The Country Lady Antiques :

We are living history reenactors. Adam is a graphic designer and educator, and Mary has been an antiques dealer and public speaker for many years. We present a number of different programs to clubs, historical societies and museums, etc. and offer paid group tours of our period house authentically furnished with 17thc. antiques. We reenact several different time periods, from c. 1660 through the 1770’s, at various living history events.
Our most popular program is called ‘DRESSING A COLONIAL LADY’. Due to the wonderful reviews we get, we have even received recognition from the New Hampshire Humanities Council. We get our speaking engagements and appearances through the flyers we send out, from word of mouth, and from our website, www.thecountryladyantiques.com. We have excellent references from historical societies and clubs throughout New England. Our website gets over 8000 visits a month. We have been featured in several newspapers and national magazines.

We are gratified to see how much interest there is in how our ancestors dressed and lived life every day, over 200 years ago. Men, women, and children seem to love this program very much. When we arrive, Adam is in full colonial attire of the mid 18th century, and Mary is dressed only in a long white linen shift---the basic undergarment of colonial women, regardless of social status. She wears long stockings with knee garters. Layer by layer, her husband Adam helps her to dress in a typical day gown of a middling woman of the 1700’s. The audience will learn that women’s clothing of the period never had buttons---only tapes made on a tape loom, and why it was necessary for her to have assistance with the sometimes difficult and restrictive clothing.
When we arrive, we bring many articles of women’s 18thc. style clothing items. We place these items, with tags, on tables. After the program, the audience is invited to come up and look and handle, and ask about the various items. During the program Adam first laces Mary into ‘stays’. These, as well as the period gowns were custom made for Mary, and are stringently historically correct. The audience will learn the purpose of all of the items of clothing and more.They will learn what a ‘housewife’ and a ‘bodkin’ are, and what they were used for. Mary’s shoes are also period-correct. The audience will come away with a real appreciation for how an everyday woman of the period would dress, and still perform her duties and chores in clothing that is so restrictive, that they as 21st century people cannot imagine wearing. They will learn why ‘stays’ were so important and that a garment would never fit without them, how valuable textiles and clothing were in the 18thc., and much more. During the program, all are invited to ask any and all questions, including questions about the men’s 18thc. attire that Adam wears as well. We feel this program is a fascinating, entertaining, and light-hearted first hand look into another era, and our audiences seem to as well!

We both have extensive backgrounds in living history, and in colonial life, and the clothing of the period. Because we reenact battles and 17th and 18th century life at historical events for museums such as Ft. Ticonderoga, Old Sturbridge Village, Saratoga, Ft. Pemaquid, Quebec, and many others, it is very important that we portray in our actions and our dress, life as it was at the time, and we have considerable experience at doing that. We also do select public appearances in period attire. We have had roles and bit parts in films, such as the documentary on King Phillip’s War, “The First Patriots”, and “The War That Made America”, on PBS.
We sincerely hope that you will visit our website to learn more about us, and that you will contact us if you are interested in booking a DRESSING A COLONIAL LADY program!
Sincerely,
Adam and Mary Spencer
www.thecountryladyantiques.com