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Fashioning Eliza Project

In conjunction with our 2018-19 special exhibition Hamilton Was Here: Rising Up in Revolutionary Philadelphia and Year of Hamilton programming, seamstress Samantha McCarty recreated two historically accurate Eliza Schuyler Hamilton gowns. Together with author Susan Holloway Scott, McCarty and Scott explored 18th-century gown-making through Eliza's fashion.

Generous support for the Fashioning Eliza Project was provided by David and Kim Adler.

Follow Along

Explore 18th-century gown-making through Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton's fashion with author Susan Holloway Scott and seamstress Samantha McCarty.

Mrs. Alexander Hamilton by Henry Inman, c1825, New-York Historical Society.
Mrs. Alexander Hamilton by Henry Inman, c1825, New-York Historical Society. 
Fashioning Eliza Project

After 1804: Dressed in Sorrow

March 22, 2019
Author Susan Holloway Scott writes about the gown Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton wore in an 1825 portrait she sat for years after Alexander Hamilton died.
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Image 121820 Hwh Fashioning Eliza Eliza 1777 1787
 
Fashioning Eliza Project

Fashion Forward or Backward? Eliza Hamilton Style Cast, 1777-1787

February 22, 2019
Compare the Fashioning Eliza Project design sketches with the final recreated gowns worn by Museum Educators in the #FashioningEliza Social Media Style Cast for the culmination of the project.
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Fashioning Eliza Project

When Alexander Met Eliza... Or At Least Danced With Her

January 25, 2019
Author Susan Holloway Scott writes about the debut of seamstress Samantha McCarty's design for the “Fashioning Eliza 1777” gown at our January 2019 History After Hours.
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Fashioning Eliza Project

Attending A Winter's Ball, 1777

January 18, 2019
Look back Winter Break 2018 when we welcomed seamstress Samantha McCarty to the Museum to work on recreating a gown like Elizabeth Schuyler would have worn in 1777.
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Seamstress Samantha McCarty
 
Fashioning Eliza Project

A Winter's Ball Gown, 1777

December 15, 2018
We ask Fashioning Eliza seamstress Samantha McCarty what did Eliza Schuyler wear to a winter’s ball at age 20 before she met and later married Alexander Hamilton?
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Fashioning Eliza Project

Fashioning Eliza in 1787: A White Silk Dress for a Special Portrait

December 1, 2018
I, Eliza Hamilton author Susan Holloway Scott writes about the white silk dress Elizabeth Schuyley Hamilton wears in her famous 1787 portrait.
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Recreated 1787 Eliza Hamilton Gown
 
Fashioning Eliza Project

Fast Fashion: Top Four Accessory Trends of Fall 1787

November 17, 2018
We ask Amber Mendenhall Welch about her contribution to styling Eliza Hamilton within her larger historical costuming work and inspiration.
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1777 Eliza Hamilton Gown
 
Fashioning Eliza Project

Fashioning Eliza: Gown-Making in 1777 and 1787

November 2, 2018
In conjunction with our 2018-19 Hamilton Was Here exhibit, seamstress Samantha McCarty will use 18th-century techniques to create two historically accurate gowns as if they had been pulled right from Eliza Schuyler Hamilton’s closet.
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Explore the Exhibit

A male costumed Museum educator gives a demonstration about a cannon as part of the Hamilton Was Here exhibit.

Hamilton Was Here: Rising Up in Revolutionary Philadelphia

Hamilton Was Here: Rising Up in Revolutionary Philadelphia was a hands-on exhibit revealing the connections between Philadelphia and Alexander Hamilton’s contributions to the nation’s founding. Through playful interactives, scenic environments, and facilitated games, visitors actively engaged in the challenges of founding and maintaining a country and were inspired to carry these lessons forward as they face the challenges of citizenship today. 

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