Dressing Sarah Livingston Alexander aka Lady Stirling

Portraying historical figures comes with a certain amount of responsibility.  I feel that we owe it to them to represent them as accurately as we possibly can.  This, of course, is much easier in some cases than in others.  There are those figures who leave behind letters, diaries, inventories and portraits which give us a historical record of what they owned and how they looked.  Then there are those who didn't leave behind that kind of evidence.  While I dislike using the word "speculate" when planing the garments a historical figure will wear, sometimes that's all I can do.  So what does one consider when planning to dress someone who leaves behind little or no clues?

First make a list of the following:

• Year you are portraying
• Age of the person
• Location of the historical event
• Background of the historical figure: place of birth and family information
• Ethnic influences
• Social class and wealth
• role the person played in the particular event
• types of textiles/materials available for the place/year/event
• Any other details that might affect the individual's clothing choices

After making your list, look for any primary documentation you can find on your person:  portraits, letters with descriptions, inventories, records of purchases or any other personal records.  If you come up empty, look for similar records from comparable individuals:  those of the same social class living in the same area at the same time.  Look for patterns among similar individuals to see what was commonly worn by a person who was the same age and social class in the same location. Look at ads to see what was sold in that area during that time.  Sometimes this is where we can only speculate but it's helpful to find out as much as you can.

I was tasked with portraying Sarah Livingston Alexander, also known as Lady Stirling, at the Valley Forge encampment which was in 1777-78.  Lady Stirling was approximately 56 years old at the time, making her the oldest of the officers' wives --most of the others being in their 20s.  Sarah Livingston was born in New York to a wealthy family that was politically well connected, one brother being the governor of New Jersey and one signing the DOI.  Her husband, William Alexander, was also from a wealthy New York family.  William, being of Scots decent, journeyed to England to claim his inherited title as Lord Stirling.  The Scottish courts and parliament recognized this title but the English did not.  William returned New York and claimed the title of Lord Stirling.  He was someone who loved to flaunt his wealth and social status, often living well beyond his means.  Not much is written about Lady Stirling but we do know that she had 2 daughters and that she and her younger daughter were clearly patriots but her older daughter had married a loyalist.  As a general's wife, Lady Stirling lived a very different existence than the women who served the army in the encampment.  First of all, she brought 2 servants with her to Valley Forge.  Secondly, she lived in a house as opposed to the encampment. 

The Stirling House at Valley Forge

What would a well to do woman in her 50's have worn?  I found one portrait of Sarah Livingston Alexander which was painted in the 1750s:

Her clothing is very typical of the 1750s.  It is obviously silk and her ruffles, neck handkerchief and cap are a sheer fabric.  I can't determine if the ruffle on her cap is lace or if it is simply a fine organdy or a silk gauze.  Her outfit and accessories are actually fairly simply styled but very elegant.

My first task was to make a new cap.  Lappet caps are always appropriate for older women so I decided to copy the one in the portrait as my connection to Lady Stirling--plus it is a suitable style for the 1770s for a woman of her age and station.  This cap obviously has a smaller band and a bigger ruffle than my linen lappet cap does.  It sits back on the head, almost behind the ears, and it has a blue silk ribbon tie.  I fudged a band shape from the Mill Farm cap pattern--making it 2 inches longer than the pattern piece--and cut it out of Swedish tracing paper.  I matched that band up to a favorite smallish round eared cap that I have and decided to use the same caul piece I used for that cap.  I also cut the ruffle a half inch wider and 4 inches longer than that the pattern indicated.  The cap was cut of the finest, sheerest Swiss organdy I had in my stash. I stitched it all together without the ruffle so I could try it on--then I added the ruffle for a final fit.

It fit the way I liked so I stitched a blue silk ribbon on each side.  I had 1 1/2 inch wide satin ribbon so I took a pleat in each end to make it narrower where it was stitched on.  Cap is finished!

I had started a blue chintz sacque back day gown, hoping for Lady Stirling to wear that--knowing that often ladies of a certain age sometimes cling to their favorite fashions from a few years prior.  I simply couldn't get it done in time without making compromises I didn't want to make so I went to plan B. I have a 1770s silk day gown;  I have a 1760s chintz gown that is very middlin' and I have a mid 1770's gown that is a higher class chintz.  This particular fabric dates back to the early part of the century so I figured that could be a talking point--remaking an earlier gown into a more stylish one, a common practice of the time--particularly during war time.  I decided to make plain, sheer accessories--double sleeve flounces, an apron and a half handkerchief--to wear with the chintz gown.  Fortunately I had a couple of yards of super sheer voile from Renaissance Fabrics.  I thought the sheer apron wouldn't detract from the print of the gown.  I also added a simple string of garnet beads and smaller garnet and seed pearl earrings.

Lady Stirling's function at this event was to serve a proper tea to visiting dignitaries.

(photo by Betsy Jordan)

(photo by Betsy Jordan)

I was pleased with the way these new accessories completed the look I had chosen for Lady Stirling.  I've never been a fan of lappet caps but I really like this one as it fits the way I wanted it to fit.  I'm finding it interesting to consider the challenges of dressing "women of a certain age" and I'm starting to embrace it.  Next year Lady Stirling will have a chintz sacque day gown.