away from the shop for the holiday, Michael McCarty, above, a tailor's apprentice in the Historic Trades program, Colonial Williamsburg, was inspired to copy Collins' achievement, and make a miniature red hunting coat for his own cat. The coat was made to measure like every 18th c. gentleman's coat would have been, and cut and sewn entirely by hand of fine red woolen, trimmed in black with tiny covered buttons and gold-thread buttonholes. And just like young Collins' cat-coat, Michael's handiwork was on display in the shop window throughout the Christmas season, below left – although someday I'd really like to see it on the cat, too.

Photographs by Susan Holloway Scott. More photos on the Tailors Shop Facebook page here.

Day III: Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg, 2013

Isabella reporting,

Unlike many other holiday decorations in shopping malls, the traditionally-inspired decorations in Colonial Williamsburg are different every year. While the ingredients vary -- a holly wreath one December is replaced the next by strawflowers or oyster shells – the "themes" are often the same. The decorations on the historic trade shops usually reflect the trade inside, with locks of hair woven into the wreath on the wigmaker's shop, and miniature fashion-dolls on the one outside the shop occupied by the tailors and mantua-makers.

It's also interesting to see how the decorations on specific buildings change each year. Shown here is the Dr. Peter Hay house (which has a fascinating history of its own.) In 2010, the Christmas decor had a political tone – at least the politics of 1776 – complete with a "Don't Tread On Me" warning on the front door and a hanging effigy of George III.  In 2011, the decorations featured baskets, red and green apples, and a horse collar. This year the decorations have a decidedly sporting air, with horse shoes and deer antlers on the front door, left. The bay window, above, that once served as Dr. Hay's apothecary shop window is decorated with crossed wooden swords and stirrups holding apples.

Clearly I'm not the only one who's fascinated by this house's annual decorations, too. As you can see from the photographs, it almost always earns one of the decoration-contest blue ribbons.

Photographs by Susan Holloway Scott

Day II: Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg, 2013

Isabella reporting:

The holiday decorations of Colonial Williamsburg have always been popular with visitors. There are special walking tours to view the wreathes, and the gift shops offer books and videos to help recreate the "Williamsburg look" back home. An annual contest judges the most creative displays, with separate divisions for professional decorators/artists and amateurs, and winners proudly display their blue ribbons pinned beside their doors.

Materials are restricted to things that would have been found in 18th c. Virginia, which eliminates electric lights, anything plastic or super-sparkly, Santa Claus and Christmas trees. As these examples show, however, there's still plenty of objects that meet the criteria.  Tucked among the greenery, pinecones, and dried wildflowers are 18th c. style playing cards, a fiddle, clay pipes, flags, gentlemen's cocked hats and straw hats for ladies, fifes, and drums. (The modern plastic tankards beside the door, right, were temporarily left by visitors who weren't permitted to bring beverages inside the shop.)

While the decorations are indeed lovely, they're not accurate for 18th c. America. No colonial housewife would dream of sticking perfectly good (and expensive!) apples, oranges, and pineapples on her front door for the birds and squirrels to eat. Traditional decorations would have been a bit of greenery, and little else.

But when Colonial Williamsburg was still finding its focus in the 1930s, residents in the historic area were encouraged to decorate their houses with della Robbia-inspired wreathes of fruit instead of modern gaudy colored lights and reindeer. Visitors enjoyed the wreathes so much that they became a new tradition; they are historically inspired, just not inspired by the 1700s.

Photographs by Susan Holloway Scott.

Day I: Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg, 2013

Isabella reporting,

I'm fortunate to spend each Christmas with family in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. The restored area of 18th c. colonial homes and buildings is always decorated with festive interpretations of traditional decorations, and it's become a tradition here on the blog for me to share photographs of some of my favorites.

If you'd like to check out past years' images, see our Pinterest board here. 

Tidewater Virginia seldom has a white Christmas, and this year was no exception. While there was plenty of rain in the beginning of my visit, the wet weather was soon replaced with brilliant blue skies,left. Perfect weather for balancing on steps and leaning over railings to take pictures of wreaths!

Whenever I post photographs from Colonial Williamsburg, readers who have also visited wonder how I manage to show empty streets, especially during the holiday season. I promise there's no Photoshop trickery at work; I'm simply there very, very early in the day, when most visitors are still in the local pancake houses.

All photographs by Susan Holloway Scott.

Day V:Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg, 2012

Isabella reporting:

Before I wind up these posts from Colonial Williamsburg, I did want to mention the weather. While much of the country was suffering the effects of Winter Storm Freyr, Williamsburg's milder climate meant that the precipitation on the day after Christmas was heavy rain, not snow. But the temperatures did drop after that, and the addition of a blustery wind made for true winter weather, Virginia-style.

So how to dress for an 18th c. winter day? Georgian Virginians could have summed up their winter style in the same single word that their modern contemporaries do: layers. Quilted wool petticoats and waistcoats, thick stockings, scarves, mittens, caps, and mitts under heavy woolen cloaks were mandatory for those of every class who ventured out-of-doors, as interpreters Courtney Colligan and Amanda Davis demonstrate, right.

Yet even in a colonial city far from London, there were ladies who were as concerned about being fashionable as keeping warm. Although I didn't see our friends from the Margaret Hunter millinery shop outside during this visit, I found the photograph from an earlier Christmas season, left, of mantua-maker's apprentice Sarah Woodyard, ready to run an errand for her mistress. An 18th c. apprentice was a walking advertisement for her shop's wares, and Sarah's cloak is wool-lined silk, with a matching muff to keep her hands warm. (For more about her clothes, see the earlier post.)

A tailor's apprentice would also be expected to make a stylish figure when he left his shop. Michael McCarty, right, has been send out on his master's business, leather case in hand. He's chosen an uncocked, flat-brimmed hat and a neat, dark red woolen suit (waistcoat, breeches, and jacket.) His great coat of grey wool beaver may look familiar; we've seen it here before, worn by tailor Mark Hutter. (See here for more about the great coat.)

All photographs by Susan Holloway Scott.

Day IV: Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg, 2012

Isabella reporting:

Today's post will be something of a "wreath round-up", with a few of my favorites of this year's crop. The restrictions for the decorations in Colonial Williamsburg are succinct: no plastic or glitter, nothing electric, nothing modern (sorry, Santa and Snoopy.) Materials must be natural, with an emphasis on things native to Virginia and plenty of imagination. As always, please click on the images to enlarge them to see the details.

The large wreath hung on the railing, above, features one of the favorite wreath-making fruits - apples - but in three ways. Among the pine cones and greenery are not only small lady apples, but also pineapples and large green hedge-apples (which, at least in my part of Pennsylvania, are also inelegantly called monkey-brains by middle school kids.)

The house, above left, earns the title of the Apple House during the holiday season, because apples are always placed in the convenient little niches scattered through the brickwork. This year the house's decor also includes antique children's toys, with a wooden sled over the door and old-fashioned wooden tops hanging from the twin wreathes and over the door.

I wondered if the house with the colorful vertical garland, right, is owned by a cook or gourmet. Certainly all the foodstuffs hung in a row would please the palate as well as the eye, including sliced, dried oranges, pomegranates, artichokes, and cinnamon sticks.

Everyone does have their favorites, however, and it looks as if one of Colonial Williamsburg's favorite residents does, too, lower left. Sitting beneath the wreath of the Post Office is Shilling the head coachman-interpreter's cat, who is perhaps longing for a wreath decorated with catnip mice - all natural and indigenous, of course.

Photographs copyright 2012 by Susan Holloway Scott.

Day III: Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg, 2012

Isabella reporting:

No matter the season, my favorite time in Colonial Williamsburg is always early in the morning, when Duke of Gloucester Street, above, belongs more firmly to the past. Here, too, you can see how gracefully the holiday decorations blend in with the architecture. I know they're not historically accurate (as I explained yesterday) to 1775, but the effect is still charming.

I especially like the decorations on the historic trade shops that imaginatively incorporate aspects of each trade into the design. The wreath, above left, hangs beside the doorway of the Wig & Peruke-Maker's Shop. Woven into the boxwood greenery are not only pine cones and dried flowers, but also white 18th c.  clay hair curlers, switches of false hair, and dainty strands of pearl beads that might have ornamented a stylish lady's hair.

The tools and bench visible through the window of the Joiner's Shop, right, indicate the fine woodworking done within. The trade also inspired the holiday decor over the window, a festive swag fashioned of branches and curls of hardwood created by the joiner's box plane.

One of our favorite trade shops in Williamsburg is the Margaret Hunter millinery shop, and each year I look forward to seeing how their wreath highlights the fashionable hats, fans, and gowns offered within the shop. (Here's the wreath from last year as an example.) Alas, this year I missed out. While the 2012 wreath was indeed lovely – here it is on the shop's Facebook page – apparently some Scrooge of a thief stole it one night earlier in December. Bah, humbug!

But instead of ending on that sour note, here's the tableau, lower left, that's on display inside the shop every holiday season. It's an 18th c. milliner's shop in miniature, complete with hoops to caps to a gentleman's cocked hat. One doll "baby" tends the counter, while another is a mantua-maker, draping a new gown on a customer.

Photographs copyright Susan Holloway Scott, 2012.

Day II: Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg, 2012

Isabella reporting:

The beautiful holiday wreathes and other decorations are much of what makes Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg so popular. There are walking tours to view the decorated houses, books and videos showing how to replicate the "look" at home, and even a contest to select the best of each year, with categories to separate the professional decorators from ordinary homeowners.

The catch is, however, that none of the lavish wreaths and pineapples are historically accurate to 1775. No sane 18th c. homeowner would dream of sticking out-of-season fresh fruit up on his or her front door to be eaten by squirrels and birds; a bit of greenery would have been the extent of holiday decorating.

The Della Robbia-inspired wreaths are products of the 1930s, when Colonial Williamsburg was still trying to balance its evolving mission as a museum devoted to 18th c. Virginia with the 20th c. Virginians who happened to be living in the town. The decorations based on natural greenery and colorful fruits were a compromise to ward off plastic Santas and multi-colored lights, and over time the 1930s-style decor has become accepted as traditional. Which, I suppose, it is –– just not traditional to the 18th c.

Still, the wreaths are beautiful, and the use of ingredients native to Virginia is imaginative and inspiring. I'll be posting more over the next few days.

Photographs copyright Susan Holloway Scott, 2012.

Day I: Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg, 2012

Isabella reporting:

It's Christmas Week, and once again I'm fortunate to be spending it in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. I'll be sharing quick posts with plenty of pictures of the gorgeous seasonal wreaths and other decorations. No white Christmas here - just rain - but all is decked out for a warm welcome, from the grand gates to the Governor's Palace, above, to the more modest windows of shops and houses, left.

Photographs copyright 2012 Susan Holloway Scott.

Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg: My Favorite Wreaths

Susan reporting:

I hate to play favorites with the holiday decorations of Colonial Williamsburg, and I'd never want to be one of the judges in the annual competition – but these three always made me slow and smile whenever I passed by them. (As always, please click on the photographs to enlarge them for details.)

The large wreath, above, featured nontraditional Christmas colors, but I like the those shades of orange against the grey clapboarding. Pomegranates, pine cones, sprays of bittersweet, and papery orange Chinese lanterns – simple but striking.

The wreaths, right,  are shamelessly political with their miniature 18th c. flags tucked into the greenery – even if those yellow Gadsen flags make for a "Don't-Tread-On-Me" Christmas.

The last wreaths, left, also demonstrate a beautiful play of colors with the dried flowers, cotton bolls, and greenery against the dark ochre paint.

Hope all of you had a wonderful holiday, and very best wishes for a splendid 2012!

All photographs copyright 2011 Susan Holloway Scott.

Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg: Unexpected Wreaths

Susan reporting:

With dozens of houses, shops, stables, and other buildings in Colonial Williamsburg decorated festively for the holiday season, there's no shortage of unusual wreaths. Everything used must have been available to 18th c Virginians, but there's clearly no limit on imagination. Here are four houses decked out with special flair; please click on the photographs to enlarge them for details.

At first glance, the dignified house, above, seems to traditionally decorated with pine cones and boughs. But look closer: there are also bright green Granny Smith apples as well as various dried grasses and seed pods. My favorite part: the vertical garlands flanking the door are topped with fans of wild turkey feathers.

More wild ingredients appear in the wreath, above left. Punctuating the greenery are branches with red berries and pheasant feathers. The puffs of white are cotton bolls, and nestled in the center of the wreath is a crown of deer antlers.

Not found in nature (at least not together): the wreath, right, featuring purple-tinged clam shells filled with dried pink strawflowers. The leafy green buds surrounding the shells are brewer's hops.

The final house/shop, lower left, is one that clearly inspires its decorators: the lattice-work signboard that's holding red and green apples served as a makeshift gallows for hanging a royal effigy in 2010.

This year's theme is less political and more equine. A padded horse-collar serves as a frame for a basket of dried flowers and grasses, while on the window shutters, long stirrups hold more apples.

(Curious about the curious sign board? I was, too - and here's the explanation from Colonial Williamsburg.)

Photographs copyright 2011 Susan Holloway Scott

Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg: White Silk & Fashionable Dolls at the Milliner's Shop

Susan reporting:

Because the Margaret Hunter Millinery Shop is one of the TNHG's favorite places in Colonial Williamsburg, I HAVE to include them in our holiday tour. The shop presents several different historic trades of the 18th c under its roof: the milliner, who sold many small imported and locally made goods (think of a modern store specializing in accessories); the tailor, who custom-made men's clothing; and the mantua-maker, who custom-made women's clothing. (Check out their Facebook page here.)

The shop's outdoor holiday wreath, left, reflects their trades. In addition to three modern-style cloth dolls, there are smaller versions of the shop's wares pinned to the wreath, including tiny pockets, muffs, and hats. (Click on the photo to enlarge and see the details.) For comparison, here's the shop's wreath from 2010, decorated with 18th c style fabrics.

Inside the shop is another holiday tradition. Each year a miniature version of the shop, right, complete to the smallest detail, is set up in one of the corner display cupboards. Replicas of 18th c fashion dolls that would have once worn samples of the latest styles now inhabit the shop. This year one of them has stopped by the shop for a new gown, and is standing in her stays and petticoat while the mantua-maker drapes and pins the gown on her (wooden) body. Click here for more about the mantua-maker's dolls.

But the doll isn't the only one with a new gown for the holidays. When Emma, right, one of the mantua-maker's assistants, learned that she was scheduled to work on Christmas, she decided to make herself a new jacket and petticoat of white silk in honor of the day. I saw her gathering and stitching the ruffled trim in the shop on Christmas Eve, working under deadline like a true 18th c seamstress would have done. And like her 18th c counterpart, she finished on time, too – here she is on Christmas Day!

All photographs copyright 2011 Susan Holloway Scott.