From ‘Liberty’s Kids’ to Colonial Williamsburg
Born at Fort Benning (now Fort Moore) in Georgia, Ms. Magnuson’s interest in history began at age 5 while watching “Liberty’s Kids“ videos in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where her father was stationed for the military. Living in Europe for the next 10 years of her life only solidified her love of history, as the family’s location brought them close to many battlefields from both World Wars.
At age 12, however, a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which contains one of the largest collections of historical clothing in the world, honed her historical interests in the fashion arena.
“I walked in there not thinking that historical clothing was all that great,” she said, “and I walked out going, ‘Oh my goodness, I want to learn how to make every single piece of clothing I saw today.’ And I set out to do that!”
Living History in Daily Life
Thanks in large part to internships, Ms. Magnuson spent roughly two years immersing herself in the streets and shops of Williamsburg and the history they personify. She made clear that her job while in Williamsburg wasn’t that of an actor; rather, she was there as a historical interpreter from the 21st century, ready to demonstrate the work of a seamstress and also answer the questions of visitors based on her extensive research and immersion in 18th-century economics, politics, culture, and religion.
As the only female in the tailor shop, visitors commonly questioned whether the layers and corsetry of her 18th-century outfit were hot or uncomfortable. Her response is the opposite of what many assume.
“In some situations, I’m actually cooler than the people that come into the shop wearing shorts and a T-shirt because they’re wearing all polyester, and I’m wearing linen, which is meant to work in an environment where there’s no central air and no heating,” Ms. Magnuson said.
With respect to the handcrafted stays she wore while in the tailor shop, she noted that they were “actually protective, not harmful,” contrary to what many assume.
“The actual fact of it is women’s corsetry in the past was supportive, like a woman’s bra today, mixed with a weightlifter’s belt,” Ms. Magnuson said.
Such support helped women with the strenuous lifting and bending tasks they performed, such as laundry and caring for children.
“It feels like a hug basically at all times,” she said, noting that she was “actually quite comfortable” when wearing such undergarments.
In addition to being an extremely fun place to hang out, Ms. Magnuson found that her internships at Williamsburg taught her a lot about presenting history to the next generation.
“It was mostly teaching me how to talk to people, how to tell people about history in a way that’s engaging and a way that will appeal to both the old and the young and everything in between—how to read the room, how to convey as many points as possible, in a short time as possible, without being confusing,” she said.
Ms. Magnuson is now seeking to put the things she learned on the job at Williamsburg to good use both by creating accurate historical costumes and educational presentations for all ages—the former for reenactors, other historical interpreters, and those who just enjoy vintage clothing and the latter for kids in homeschool groups, women’s groups, and other venues. However, part of doing so requires her to walk the fine line of balance in an area that has become fraught with the emotions of the culture wars.
“History is as much about interpretation as it is about different facts, and that’s why you’ll have different versions of history,” she said, speaking of the conflict that has arisen over “woke” history in recent years.
For example, Ms. Magnuson noted that the women of history she often portrays were working women but that they often worked alongside or near their husbands, enabling them to raise a family far more easily than the career women of today.
“Most of the time ... the facts do ask you to take the middle road,” she said, further noting that “it’s kind of a disservice to only talk about the bad in their lives or only talk about the good in their lives, you have to talk about both to balance it out.” Doing so is essential to both respect those who lived in the past and remember the lessons that history has to offer those of us in the present.
One way in which Ms. Magnuson is seeking to respect and honor those in the past is by portraying a Donut Dollie from World War II at reenactment events. It’s a bit early to reenact the Vietnam period, but she hopes to soon portray a Donut Dollie from that era as well for the sake of the vets.
“I’ve been to events and seen vets come over to a Vietnam [reenactment] group ... and just break down crying,” she said, noting that they appreciated being recognized in the same way they always saw World War II vets recognized.
These vets will often sit and have lengthy talks with Ms. Magnuson and other young women dressed as Donut Dollies, for they recognize that these young ladies know and understand what Vietnam vets went through.
“We should appreciate them because whether it was right or wrong for us to go to Vietnam, they still sacrificed, they still went through horrible things ... and so they should be appreciated and loved,” she said.
Eventually, Ms. Magnuson hopes to give that same recognition and appreciation to those who served in the Iraq War. She particularly sees this future portrayal as a good way to honor her father, who died in January, partially because of his exposure to the burn pits he encountered during his own time serving in Iraq.
Until then, however, she expects to be busy with her needle and thread, creating historically accurate clothing through her company, The Rebel Costumer (@TheRebelCostumer on Facebook and Instagram), and traveling around the country teaching others to love U.S. history as much as she does.
