At 9:28 AM +0100 9/5/05, Suzi Clarke wrote:
I don't know who or which group started the Living History thing in
England, or whether the term Living History came from the U.S.
However, I do remember going to a huge open air event in 1953, where
history was celebrated by people dressing up. I believe it was
called a pageant, and was all amateur, although the team organising
it *must* have been professional. These pageants have been happening
in England since at least the Middle Ages, and some say are the
origins of theatre in England.
I found some delightful photos at Stafford Past Tracks:
http://www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/engine/theme/default.asp?theme=311&text=0
of their 1913 "Millennary" celebrations on the 1,000th anniversary of
the town's establishment. There's a lady dressed up as the 1913
vision of Aethelfleda, Lady of the Mercians, several pageant scenes
and floats (including one commemorating Elizabeth I's visit in 1575
-- not a very good picture, unfortunately).
At 12:59 AM -0700 9/5/05, Carolyn Kayta Barrows wrote:
There are some "Revolutionary War" uniforms in collections
that were made later for commemorations, perhaps 1876? While not
necessarily reenactments, people were dressing up.
People have been dressing up since before America was "invented".
This includes Fancy Dress events where folks like Queen Victoria and
Prince Consort Albert dressed up Medievally for a joust, and the
Czar of Russia and many of the Russian Court dressed up in
'historical' Russian costumes.
I have an 1856 letter from our family papers that recounts a
Washington's Birthday celebration in Philadelphia --
"Yesterday was a fine warm day, and we had quite an extensive
parade of military although the streets were in a terrible condition.
One Company of the "Minute Men" Capt. Berry crossed the river
on the ice accompanied with music, a feat done only scince Gen.
Washington performed it."
Heck, they were doing Arthurian Revival tournaments in the 12th
century, IIRC <g>.
--
____________________________________________________________
O Chris Laning <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> - Davis, California
+ http://paternoster-row.org - http://paternosters.blogspot.com
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