Internet Romance

I found a new site that I think I may want to start dating. I don't think I'm ready for an exclusive relationship with it, but we will definitely be hanging out!

Check it out here!

Slave Clothing: Interwoven Cultures (part 2)

In addition to preferred patterns, the slaves exhibited a partiality for bright colors. Slaves especially preferred red in their attire. After emancipation, red shirts were given to some newly freedmen as a way to gain their votes for candidates. One of these freedmen explained, "it never would have dont to have a black shirt, no sir; I's sure of dat. Dat would have had not 'peal to our color." (see Slave Narratives: South Carolina Narratives). An African American folk story illustrates how enticing the color red seemed to be:

In Africa they had very few pretty things, and . . . they had no red colors in cloth . . . Some strangers with pale faces come one day and draped a small piece of red flannel down on the ground. All the black folks grabbed for it. Then a larger piece was draped a little further on, and on until the river was reached . . . They was led on, each one trying to git a piece as it was draped. Finally, when the ship was reached, they draped large pieces on the plank and up into the ship till they got as many blacks on board as they wanted.

The slaves showed ingenuity in creating the colors they desired. They learned to make dyes out of the vegetation around them. Combinations of walnut, elm, cherry, and red oak created various red dyes. Cedar moss was used for yellow dye and straight walnut was used for brown. It was common, even necessary, for the slaves to use local natural resources to create their handcrafted items.

In addition to patterns and colors, slaves also viewed hairstyles as a way to assert individuality and the unique qualities of their culture. The most prevalent hair ornament was the head kerchief. Although the head kerchief has become associated with the slave mammies, almost all slave women wore them. The head kerchiefs were worn both during work and at times of celebration and festivals. In a world of forced conformity, hairstyles allowed slaves to assert individuality from other slaves as well as white society.

Sundays were the one day most slaves did not have to work for the master. Therefore, on Sundays, they took even greater care to dress and style themselves. One slave went barefooted throughout the week but wore shoes on Sundays. When asked why, he explained that he could wear out his feet during the week because they belonged to his master but he took great care with his shoes because those belonged to him.

Certainly, slavery was a confining, degrading experience for those enslaved. The actual opportunities for cultural or social interaction were limited. It must not be forgotten that first and foremost, slaves worked. After the hours of working as chattel, many slaves returned to their own quarters to work for themselves (many had gardens and they had to cook and care for their own families). That they were willing to spend their own time and the little money* they had on clothing seems to indicate that it was a way for them to show pride and artistic expression. Certainly the aesthetic, skills, and traditions that formed during the slave period continue to impact American culture today.


*One historian claims that slaves spent 80% of their money on fabric and clothing.

Slave Clothing: Interwoven Cultures (part 1)

The culture the slaves created was not an imitation of the Euro-American culture of their masters and mistresses. Nor was it merely a transplanted African culture. Rather, it was a hybrid culture which included white, African, and Indian influences. This hybrid culture was expressed poignantly through the clothing slaves wore and made for themselves.

Both the types of clothing and the materials used for slave clothing were largely determined by the slave owners. Thus, they were derived from the Euro-American traditions. This does not mean however, that the slaves had no say in their clothing. Indeed, they imposed their own styles and aesthetics upon the clothing they made and wore.

Unlike the symmetrical preferences of Europe and America, Africans tended to prefer spontaneity in design and color. This aesthetic appears to have its origins in the folk beliefs of African cultures. Folk customs indicate that jumbled patterns were thought to keep bad spirits away because evil only traveled in straight lines.

Unable to create exact replicas of their African (Mande) textiles, American slaves preferred calico to checked prints. Another option slaves had was to spin their own fabrics. Many slave women were trained as spinsters. They were able to use this skill for their own clothing as well as clothing to be sold by their masters. A final option was to use the issued fabric and make strips similar to those used in strip quilts. These strips were assembled to create the staggered patterns desired.


For more information on this topic see also:

John Michael Vlach, By the Work of Their Hands: Studies in Afro-American Folklives (Ann Arbor: University of Michican Research Press, 1991).

Roderick A. McDonald, The Economy and Material Culture of Slaves: Goods and Chattels on the Sugar Plantations of Jamaica and Louisiana (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1993).

Betty Wood, Women's Work, Men's Work: The Informal Slave Economies of Lowcountry Georgia (Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 1995).

B.A. Botkin, ed., Lay My Burden Down: A Folk History of Slavery (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1945).

Pretty good with color...

When Charlotte and I first met Phil, she and he made a deal. She would crochet him an afghan and he would paint her a picture. He got to choose (and buy) the yarn and pattern and she got to suggest a subject. Charlotte said she wanted a yellow umbrella featured prominently in her painting. He selected a manly, heavy pattern and then was off to the store to select yarn. I got to go with to be his assistant.

Standing in front of the vast array of yarn possibilities the following conversation took place:

Heidi: "So what are we looking for here?"

Phil: "I need three different yarns."

Heidi: "What about these, or these, or these?"

Phil: "I just need your help selecting the type of yarn, I'm pretty good with color so I can handle that part."

He selected a nice burgundy, blue, and gray. We have a great, heavy, manly afghan as a result. Charlotte has a Phil Kesler original hanging on her office wall (I think it is still there) featuring a rainy street corner with a bright yellow umbrella. What a deal!

Flash forward about ten years when Phil and I got married. We bought a house that needed to be updated. We nearly got a divorce while trying to select the colors for the walls. I just had to remember that although Phil IS the artist and professor, I'm pretty good with color too. Eventually we agreed on our color palette and we quite enjoy the colors in our home.

Now flash forward two and a half more years to this very morning. As I was getting Eden dressed (in her purple turtleneck and purple sweater) she exclaimed, "purple shirt!" I hadn't told her it was purple (today). She also knows blue, green, yellow, red (although she sometimes calls it "Elmo color"), and orange.

Yeah, she could proclaim: "I'm pretty good with color!"

She is. He is. I am. We are.