Teaching about the 18th Century

I may not have a cool 18th century riding habit (yet) but I do have my own 18th century period clothing. When my children were younger, I sewed and sold period clothing to re-enactors. It was always fun to go to The Feast or other events and see someone wearing something I had made.

Friday my daughter Lisa, asked me to come speak to her class about The Feast of the Hunters' Moon as she was taking her students there on a field trip. I dug out my period clothing and a few other items and spent an enjoyable afternoon back in the classroom and teaching again.

I had to go early in my street clothes while her students were at lunch because those stays (a forerunner of the corset) need to be laced up in the back and I cannot do that without help.

 I was so happy to be back in the classroom; I may be retired from teaching, but I still love being with children and sharing information with them.

My favorite part was explaining the reason why people, especially women, from the 18th century wanted to look heavier than they actually were. The students had some great ideas as to why that was the case, and one girl actually got the answer right.

Being heavy communicated to other people that you were wealthy and could afford more food than most.

 So, women would wear an undergarment called "panniers" that would make their hips look wider especially if they were single or widowed and looking for a husband.

The kids thought that that was pretty funny and had a lot of questions. I slipped out for a moment and slipped my panniers out from under my skirts so that I could show them what they looked like.

 This boy volunteered to try them on.

He was a very good sport and took a walk around his classmates so that they could see them.

Remember my sister, Leslie, and her love of Hershey Bars?

When this girl tried on my panniers, I shared with her the story of my sister and the chocolate. Leslie stashes the candy either in her panniers or in another tie-on garment called a "pocket." (The forerunner of the pockets which are now sewn into our clothing.)

I told her to watch out for Leslie when she went on the field trip and to ask her if she might have some chocolate stashed away.

Then, she and I did a tongue-in-cheek practice on how to approach Leslie to see if she might share that chocolate.  

Lisa had a fun surprise -  the joke was on me! (She knows her Aunt Leslie well!)

 I passed around my hen basket for the kids to examine

and taught them a little bit of fan language at the end of the presentation. And then it was time for me to wrap up and head home. 

Such a fun afternoon being with kids and teaching a subject that I enjoy. And I really do think that I am going to make myself a riding habit for next year when Lisa will invite me back again to teach living history.

She Wears 18th Century Riding Habits

Tippecanoe County, where I live, is chock full of early American history, from the Battle of Tippecanoe in the early 19th century, to Fort Ouiatenon, a 1717 French fort that was located on the Wabash River when this part of Indiana was just a wilderness.

Every year a celebration of life at the fort and the peoples who passed through it (Native Americans, the British, French, and Scottish, French voyageurs, fur trappers, and settlers) is held. Called The Feast of the Hunters Moon, life at the fort in the early 18th century is re-enacted for two days every October on the grounds of Fort Ouiatenon. 

 My horse-loving sister, Leslie, is the director of the event.

Leslie has been horsey all her life, just like me. This is Leslie on my first horse, Amy (Abby's virtual twin), in 1973.

 And this is Les on her first horse, Pokey, in 1971.

Participants in The Feast of the Hunters' Moon are expected to dress in period clothing and so, as a nod to her own horsey-ness, Leslie always wears an 18th century riding habit.

Leslie being escorted by her husband, Rick, as they lead the procession of re-enactors to the blockhouse of the fort for opening ceremonies of the event.

I have no idea how many of these habits she has, but I drool over them and love looking at photos of them. (See the riding crop in her hand?)

All that gold braid had to be sewn on by hand. I can only imagine how much work that was.

Leslie's 18th century riding habits are stunning.

 Here's a good photo of the blockhouse with Leslie and Rick standing in front of it.

Can you see the stock at her neck? The stock originally was a functional piece of riding clothes and would be used as bandages for injuries.

In her role as Feast director, Leslie gets to wander around the grounds of Fort Ouiatenon for two days in her gorgeous riding habits. (And really, she doesn't wander; there's a walkie talkie in her pocket and she is constantly checking to be sure everything is on schedule and flowing smoothly. If a problem crops up, she has to fix it.)

Know what else is in her pocket? 

Really! Hershey Bars are her stress reliever, and even though they had not been invented in 1717, she can break off a piece and pop it into her mouth without anybody knowing! I like to tease her about that.

French voyageurs and a Catholic priest coming down the Wabash River to trade furs and goods with those who are at Fort Ouiatenon.

Another group of traders approaches from downriver. (I love this photo because you can see so much of the river.)

 Native Americans.

 Three different military groups during the opening ceremonies.

Guess who is toying with the idea of making herself a riding habit for next year?

Trivia Game Answers

Here are the answers to the trivia game. How did you do? The high scorer at Nancy's had 20 points without using her phone or other resources to get the answers.

Vintage Trivia 

1. What does SASE stand for? Self addressed stamped envelope

2. What was the address of the Breyer Molding Company in 1969? 222 S. Maplewood Avenue, Chicago, IL

3. In what year did Hagen Renaker begin producing models? 1945

4. The Old Mold Proud Arabian mare is a copy of which Hagen Renaker model? Large Zara

5. Who sculpted that piece? Maureen Love

6. What is the original name of the Hagen Renaker Dead Bird? Martini Drinker

7. Where did Hartland Horses start manufacturing horses? Hartland, WI

8. Who wrote the Model Horse Showers Journal, or MHSJ? Linda Walter

9. How was the MHSJ printed? On carbon paper, retyped as necessary

10. Which hotel (brand and city) hosted the early Model Horse Congress shows? Holiday Inn/Mt. Prospect

11. Which collector traveled with Nancy (Mongan) Falzone to those early Model Horse Congress shows? Marlene Kosanke

12. What is Nancy Falzone's maiden name? Snodgrass

13. Who are Faith, Hope, and Charity? The factory names for the first Breyer palomino Family Arabian Stallion, Mare, and Foal

14. What do the initials JO stand for? Joseph Original

15. What was Peter Stone's father's first name? Sam

16. Who was the elder Mr. Stone's business partner? Mr. Schiff

17. Who founded Hagen Renaker? John and Maxine Renaker

18. Hartland is also known for making _____________________________? Baseball players, cowboys and Indians, and religious figures all count

19. Hagen Renaker is located in what state? California

20. How did early hobbyists communicate? By mail. Long distance telephone charges were expensive

21. Early model horse shows were held by _________________________? Mailing photos to the show holder for judging

22. Take a guess... how much did a first class stamp cost in 1969? Six cents

23. In the 1970s, Hagen Renaker sent a large number of bisques to Breyer for consideration. Breyer stored these bisques in the factory until the factory was sold in the mid-1980s. What type of room did Breyer use to store these items? The executive bathroom

Bonus: Provide the maker and mold of Poco's Bucketsful of Trouble. Who owned that horse? Buckskin Hagen Renaker Maverick owned by Marney Walerius

Bonus: Provide the maker and mold of The Blimp. Who owned that horse? Breyer Appaloosa Performance Horse repainted in green/yellow Appaloosa owned by Liz Cory

Nancy Falzone's Gathering - the Trivia Game

Liz Cory wrote the trivia game that we played at Nancy's get together and has graciously allowed me to share it here. See how many can you get right without looking the answers up or asking a friend for help. Answers will be posted tomorrow!

Vintage Trivia 

1. What does SASE stand for?

2. What was the address of the Breyer Molding Company in 1969?

3. In what year did Hagen Renaker begin producing models?

4. The Old Mold Proud Arabian mare is a copy of which Hagen Renaker model?

5. Who sculpted that piece?

6. What is the original name of the Hagen Renaker Dead Bird?

7. Where did Hartland Horses start manufacturing horses?

8. Who wrote the Model Horse Showers Journal, or MHSJ?

9. How was the MHSJ printed?

10. Which hotel (brand and city) hosted the early Model Horse Congress shows?

11. Which collector traveled with Nancy (Mongan) Falzone to those early Model Horse Congress shows?

12. What is Nancy Falzone's maiden name?

13. Who are Faith, Hope, and Charity?

14. What do the initials JO stand for?

15. What was Peter Stone's father's first name?

16. Who was the elder Mr. Stone's business partner?

17. Who founded Hagen Renaker?

18. Hartland is also known for making _____________________________?

19. Hagen Renaker is located in what state?

20. How did early hobbyists communicate?

21. Early model horse shows were held by _________________________?

22. Take a guess... how much did a first class stamp cost in 1969?

23. In the 1970s, Hagen Renaker sent a large number of bisques to Breyer for consideration. Breyer stored these bisques in the factory until the factory was sold in the mid-1980s. What type of room did Breyer use to store these items?

Bonus: Provide the maker and mold of Poco's Bucketsful of Trouble. Who owned that horse?

Bonus: Provide the maker and mold of The Blimp. Who owned that horse?

Nancy Falzone's Gathering - Some of Her Collection

As you can tell from the previous blog entries, there are horses absolutely everywhere in Nancy's home. Any way you turn or go in the home, Nancy's love of horses is evident.

While I was busy taking down notes and talking to people about their personal hobby history, I did slip away a time or two and take photos of some of Nancy's collection.

Wide shelves encircle her basement family room and the minis displayed on them seem to go on forever. 

Pieces are loosely grouped (birds, wildlife, Little Horribles, etc.) in the display but other pieces are mixed in, too.

I did not ask Nancy how she grouped things in her china cabinets. Some appeared more randomly placed than others.

 An entire curio of Hagen Renaker dogs - look at the Collies on the top shelf!

 This cabinet was upstairs in the family room.

I took a close up of the Sherif in this cabinet because that is my favorite Hagen Renaker. (Nancy had other Sherifs displayed around her home, too.)

 THREE Natafs and a Modern Horse (top shelf)!

Nine Bennys! 

I wish now that I had had time to photograph every cabinet that she had. I'll try to do that the next time I am over there.

Tomorrow's blog entry - Liz Cory shares her model horse trivia quiz with us! 

Nancy Falzone's Gathering - Some of the Activities

While the purpose of Nancy's get together was to allow us to share stories from the earliest days of the hobby, she also wanted to do a few other things as well. We spent the first hour arriving, greeting, selling, buying, and swapping, and then we gathered in Nancy's front room for an early hobby trivia game that Liz Cory had written.

Nancy Kelly, Michelle Oviatt, Donna Connors, Yvonne Rott, Nancy Falzone, and Jeanne McCall's husband (whose name escapes me) all working on their answers.

 Linda Shawhan, Brenda Metcalf, Jamie Rott, and Alicia Strayer-Mangan. The tables in the middle of the room became covered with old binders and hobby ephemera as the day rolled on and we shared what we had brought.

Dawn Sinkovich smiles as Liz shares some of the answers - the questions were tough and covered Breyer, Hagen Renaker, Hartland, and Japan chinas. Then we went around the circle and shared about how we found the hobby.

Lunch was a potluck - I loved the horsey bowl of Nancy's that held the macaroni salad! And Yvonne Rott makes the BEST deviled eggs ever! (Photo by Nancy Kelly.)

 Nancy had had a cake made for the gathering.

As you might imagine, I loved the circus pony theme. Nancy told me that they are a vintage set from her boys' childhood and that there are seals, clowns, and other pieces to it.

  After lunch, Nancy asked that Liz and Jamie draw for door prizes. (Photo by Nancy Kelly.)

There were so many offerings to choose from, and enough to go three rounds! (Photo by Nancy Kelly.) I got the three sparkly blue unicorn ornaments (for my Pony Pal grandchildren, of course) and the flat victorian horse ornament in the middle right on top of the board game.

Next up was judging the display of our earliest show models.  Nancy had asked that we all bring our first show model and had had us set them out on a table with cups for voting next to each model.

You can see some of them in this photo on the left next to Beth Peart Weeks. (You can also see some of those binders I'd mentioned on the glass topped table.)

I'd brought Pace's Hi Hopes, one of his old show photos, and some examples of early show awards from the 1970s that he had won.

Everyone had a chip that they could use to vote on the model they felt was the best early show model.

Michelle Oviatt and Nancy voting for their choices as to the winner.  (Photo by Nancy Kelly.)

Donna Connors' lovely horse was the voters' choice. (Photo by Nancy Kelly.)

I was thrilled that Pace's Hi Hopes tied for second! (Photo by Nancy Kelly.)

The last activity of the day was for people to share their stories about hobby history. 

Alicia Strayer-Mangan, Jeanne McCall, Michelle Oviatte, Nancy Falzone, Jeanne's husband, Dawn Sincovich, Liz Cory, and me, recorder in hand. (Photo by Nancy Kelly.)

Nancy Kelly was behind the camera so much, I made sure that she got into a photo herself. (Thanks for all the photos you have shared with me, Nancy!)

Tomorrow's blog - some photos of Nancy's cabinets and curios.

Nancy Falzone's Gathering - A Group Shot and Some Artwork

Right after lunch, the entire Mares and Tales group gathered for a group shot. Participants came from seven states and two countries! (Photo credit to Nancy Kelly.)

Back row: Linda Shawhan (Illinois), Alicia Strayer-Mangan (Michigan), Jamie Rott (Illinois), Brenda Metcalf (Iowa), Liz LaRose (Illinois), and Yvonne Rott (Wisconsin)

Middle row: Lynn Isenbarger (Indiana), Jeanne McCall (Iowa), Nancy Falzone (Illinois), Michelle Oviatt (Illinois), Ardeth Hillyer (Illinois), and Nancy Kelly (Michigan)

Front row: Liz Cory (Illinois), Kathy Wells (New York), Sheryl Leisure (Indiana), Dawn Sinkovich (Michigan), Beth Peart Weeks (Canada), and Donna Connors (Illinois)

Nancy and me.

Nancy has horses everywhere in her home. Look at the lamp topper behind us - recognize it? It's the Hagen Renaker Stablemate sized Clydesdale. You can see a cabinet full of chinas behind us, and a framed portrait of a horse on the pony wall.

 Going down her basement stairs you were welcomed by a beautiful horsey rug.

 The circus pony lover in me absolutely loved this framed print.

This reminded me of myself with Abby, although I don't wear a fancy dress and hat to visit her. We do have a similar paddock fence, though!

I lost track of how many of these wall plaques Nancy has displayed around her home. They are so beautiful.

Tomorrow's blog post will be photos of some of the activities from the Mares and Tales gathering. (Nancy kept us busy!)