Speaker: Melissa Shiels. Melissa will showcase the clothing changes that a Georgian lady of the late 18th century undertook for her various activities on any given day. This talk will highlight the hair/beauty regime of aGeorgian lady, the underpinnings she wore, her active wear for exercise, for visiting and dining, and for the most opulent of occasions - going to the ball. The various activities and crafts with which a lady filled her day will be explored and the talk will finish with a demonstration of 18th century tea etiquette.
Biography: Melissa Shiels is a second year PhD student at University College Cork, studying gift exchange in sixteenth-century Ireland. She has been involved in re-enactment and living history since 2002, and is a Heritage Expert with the Heritage in Schools programme since 2013. She regularly gives costumed talks in museums, libraries, schools, and literary festivals covering a thousand year period - from Viking to Victorian - using material culture and her experience of making and wearing historic clothing to bring history to life for audiences of all ages.
