Explore Eliza Hamilton’s 18th-Century Fashion with a Panel Discussion and Fashion Demonstration

Event Marks the Culmination of Museum’s “Fashioning Eliza” Project
 

What was in Eliza Schuyler Hamilton’s closet? At the Museum of the American Revolution, take a deeper dive into the trends and techniques modeled by Alexander Hamilton’s fashionable wife on Sunday, March 31, 2019 from 2 – 3:30 p.m. The panel discussion and fashion demonstration will feature two of Eliza’s most iconic looks, created as part of the Museum’s “Fashioning Eliza” project. It is free with regular museum admission.

Seamstress Samantha McCarty and I, Eliza Hamilton author Susan Holloway Scott will discuss the research and process involved with recreating these two dresses, how women’s fashion changed in the tumultuous period from the Revolutionary War to the early Republic, and what women’s fashion can tell us about the politics of the day. The conversation will be moderated by the Museum’s Manager of Gallery Education Tyler Putman.

During the presentation, guests can view the two recreated gowns to compare how fashion changed in 10 years: a gown inspired by the blue silk taffeta gown designed by Paul Tazewell for Hamilton: An American Musical to reflect a style that Eliza might have worn to meet the young officer Alexander Hamilton during his military leave in winter 1777 and a recreated 1787 cream-colored silk gown with pink sash, like the one captured in Eliza’s 1787 portrait by Ralph Earl.

Following the presentation, guests can pose for their own portrait with similar 1790s fashions. Author Susan Holloway Scott will sign copies of her book I, Eliza Hamilton outside the Museum store beginning at 3:30 p.m.

As part of the “Fashioning Eliza” project, the Museum posted a series of blog posts on the Museum’s website with topics ranging from 18th-century accessories, Elizabeth Schuyler’s blue taffeta ball gown, Alexander and Elizabeth’s first meeting, and Elizabeth’s white silk dress. Support for the Fashioning Eliza project is provided in part by David and Kim Adler. 

Although the Museum’s Hamilton Was Here: Rising Up in Revolutionary Philadelphia exhibit closes on March 17, 2019, the Museum’s “Year of Hamilton” continues with special programming and artifacts related to Alexander and Eliza Hamilton in the core exhibition.

About Susan Holloway Scott, Historical Novelist and Two Nerdy History Girls Blogger
Susan Holloway Scott is the author of over fifty historical novels and novellas. Her bestselling books have received numerous awards and honors, and with more than three million copies in print, she has been published in nineteen foreign countries around the world. She has also written as half of the popular history blog Two Nerdy History Girls. A graduate of Brown University, her most recent novel is I, Eliza Hamilton. For more information about Susan and her books, please visit her website, www.susanhollowayscott.com.

About Samantha McCarty, Couture Courtesan  
Samantha McCarty is currently the tailor for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, where she researches, designs, and constructs garments from the early 17th and late 18th centuries. In 2012, she served a ten-week internship with the Margaret Hunter millinery shop learning the arts and mysteries of mantua-making and millinery at Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. She was part of the First Oval Office Project which reproduced by hand the marquis tents of George Washington for the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, PA. Her interests include studying mourning clothing of the mid-19th century.

About Museum of the American Revolution
The Museum of the American Revolution explores the dramatic, surprising story of the American Revolution through its unmatched collection of Revolutionary-era weapons, personal items, documents, and works of art. Immersive galleries, powerful theater experiences, and digital touchscreens bring to life the diverse array of people who created a new nation against incredible odds. Visitors gain a deeper appreciation for how this nation came to be and feel inspired to consider their role in the ongoing promise of the American Revolution. Located just steps away from Independence Hall, the Museum serves as a portal to the region’s many Revolutionary sites, sparking interest, providing context, and encouraging exploration. The Museum, which opened on April 19, 2017, is a private, non-profit, and non-partisan organization. For more information, visit www.AmRevMuseum.org or call 877.740.1776.