| The story of the Pilgrims is tenacious; it is infinitely complex, frustrating, and rich. Their history has been documented and studied from every angle, political to religious to agricultural. Although costuming has only recently found its place in academia, the tale the Pilgrim wardrobe tells can be as important as the letters they left behind.;This document is a survey of how the wardrobe of the Pilgrims has been interpreted through time, specifically at Plimoth Plantation. It begins with an overview of how Pilgrim costume was depicted in the century prior to the opening of the museum, and moves forward through the early beginnings of Plimoth Plantation, to the textile experiments done during the 1970s as well as the beginning of first person interpretation and the publication of Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion in the 1980s.;The next chapter is an examination of research and construction done in the modern day Colonial Wardrobe and Textile department at the museum. Finally, it examines the interpreter's own assessments of their clothing, the future trajectory of Plimoth's goals, and how its mission and direction will affect the colonial wardrobe at the museum.;Examining how Pilgrim costumes have been depicted over time does not provide a deeper insight into the psychology and history of the early settlers themselves. Instead, it shines a light on the way these settlers have been viewed by their successors. It is impossible to be released fully from the biases of one's own time and circumstances, but the plantation can do its best by creating costumes that are as accurate as possible, thoroughly researched, and relevant to the cultural, geographic, and economic situations of the wearer. In this way, Plimoth Plantation provides far more than a stereotype of buckled hats and pumpkin pie- it gives visitors a chance to access history at a personal level. |
