Costume College 2015

By | August 21st, 2015|Categories: Ball Gowns, Civil War, Destinations, Edwardian Era, Fashion, Old West, Pioneer Dress, Roaring 20s, Steampunk, Uncategorized, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

By Sue McDonald   Costume College - Whirlwind of Classes and Special Events   If you haven’t heard about Costume College, then you haven’t been paying attention! After hearing about it for years, a friend convinced me to enroll last year, and I am now positively addicted to the excitement, the many opportunities for learning [...]

Rosedown Plantation

By | July 29th, 2015|Categories: Civil War, Uncategorized, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

 Rosedown Plantation  - Grand 19th Century Estate   Rosedown Plantation is one of the grandest 19th century estates in Louisiana. Located in the northwest corner of Southeastern Louisiana, the home and grounds abut Alexander Creek, which flows into the Mississippi River a couple of miles downstream. The original plantation encompassed 3,455 acres at its height of production. [...]

5 Movies to Reenact with your Civil War Dresses

By | June 26th, 2015|Categories: Civil War|Tags: |

We all love Civil War dresses, with their hoop skirts and frills and lace. But, sometimes we like to reenact scenes from movies, and following a particular pattern from a movie can be helpful in choosing the kind of Civil War costume we want. Here, we have listed our five favorite Civil War movies that [...]

Up on the Big Screen: Civil War Dresses in Gone with the Wind

By | June 14th, 2015|Categories: Civil War|Tags: |

The classic Civil War movie Gone with the Wind is known for more than its melodramatic plotline and iconic theme music. Its costumes are some of the most recognizable in the industry. The costumes are so iconic that they are even the subject of comedy sketches, such as the curtain rod scene in Carol Burnett’s [...]

Victorian Dresses of the Civil War

By | April 2nd, 2015|Categories: Civil War, Victorian Era|Tags: , |

Do you wish you could look just like the elegant Scarlett O’Hara or the sweet Melanie Hamilton? Well, you wouldn’t be alone. Civil War era gowns are an incredibly popular style of dress for reenactments and costumes for themed parties. And, they should be. These beautifully styled gowns have plenty of ruffles and frills that [...]

First Female Buffalo Soldier

By | February 10th, 2015|Categories: Civil War, Old West, Women's History|Tags: , , , , , , |

How did Cathay Williams become the first female Buffalo Soldier?   Overview   Although African Americans have served in every American war, it wasn't until 1866 that Congress passed legislation to create six all African American army units; two cavalry (9th and 10th regiments) and four infantry (38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st regiments). The infantry [...]

Oak Alley Plantation

By | December 4th, 2014|Categories: Civil War, Uncategorized, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , , , , , , |

The Great River Road runs on both sides of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana. In its heyday, sugar cane plantations lined the waterway, and today this stretch of the river is known as Plantation Alley. One of the grandest of these plantations is Oak Alley.   Oak Alley Plantation is located north of [...]

Ball Gowns

By | October 3rd, 2012|Categories: Ball Gowns, Civil War, Uncategorized|Tags: , , |

If you have photos to share, please send your photos to Barb at sales@recollections.biz. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Marsha from Indiana writes: "Hi Barb, Attached are a few photos for you to choose from.   The first one was taken of me in the living room of our home in Rockport, Indiana.  It is a little dark.    The rest [...]

Jewelry for Mourning

By | July 1st, 2011|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Today it may seem to us that Victorians had a rather morbid fascination with death, however it is probably we who are now so insulated from this part of life, are overly sensitive to the topic. In the late 1800’s one in twenty infants died before their first birthday, and during the Civil [...]