Threads of War: Clothing and Textiles of the Civil War

Event Details

Commemorating the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War and celebrating the opening of its new textile gallery, The Charleston Museum presents Threads of War: Clothing and Textiles of the Civil War October 14, 2010 through September 5, 2011. This original exhibition offers a peek into the lives of those left on the home front and those battling deprivation and fear while raising their families and protecting their property, as well as those fighting on the front lines. Threads of War will illustrate how, as the 1860s marched on, the war took its toll not only in lives lost but on fashion, supplies, and every aspect of life. Women’s, men’s and children’s clothing, uniforms and accessories, quilts, coverlets and flags, along with magazines, newspapers, daguerreotypes and diaries provide tangible images of mid-nineteenth century Charleston and a lifestyle torn apart by war. The Charleston Museum will offer a wide variety of workshops and programs in conjunction with the exhibit. For more information, please visit www.charlestonmuseum.org or call (843) 722-2996.

Exhibit Highlights
Threads of War includes a beautiful brown silk day dress worn by a member of the Jervey family of Charleston and a cream wool challis dress with Zouave-style jacket (a short open fronted jacket styled after the uniforms of the French Army serving in French North Africa) worn by Isabella Woodruff Holst, both with the wide hoop crinoline popular of the period. A young bride, Frances Ann Hardcastle, wore her best brown plaid silk dress for her hasty marriage to William Henley Smith of Charleston, just two days after the bombing of Fort Sumter. Wedding garments, accessories and memoir excerpts from the 1865 wedding of Louisa McCord and Augustine T. Smythe reflect the difficulties in obtaining supplies even after the war had ended. A home-made palmetto straw hat and hand-crafted turkey feather fans form an image of inventiveness while a magnificent Chinese embroidered shawl brought in through the blockade serves as a spark of determination. Men’s riding trousers made by local tailor, C. D. Carr, elegant vests from shortly before the war and the ubiquitous 19th century top hat, worn by Henry Hyrne Baker of Charleston, portray the civilian side of men during the war.

An intricate woven coverlet made on Towles Plantation, Wadmalaw Island is one of the few slave-made artifacts that survived from those difficult years. A magnificent Star of Bethlehem quilt that was buried for safekeeping and a flowery chintz-appliquéd quilt made by friends of the Dibble family after they evacuated to Orangeburg during the war, are examples of women’s artistry and skill.

Uniforms in the exhibition include a custom-tailored coat of fine wool, sea island cotton and silk linings worn by Captain Warren R. Marshall of Charleston. He purchased it from Charleston tailor Charles D. Carr who maintained a shop at 30 Broad Street. Flags typically provided a rallying point for the troops. On display will be a woolen Confederate battle flag from the 5th South Carolina Cavalry / Butler's Brigade and an elegant embroidered blue silk flag from the Calhoun Artillery with palmetto tree and gold crescent.

Threads of War Programming
In conjunction with Threads of War: Clothing and Textiles of the Civil War and the Civil War Sesquicentennial, the Charleston Museum will offer educational programs. Carolina Ladies Aid Society will offer a variety of living history programs, such as mid-19th century fashion demonstrations and period cooking and laundry techniques, on the second Saturday in November 2010, January 2011, March 2011, May 2011, and July 2011. Monthly tours of the Civil War fortifications at the Museum’s Dill Sanctuary, as well as hands-on textile workshops will be available. A public Quilting Bee with a mid-19th century pattern will be open on select Saturdays throughout the exhibit. Threads of War will open with a reception on October 14. Many programs required advance registration; visit www.charlestonmuseum.org or call 722-2996 for more information.


Civil War, CW 150 and Sesquicentennial