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photo of 4 women in colonial dress

The Web They Wove: Women & Their Wardrobes During the American Revolution @ Central

Underpinning the sensationalism of battle reports & broadsides is the often silent steadiness of women’s work with textiles. The choices they made every day about fashion and fabric consumption & creation drove the course of Revolution just as determinedly as any congress. As southern New England commemorates the 250th anniversary (semi-quincentennial) of the War for Independence, it is these local lives dressed in full wool or spun silk that continue to inspire creativity, resilience, and empathy in us today. From the mythology of homespun to legends of midnight rides in red cloaks & calashes, the Dirty Blue Shirts share stories of women who waged war on multiple fronts as well as a look at what they wore as their worlds turn’d upside down.

This program is presented by costumed historians and includes reproduction clothing pieces & fabric samples as well as a PowerPoint presentation with images of extant originals.

This is supported in part by a grant from the Rhode Island Semiquincentennial Commission (RI250) and the Cranston Arts Commission.

Registration is required. 

Date:
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Time:
6:00pm - 7:30pm
Time Zone:
Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
Contact:
Robin Nyzio, RNyzio@cranstonlibrary.org
Location:
James T. Giles Community Room
Branch:
Central Library
Audience:
  Adults     School Age     Teens  
Categories:
  Community     Craft & Hobby  

Register for this event using the form below. There are 51 seats available.