I'm going to use, if I do it, the usual feathers found in my local craft hobby stores. Actually, the Europeans were really fascinated by the so-assumed by them lesser civilized natives of other lands, so I thought using feathers but making an Elizabethan/Jacobean surcoat was a clever, if inaccurate idea.
Camilla Townsend's recent biog of Pocahontas does a great job of prising out the real meanings behind the engraving of Pocahontas. She points out that the costume she is wearing, is much more upper-middle class, reflecting almost Puritan morales(the body modestly covered and the high capitain hat, which Queen Anne wore, but few other noblewomen did so in portraits at that time), despite Pocahontas'/Matoaka/Lady Rebecca's high birth which entitled her to wear the full coat costume of low neck and French farthingale. Some authors have surmised that the all covering wear might have hidden tatoos, but it is just as probable that Pocahontas, John Rolfe, the Virginia Company sponsors or any combination of the three, would have preferred a visual representation of the Christian convert Native American "princess" as advertisement for prospective sponsors and settlers not to be deliniated in full court costume(not only Puritans railed against the extravagent required court costumes of the 16th and 17th centuries), thought by many as practically immoral, but in modest, if expensive fabrics. Virginia needed hardworking serious-minded investors and settlers, in order to succeed, not those who wanted to find gold, get rich quickly, and return to Mother England. Cindy Abel -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of otsisto Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 2:44 PM To: Historical Costume Subject: RE: [h-cost] Dressing a doll as Pocahontas Oh yeah, and you can't use feathers from any of these bird as it will land you a fine and a term in jail. They are protected under the category of songbird. Pigeons, starlings and mourningdoves you can hunt, kill, eat, and use their feathers. De -----Original Message----- Usually, either blue jay, blue bird or hummingbird. De -----Original Message-----From Abel, Cynthia I know from the biog that Powhatan's wives were recorded as wearing blue feather capes, made so densely, that one Englishman recorded them as appearing more of satin than feathers, but have no idea as of type of feather or shade of blue. Many thanks for any help. Cindy Abel _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
