The use of dresses in re-enacting - OpenArch Conference, Foteviken 2012

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The use of dresses in reenacting

• Interpreting history - living history - reenactment

• The use of hstorical dresses when interpreting history


Living history

• Living history is getting more and more popular, both with those who work seriously with interpreting history and those who are not so serious.

• The users of historical dresses are museums, medieval markets, reenacters, roleplayers, the movie industry, illustrators and many others.

Lets take a look at how the different groups make use of historical dresses and how the approach is to autenticity and the actual archeological and historical knowledge of today.


Hollywoods version

• Popular literature, cartoons, computer games and movies all have their version of the middle ages.

• Hollywood is no exception.


Robin Hood

• He is a historical person (maybee). He is mentioned for the first time in Piers Ploughman, a manuscript from the 14th century

• Everybody knows what he looks like. He is depicted in countless books, booklets and in numerous movies.

• He is clad in green, has a pointed green hat, tights and pointed shoes.

• He is for many the epitome of a medieval man.


• In movies he is depicted corresponding to what they at the time belived a medieval man looked like.

Fairbanks in 1922

Kevin Koster in 1991, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Russell Crowe in 2010

BBC in 2010


Men in tights, recent movie with a humorous angle and references to the oldest movies.


Archers in a manuscrip from early 14th century.


Hollywood going serious

• ”Vi have done research on the dresses we used in this movie. We have references for them all!” A Knights Tale, 2001


• Yes, sure, but you have mixed serveral centuries og the actors don’t wear the dresses as they were worn in the medieval period(s)


Reenactors

• Historical reenactment is an educational activity in which participants attempt to recreate some aspects of a historical event or period. (Wikepedia)


• Reenactors are often organised into groups or organisations.

• They are reenactors because they are interested in history or because they fell the need of an alternative role distaned from their dayly modern life.

• Some are associated with certain institutions such as museums and living history museums.

• Some perform at various private and public events.

• Most of them are amateurs, but a few have made a living out of it.


• You can group reenactors in three categories:

• 1. ”Progressives”/hard core authentics eller The Really Serious Ones. They are the ones that emphasizes authenticity high. They choose a caracter from a certain, narrowly defined period. They read all they can about dresses, status and performance. They make the dresses with authentic materials, using authentic techniques. When reenacting, they stay in caracter 24hpd.

• 2. ”Mainstream” they do give it a try to be authentic, but they allow certain anacronisms, such as make-up, glasses, modern underwear, cameras...

• 3. ”Farbs”/polyester soldiers eller Those Who Just Want To Play. They don’t give a damn about autenticity. SCA


1. Progressives or The Really Serious

• I.e. Company of Saynt George. They say about themselves:

• ”At a Company of Saynt George event there is no artistic license or romantic idealization, we try to recreate things as they actually were.”


2. Mainstream

• They do make an effort to look medieval, but anacronisms are allowed and they are not that keen on being correct/authentic in all details.

– The shoes below: the look is OK, but the touch is not: crome, analin leather.


3. Those Who Just Want To Play

Do as you like concerning dresses, gender roles, materials, all


Role players

• Role players are not reenactors.

• Role players imagine that they are some other person in a story that could be taking place in somebodys imagination. In role playing there are no spectators, only participants.

• Role players often dress up in a kind of medieval fantasy look.

• Ole players are seldom used in historical interpretations


German Market Reenactors (GMR)

• What we see here is an example of people displaying a medieval reality that has arised from a fantasy about the Middle Ages and which reproduces itself in infinity

• At these markets they sell a special kind of dress and matching dress assessories to each other.


GMR kvinder

• A prototype of a ”high rank” medieval GMR woman

• ”Nervous” velvet, transparent nylon, loose hair, laces here and there around the body, makeup, pointed shoes with high heels.


• And some less high ranking GRM women

Typical elements are laces on the front, loose white shirts, loose hair, and lots of jewellery.



GMR men

• The prototype of a GMR man

• Loose, often colored shirt, loose trousers, very wide leather belt with a big leather bag, lots of heavy silver/leather jewellery, glasses, wrist watch.


Traditional museums

Use of historical dresses:• Displaying orgiginals• Displaying rekonstructed dresses• Hands-on-dresses, especially for children• very rarely use of historical dresses/costumes for

guides

NoteAt historical markets (viking/medieval/renaissance etc) traditional museums often allows a high degree of non-autenticity. (Why?)


Living history museums / ”oplevelsescentre” og certain

open air museumsI.e.: Archeon, Sagnlandet Lejre, Den Gamle by i Århus,

Middelaldercentret, Foteviken, Guedelon.

• One or more historical periods are depicted in settings of different levels of authenticit.

• Use of historical dresses– Reenacting craftysmen, knights etc.

– Guides in historical dresses


• There are basically two ways that the living history museums use historical dresses:– As an incoorporated part of

the interpretation of history. The authenticity of the dresses will most often correspond to the authentisity of the making of houses, crafts performed, jousting etc.

– As a kind of uniform that makes it easy to difference between the employee/ volunteer and the visitors/audience


The historical dress as an incoorporated part of the interpretation of history

• When a high level of authenticity is performed, the dresses will reflect this principle.

• Glasses will not be allowed, nor modern make-up, OOP jewellery, gender incorrect issues etc.


Paradox:• Even when authenticity is in

focus there are often certain ecceptions allowed:– Glasses– Shoes– Jewellery– Make-up

These ecceptions are often tolerated when certain shows/events are performed : jousting, fighting performances and the like. A bit like when the traditional museums make events.


The historical dress as ”uniform”

• The dress signalizes ”history”, but is in no way authentic.

• The dress makes it perfectly clear for the visitors/audience who is the performing part in the display.This example is from Guedelon The attraction her is the building of a castle in an almost 100% authentic way.

– The guides and the craftsmen and workers are dressed in coveralls in cotton in white/light blue over their normal working clothes

– The tools they use are a mixture of modern tools and replicas/copies of original tools


Does it mean anything?

• Is it important?

• Will the visitors see historical inaccuracies, anacronisms etc. ?

• And if they see anacronisms such as wrist watches, does that mean that they then don’t belive in your perhaps very authentic house reconstructions?


Does it mean anything? MC experience

• Will the visitors see historical inaccuracies, anacronisms etc. Yes they do!• If they see anacronisms such as wrist watches, does that mean that they then

don’t belive in your perhaps very authentic house reconstructions? Yet it does. You have to take your visitors seriously.

Statement• You must clearly tell the visitors how your place looks upon the use of

historical dresses– If you have a high level of authenticity, tell the visitors.– If you use them as ”uniforms”, tell the visitors. – If you allow certain anacronisms, such as glasses, tell the visitors.

(Glasses were not common in the medieval times, only rich old men/monks had them, but we allow our reenactors to use modern glasses)

– If you make a special show or event where you allow a certain degree of non-authenticity, tell the audience. (today we let our hair down, enjoy the show)


The Medieval Centres dresses

The dresses have to be in authentic materials, weaving techniques, colors, patterns and sewing techniques.

Compromises: The cloth can be machine woven, synthetic colored sloth is allowed, but they have to look like natural dyes, invisible mashine sewing is allowed, but not recommended.

The dresses have to be made and worn after the wearer’s sex and status


Workshops, lectures etc

• The Medieval Centre tries to keep updated with, and participate in, the current research in medieval textiles.

• The Medieval Centre offers education in the making and use of medieval dresses, primarily to the centres volunteers.

• The Medieval Centre and its support association Guldborgsundgildet offers workshops in spinning, weaving, dying, sewing, tailoring, tablet weaving, finger loop braiding, needle binding, embroidery etc


How do we know all this?

Sources:•Archeaological finds•Pictures•Epitaphs and other figures•Written sources


Dresses from Greenland

Herjofsnæs, kirkegård på nordbobygd. De døde var indsvøbt i vadmelsdragter.

Herjolfsnæs, nordbogård i Østerbygden i Grønland. Stedet nævnes i skriftlige kilder og antages at være identisk med ruinerne i Ikigaat i Nanortalik Kommune. Anlægget omfatter bolig, stald, lade, udhuse, kirke og kirkegård. Der er foretaget arkæologiske udgravninger i flere omgange, bl.a. i 1921 af Poul Nørlund. Udgravningens vigtigste fund var en i europæisk sammenhæng enestående samling af middelalderdragter, der består af kjoler, hætter, hatte og hoser af uld. Kulstof 14-dateringer tyder på, at Herjolfsnæs har været beboet frem til midten af 1400-t.

Else Østergård: Som syet til jorden, Aarhus Universitetsforlag 2003


The London finds


Murals

Disadvantages:

Mainly religious motives

Lots of saints in ”symbolic clothing”

Very few daily life scenes

Colors depends on the technique

Not so many details

Often made after foreign (german) model

Advantages:

Nordic original


IlluminationsDisadvantages: Not that many scadinavian, mostly german, french, english etc.

Advantages: many details, a variety of motives


Epitaphs and other tombs

Disadvantages:Almost only wealthy clerics and knights are depicted, a few rich merchants too

Advantages:Often many details


Materials and techniques

Flax, unbleached and bleached. Local and imported

Hemp

Wool,

Combed or carded, spun, dyed and weaved

Often also fulled

Local and imported

Silk

Plain, brocade and velvet

Imported mostly from Italy.

Cotton

Mostly as padding in jerkins. Also is fustian, a mixture of cotton and flax


Flax

Mainly used for underwear, aprons, veils and liningNot for over dresses!Flax can only be dyed dark blue red and black


Wool

Used for cottes, hoods, hoses, dublets. Houppelandes etc

Tabby and twill


Underpant Shirt

Hose

Dublet Cotte Houppelande

Coif

Hood

Hat

Mantle

Dresses - men


Chemise Cotte Surcottestocking Vimple, veil Hat HoodApron

Dresses - women


UnderwearLinnedklæderUndertøj, kunne også indbefatte den inderste hovedbeklædning af lærred.

SærkBetegnelse for kvinders underkjole.


Skjorte og brogMandens inderste underbeklædningbestående af skjorte og underbukser.

TrøjeBetegnelse for en langærmet undertrøje til at fæstne hoserne i (doublet)


Der kræves QuickTime™ og et TIFF (ukomprimeret)-komprimeringsværktøj,

for at man kan se dette billede.

Hoses

Hoser: løse ben, bundet op til et bælte/broge eller til en trøje (dublet). Med fod eller en strop under foden.



Betegnelse for benklæder båret af mænd og kvinder.LanghoserHoser der dækker hele benet og fæstnesi livet til et bælte eller en trøje.KorthoserBetegnelse for korte hoser der rækkertil knæet eller midt på underbenet.


Cotte

LivklædningDen mest almindelige beklædningsdelfor både mænd og kvinder var den såkaldte kjortel.



KjortelDen mest almindelige betegnelse formænds og kvinders livklædning.SurkotBetegnelse for overkjortel. Trøje/jakkeEn anden betegnelse for mænds korte,snævre kjortel.




Surcotte



SurkotBetegnelse for moderigtig overkjortelKåbeBetegnelse for overklædning båret af bådemænd og kvinder.Lang kåbeKåbe med slæb.




Over dress



KappeBetegnelse for forskellige former forslag.MantelBetegnelse for en finere kappeformi form af en lang kappe. Mantel varhovedsageligt et kvindeligt dragtstykke til fint brug, men kunne også bruges af mænd tilceremonielt brug.




Headgear, women

Married women wears a veil

Widows (and elderly wone) wear wimple and veil






Headgear, men

Coif, hat and hood


Shoes and pattens



Vrangsyede lædersko med en filtsål eller lignende indvendig.


Documentation


Craftsmen


Craftsmen


Market people


Celebration


Merchant



Knights


Children


Old people


Winter and bad weather


Winter


Dress and status

Dress is status.

You dress according to your status

Showing your underwear is not good style

Only people of low status can work in their underwear.


The medieval woman/manA perfect woman had fair skin, high brow, small, high up breasts and wide hips.

A perfect man had semilong curled hair, short goatee, broad shoulders, arched

chest, narrow hips, long slender legs and slender feet.


No modern stuff in the houses

Never take modern things with you when you live in the medieval houses. NEVER try to hide anything there (the visitors will find it, and then we all will be laughed at).

Never bring coffee, candies, toys, books or mobiles with you into Sundkøbing.


.. On on your personAnd remember, no:

Wrist watches

Modern jewellery, OOP jevellery

Make-up

Nail polish

Eyeglasses

Visible tattoos

Visible bra, t-shirt, socks etc.


Claim: Authenticity and empathy is a good combination for the reenactors and the audience, and thus also for us!

Education

The use of dresses in re-enacting - OpenArch Conference, Foteviken 2012