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“The Web They Wove:”- Women & their Wardrobes during New England’s Revolution.

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Program Type:

Lectures

Age Group:

Adults
  • Registration is required for this event.
  • Registration will close on March 27, 2026 @ 2:00pm.

Program Description

Event Details

Underpinning the sensationalism of battle reports & broadsides is the often silent steadiness of women’s work with textiles.  The choices they made every day about fashion and fabric consumption & creation drove the course of Revolution just as determinedly as any congress.  As southern New England commemorates the 250th anniversary (semiquincentennial) of the War for Independence, it is these local lives dressed in fulled wool or spun silk that continue to inspire creativity, resilience, and empathy in us today.

From the mythology of homespun to legends of midnight rides in red cloaks & calashes, the Dirty Blue Shirts share stories of women who waged war on multiple fronts as well as a look at what they wore as their worlds turn’d upside down.

This program is presented by costumed historians and includes reproduction clothing pieces & fabric samples as well as a PowerPoint presentation with images of extant originals.

Like all Southbury Public Library programs, this event is free to attend and open to anyone regardless of town of residency. Registration is required. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Southbury Public Library.  For more information about this program, please email Rebecca at rrandall@biblio.org or call the reference desk at 203-262-0626 ext 2.

Disclaimer(s)

Accessibility

The library makes every effort to ensure our programs can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns about accessibility or need to request specific accommodations, please contact the library.

Register for this event