Alexander’s 18th-Century Fashion Advice in Boston, 27 Feb.

On Wednesday, 27 February, Kimberly Alexander will speak at the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston on “You Are What You Wear?: Navigating Fashion & Politics in New England, 1760s–1770s.”

Alexander is a guest curator of the society’s “Fashioning the New England Family” exhibit, which I recommended back here (and which closes on 6 April).

This talk takes up the themes of the exhibit:

Our guest curator will explore the social values placed on luxury and thrift in New England in the late 18th century. What messages were telegraphed by a person’s clothing and how were these understood? Did everyone in society read these messages the same way or were there statements only meant to be understood by a select few?

Alexander is a professor at the University of New Hampshire. She is author of Treasures Afoot:
Shoe Stories from the Georgian Era and maintains the Silk Damask blog.

This event starts with a reception at 5:30 P.M., with the talk at 6:00. Admission is $10 per person, with no charge for M.H.S. Fellows and Members or E.B.T. cardholders. Register for a seat here.