18th century women’s clothing

​ of me in  period costume at the  fortress of Louisbourg.


Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wear 18th century women’s clothing? I had an opportunity to dress in the same type of clothes Thérèse would have worn as a servant in the novel. I dressed in a period costume when I was a volunteer at the fortress of Louisbourg  in the summer of 2015. Thankfully, we are not encumbered with the layers of clothing that were worn at that time. My first layer was a chemise or shift that was a full length gown, and over it was a petticoat. The final layer was the skirt. When climbing stairs, I had to pull up my skirts so I wouldn’t trip on the fabric. I wore A coloured apron with a bib that was pinned in place. A kerchief was worn around the neck for modesty or to keep out the sun. A woman’s hair was tied back and she wore a linen bonnet to keep out the lice.


On Sundays, servants exchanged their coloured aprons for white ones. Notice in the photo that my clothes that my clothes are not colour coordinated. Servants did not have enough money to purchase new clothes and often picked up secondhand items at local auctions.


I have a visual impairment and use a white cane. This Aid was not yet invented in the 18th century so I switched it for a walking stick. 


Imagine Women like Thérèse going about their daily chores dressed in this type of garb.