2nd Annual Academy of Mid-19th Century Life - Meet the Presenter: Sheri Giffin

Meet the Presenter: Sheri Giffin - Scribbling Spencerian

I have been reenacting for over 15 years, serving many of the years with the 24th Michigan Volunteer Infantry. I have enjoyed traveling to events, collecting friends along the way, and even finding a husband through the obsession, I mean hobby. Now my traveling buddy is my seven year old daughter and we enjoy teaching the public and continuing to learn from period sources and research. With the anniversary years looming, I feel that we, as living historians, have an even more captive audience. I find that The Academy of Mid-19th Century Life is a great way to gain knowledge and challenge my impression.

I have been interested in history most of my life and have been able to get close through living history in the 1860s. I enjoy many topics within the mid 19th century especially the ones that add the little touches to first person impression. Spencerian handwriting is such a topic.

The handwriting style created and taught by Platt Rogers Spencer was popular during the late 19th century and characteristics can still be seen in the handwriting of the older generations. In the class, the rules and guidelines will be outlined in the Academy class as well as some practice of letters and connectors to form words

A bit of background:

The predominant handwriting style seen in the nineteenth century is known today as Spencerian Handwriting, named after the originator of this style, Platt Rogers Spencer. This particular style replaced the style that dated back to the 18th century which we now call Copperplate style. Spencerian style is characterized by sweeping and ornate upper case letters, with lower case letters that look strikingly similar to the modern style. This style of handwriting will dominate American correspondence until the advent of the Palmer method of handwriting in the 1920s.

This is not to say that everyone wrote with a particularly elegant hand. Quite the opposite. Existing samples such as letters and military forms show us that, just like today, there is quite a variety of handwriting within the basic Spencerian style.

Please consider joining us for the 2nd Annual Academy of Mid-19th Century Life and increasing your knowledge of the penmanship of the period, plus more!

Cost for all four presentations: $25.00.

Final registration date: July 1, 2011

Complete details available here.

2nd Annual Academy of Mid-19th Century Life -Meet The Presenter: Robin Dorman

Meet the Presenter: Robin Dorman - The Magic of Music

I live and work on Mackinac Island, MI. I have been involved with reenacting for 15 years. My primary interests lie with the material culture of the mid 1800’s. Eventually I want to portray a white cooper who makes buckets, washtubs and other watertight items in use during the period.
Music has been a part of my life since I was little. Beginning at home, moving to the church environment, the school system and then adulthood, I have loved music and the emotions it can elicit from an audience. As an adult, I have performed vocally in many venues. While I have never had the discipline to learn how to play and instrument, I have great admiration for those who do.


To properly perform a piece, I try to imagine the desired emotions the writer wanted to express. Whether performing in front of hundreds or my soon to be wife at our wedding, I look into the faces of my audience to see if I have done justice to the music. I look forward to sharing with you the music of our period of interest to broaden our understanding of its influence.






The goals of the class are to strengthen your impression, introduce you to the prominent writers of the war years and to help you to know which songs are appropriate for the time. We will discuss three types of music, religious, contemporary and military/patriotic.
You will be given handouts and a CD of some of the songs we discuss to take away from the class. Make a list of the music you are familiar with through the hobby and bring it with you. We will put as many as we can into a proper timeline. Throughout the weekend at Hastings there are several opportunities to listen to and participate in performances of period music.

A bit of background:
The nineteenth century brought great upheaval to Western societies. Democratic ideals and the Industrial Revolution swept through Europe and changed the daily lives of citizens at all levels. One result of the Industrial Revolution was the creation of the middle class; this new economic strata consisted of a larger number of people with more expendable income and more leisure time than had ever existed before.

Struggles between the old world order and the new were the root causes of conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to the Civil War. From New York, to London, to Vienna, the world was changing and the consequences can still be felt to this day. The lives of musicians, composers, and makers of musical instruments were greatly altered by these social changes. In earlier times, musicians were usually employed by either the church or the court and were merely servants to aristocratic circles. Composers wrote music for performances in these venues, and musical instrument makers produced instruments to be played by wealthy patrons or their servant musicians. With the rise of the middle class, more people wanted access to music performances and music education.

Music gained popularity in the intimate nineteenth-century parlor. At the time, home life was centered in the parlor, where children played and learned with adult supervision, and where the family entertained company. Musical performances for small groups of people became popular events, Music in the parlor was of a very different sort than in the concert hall. Solo performances and chamber music were popular, and included everything from operatic and orchestral transcriptions to sentimental love songs and ballads. In the United States, hymns and folk songs by composers like Stephen Foster supplemented the European repertoire. With the rise of the parlor as the center of family life, music education became increasingly important.

Please consider joining us for the 2nd Annual Academy of Mid-19th Century Life and increasing your knowledge of music of the period, plus more - special early bird registration is still available:

Cost for all four presentations: $25.00
Early Bird Special: $20.00 before June 4, 2011
Final registration date: July 1, 2011

Complete details available

Music gained popularity in the intimate nineteenth-century parlor. At the time, home life was centered in the parlor, where children played and learned with adult supervision, and where the family entertained company. Musical performances for small groups of people became popular events, Music in the parlor was of a very different sort than in the concert hall. Solo performances and chamber music were popular, and included everything from operatic and orchestral transcriptions to sentimental love songs and ballads. In the United States, hymns and folk songs by composers like Stephen Foster supplemented the European repertoire. With the rise of the parlor as the center of family life, music education became increasingly important.
Please consider joining us for the 2nd Annual Academy of Mid-19th Century Life and increasing your knowledge of music of the period, plus more - special early bird registration is still available:
Cost for all four presentations: $25.00Early Bird Special: $20.00 before June 4, 2011Final registration date: July 1, 2011

2nd Annual Academy of Mid-19th Century Life

I'm very pleased to announce the Academy of Mid-19th Century Life's 2011 presentations:

July 15, 2011

12-5pm

Charlton Park, Hastings, MI

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Cost for all four presentations: $25.00

Early Bird Special: $20.00 before June 4, 2011

Final registration date: July 1, 2011

Clothing Makes the Man: Dressing the Male Civilian 101

Wearing a uniform limits the wardrobe decisions a soldier needs to make, while dressing as a civilian is all about the choices. But where to begin? We will discuss the basic garments that should be present in every man's wardrobe, good sources of patterns and fabrics, what to look for in an appropriately constructed ready-made garment, as well as what to avoid. Not every man was a soldier, but every soldier lived a portion of his life as a civilian - learn how to start dressing the part of a mid-19th century man.

Presented by Kelly Dorman

The Magic of Music

From shape note singing to minstrel shows, form parlors to church pews to patriotic pleas, the melodies and lyrics of music have inspired the hearts of Americans for generations. Bring an appreciative ear or a passionate voice and join us as we explore the songs and songwriters of the 1840's - 1860's.

Presented by Brenda Plakmeyer & Robin Dorman

You Weren't Born Yesterday

What are your earliest memories of your present life? who is the first president you remember, or first significant national event? Can you name some of these things for your Civil War era persona? Do you have one that needs "re-aged", or do you not know where to start? This session will explore the years prior to the Civil War and look at how those events may have affected the outlook of people in the mid-19th century, and thus give some depth to your first person character. Bring your ideas, for this is also a first person development workshop.

Presented by Tonya Woodbridge

Scribbling Spencerian

Sure you know how to write in cursive, but no one can read it. Take a lesson from the man who created his own form of writing, Platt Rogers Spencer. Begin to learn how to form letters using the Spencerian method and add another detail to your impression.

Presented by Sheri Giffin

Workshop sizes are limited, so send your registration soon!

Register by sending a check ($25.00 or $20.00 early bird special prior to June 4, 2011) made out to Sally VanderArk to 807 B Court Ave. Benton Harbor, MI 49085. Please include your name, address and email for confirmation notification.

Questions? Contact me via the "Contact Kelly HERE" button on the top left hand side of this blog.

Please consider joining us - you need not be attending the Charlton Park event to attend the Academy - this is a great opportunity to add to your knowledge of the civilian side of the Civil War era.