[TheForge] OT - dumb? idea -- historical reenactors' "catalog"

[CGRAF]

Pulling off something like the Whole Earth Catalog for reenactments 
would be a terrific venture.

I still have my Catalog, much yellowed and dog eared, clearly long past 
the time the paper was designed to last.

Mike Graf

On 9/18/2013 9:18 AM, wmullett at bright.net wrote:
> http://jas-townsend.com/ has revolutionary clothing, camping and cooking.
>
>
> ---- Original message ----
>> Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 07:51:15 -0400
>> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net (on behalf of "Bruce ." <freemab222 at gmail.com>)
>> Subject: [TheForge] OT - dumb? idea -- historical reenactors' "catalog"
>> To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
>>
>> I recently stopped by a Revolutionary War encampment at one of Washington's
>> many HQ's in NJ, and what was obvious was how few were the reenactors and
>> how old they were (like, older than me, mostly!).  This is disappointing
>> because it is obvious to me how important such reenactment can be.  The
>> "few" I can't criticize, because I no longer do any sort of such reenacting
>> myself, so can't point fingers.  The "old" can only be addressed by getting
>> younger folk involved.  But how?
>>
>> (Digression -- I suspect many of the folks who might otherwise embrace
>> reenacting have been seduced -- perhaps literally -- into the SCA scene.
>> Dressing up and playing faux-medieval roles is fun for some, but I have
>> enough problems maintaining ONE persona, much less two or three.  Which, by
>> the way, is one reason I prefer "ghost interpretation" to "first-person
>> interpretation."  I suspect that with some encouragement, even die-hard
>> SCA-ites might embrace historical reenactment.)
>>
>> It has since dawned on me that younger people may simply need to be
>> encouraged.  It can be difficult to get it all together to do reenacting.
>> You can't exactly waltz into Target and buy the clothing and gear.  And
>> many, if not all, these reenacting groups are REAL fussy about historical
>> accuracy.  That's part of what's so important -- "Washington's troops"
>> won't be seen marching around in jeans and T-shirts, but in historically
>> accurate accoutrements, often even rejecting cotton clothing in favor of
>> linen!
>>
>> So here's my thought (unresearched to see whether it's been thought of
>> already):  Maybe a catalog could be assembled (think "Whole Earth Catalog"
>> for those of you old enough to know what I'm talking about) that would
>> provide information where to get the clothing and equipment needed for
>> different era reenactment -- and maybe even listing what is needed in
>> clothing and gear for various roles.  I realize that no single list would
>> suffice for every reenactor in every era (Rendezvous, Revolutionary War,
>> Civil War), but a shirt is a shirt and probably didn't change all that much
>> across that time period.
>>
>> Some of the clothing can be purchased (I understand) from Amish suppliers.
>> Like I said -- I haven't researched this idea, so maybe there exist
>> multiple sources already which could simply be assembled into a master
>> list.  I don't propose printing this "catalog" of course, but simply
>> creating a website.  Maybe it could be set up as a Wiki, so additional
>> contributions could be made at any time.  (Of course, significant numbers
>> of hand-forged items, knives, etc., would be needed, giving an opportunity
>> for some blacksmiths and knifemakers to show their wares.)
>>
>> Thoughts?  Comments? Volunteers?
>>
>> --
>> Bruce
>> NJ
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