My name is Emily, and I will be dressing the occasional living history character I play for my job as a professional historian in Salem. Mrs Derby, the former Elizabeth Crowninshield, was the wife of a rising young merchant named Elias Hasket Derby. Hasket was the son of the wealthiest merchant in 1760s Salem, and in the 1770s was a junior partner in the firm, and gaining his own wealth through trade and privateering. Therefore, Mrs. Derby had easy access to, and could afford a wide range of fabrics on the higher end of the scale.
Mrs. Derby has a formal gown for assemblies and other evening gatherings, and a nice wool damask gown that is very suitable for morning household management and perhaps meeting with those of a lower class, but she needs a silk gown for her afternoon calls, a more informal meal, and serving tea. I have a great desire for a pink silk english gown, a la Mrs. Hancock:
So, here are my goals: to find the perfect pink silk satin for my dress, although I may end up settling for taffety, and to learn tambour sufficiently to make one of those amazing aprons!
