ABBEVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – Jean Hutchinson loves all her dresses, but these aren’t just any dresses. They’re carefully researched recreations of 18th century clothing that tell the stories of women during the American Revolution.
“Women were left out of the history books, so it’s my job to put them back,” said Hutchinson, who spends her time stitching together bits of history.
Hutchinson’s work is featured in a permanent exhibit at the Welcome Center in downtown Abbeville called “Voices of the Revolution.”
“The Voices of the Revolution exhibit is a permanent display here at the Welcome Center that features untold stories of men, women and children across all backgrounds,” said Anna Lagrone at the exhibit. “So Patriots, Loyalists, African Americans, indigenous Cherokees – just a range of different perspectives.”
Women held down the home front
“Women were the backbone,” Hutchinson said. “The men would go off to war and the women sort of held down the fort, so to speak.”
A typical backcountry woman would wear multiple layers to cook, clean, care for children and handle other daily tasks. The outfit included a reversible linen jacket over a chemise, which served as a basic undergarment.
Over the chemise, women wore a corset, one or two petticoats, with a gown and skirt on top. They used aprons to wipe and carry things and thorns to close their tops.
“Buttons were very expensive and buttons generally did not get traded to the backcountry,” Hutchinson said.
Cherokee women’s clothing and roles
The exhibit also features clothing typical of Cherokee women in the late 1700s. These women held significant power in their communities.
“They had the power. They made decisions. They did the farming,” Hutchinson said.
Cherokee women also participated in trading, often exchanging seeds, food and beaver or deer skins. One outfit features what’s called a trader’s shirt.
“She would have traded something that she made to an English trader,” Hutchinson said.
The wrap-around skirt would have come from trade since Native Americans didn’t do much broadloom weaving.
“It would have previously been a blanket because everyone reused everything,” Hutchinson said.
Correcting historical misconceptions
Hutchinson said many people have misconceptions about Revolutionary War-era clothing, influenced by Bicentennial celebrations in 1976 when ladies wore ruffles and lace. In reality, very few women dressed that way.
“Most people were just scraping to get by,” Hutchinson said.
Since the Bicentennial, reenactors have refined their portrayals of the Revolution, especially with growing focus on women’s studies.
“Just the women’s studies has made us learn so much about fashion and then fashion – you can see so much of the culture,” she said.
Authentic techniques and materials
Hutchinson relies on portraits, written descriptions and 18th century techniques to accurately create period clothing. She spins, hand-weaves and sews using natural dyes.
“I tell people if I had children during the Revolutionary War, they’d probably be naked because it’d take me so long to make stuff,” Hutchinson said.
She said it’s taken long enough for people to recognize what happened on the homefront, so she’s reshaping history by showing people how to dress for a revolution.
“You know, it’s not just presidents and generals. It’s us,” Hutchinson said.
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