Clockwise from upper left: Loretta Chase, Meena Jain, Susan Holloway Scott
As always, Susan Holloway Scott and I had a wonderful time with Ashland (MA) Public Library Director Meena Jain. This time, the Two Nerdy History Girls did something a little bit different: We focused on Revolutionary War era America—and along the way, did some compare & contrast work with several topics. As you probably are well aware, everyday life in America, before as well as after the revolution, was different from life in England in many ways.
Susan has written several works of historical fiction focusing directly on Americans during the Revolutionary War era, whereas my focus has been early nineteenth-century England. Still, I’ve learned some things from my visits to Colonial Williamsburg, and this, I hope, helped me keep up with the questions.
For those who missed the conversation, or who’d like a rerun, here’s the YouTube link.
The hour went by quickly. Since some of the information might have slipped by the audience, and since I have (of course) more historical nerdy-ness to offer, below are some of the books mentioned as well as links to additional information.
Here are some of the 2NHG posts on pins:
As Used by Jane Austen: Pins, the Regency Post-It
A Young Woman Dresses for Day, c. 1775
Colonial Williamsburg offers many videos about life in 1700s America.
If you want to learn more about Colonial fashion, a number of videos show how clothing was made and how people dressed.
Coach at Colonial Williamsburg
When we discussed transportation, I referred to an early 19th century book, The Traveller’s Oracle (2 volumes), which covers, apparently, every detail of traveling in England in the 1820s. By this time, England had vastly improved its roads, with a corresponding increase in inns, but the basic principles would apply to most people traveling via horse or carriage.