EVERYONE LOVES THE INSIDE SCOOP!

Everyone loves the inside scoop, right? Everyone loves to know the little intricacies and details of things, the stuff only people in the sanctum sanctorum, the privileged, the elite, the inner circle, as it were, know, right?
ABSOLUTELY!

Do you love period drama? Are you a Jane Austen fan? Do you miss Downton Abbey? Does your jaw drop at all the glorious, stunning outfits the actors wear?

Well, your chance to find out all about period costuming and historical dress must haves and faux-pas is here!

Those of you within driving distance of French Azilum might wish to mark July 23 on your calendar. On that Saturday, we will be hosting three very special tours of the LaPorte-Hagermann House, focusing on some fabulous reproduction clothing on loan to us from the talented Lynne Symborski. Lynne is known nationally for the historical accuracy and the quality of her work and these garments are breathtaking and exquisite. We at French Azilum (I am on the Board, and I also Docent there now, as well as at The Oldest House) are very fortunate to have this great display this year.
But July 23 is the ONLY chance this year you will have to learn all about underpinnings, ensembles and outerwear for men, women and children from historical costumiers who will be leading the guided tours! (Yes, I'm one of them. The gracious Marny Gerhart and our knowledgable site manager Lee Kleinsmith are the others!)

You'll be greeted on the front porch of the LaPorte-Hagermann House by your historically costumed guide and ushered into the beautiful foyer. Here you'll learn a little bit more about French Azilum and the types of people who lived here (they were nobility or royal descendants, most of them, so there's a clue!), as well as their immediate descendant John LaPorte, who built the House you are visiting. Stunning architectural features will help you to forget the 21st century, and enter an era long past...

And then, the fun begins. Assume the guise of one of the LaPortes' guests, calling on the family, and enter the first reception room. Admire the period furnishings, learn of their provenance, and enjoy the beautifully costumed mannequins representing what visitors at that time might have worn to pay such a visit! It doesn't matter if YOU happen to be in flip flops, shorts or jeans: you can pretend you're wearing a sumptuous cape, gown or top hat like the mannequins. Learn the importance of dress, particularly when calling on friends and acquaintances, and even business partners.

Move on (in rather dramatic fashion if I'm doing the tour!) to the second reception room and learn a bit more about the ways in which the rooms in houses such as the one you are visiting might have been used: visiting, certainly. But what about dances, parties and receptions (as the name implies), even weddings! There's a surprise in this room, but I won't give it away.

You'll leave the public rooms, now, and traverse the grand staircase with its large window that looks out over the property, and pass into the private areas of the House.

Upstairs, mannequins in each of the three bed chambers--and learn why they are called that--represent the ways in which residents of the House might have dressed for bed and immediately upon rising in the morning. You'll get to see exactly how they wore various elements of clothing and undergarments, and why, to achieve the correct 'look' for the fashions of various periods. You will learn the importance of a lady's maid and settle once and for all the mysteries of closets and corsets.
And what about children? What did they wear? See examples and learn more about the theory of child rearing, such as it was, in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
On this floor, you'll also be treated to a peek at French Azilum's research library and even get to see the remarkable lath and plaster on the inside wall of the attic stair!

Returning to the ground floor, you'll be welcomed as a close friend of the family into the Ladies' Parlor. Here again, mannequins dressed for visiting will allow you to more easily assume the identity of such a 'caller' on the family in bygone days. More intriguing items from our past, both furnishings and ornaments, will be on show for your admiration. 
Then it's on to the Library, where a more masculine flavor imbues the room and the mannequins are dressed for sport and outdoor activity of that era. Items here evoke John LaPorte: Pennsylvania's Surveyor General, U.S. Congressman and banker. 

Finally, you'll arrive at the dining room, a spacious area where everyone can have a seat, a glass of iced tea and some home-baked goodies, and ask questions of the tour guides. It is really much more complicated to dress properly in period clothing than you might think, although having been through the tour, you probably will have a much better idea now, than before. (I mean, who knew there were so many types of stays, or 'bodies' or corsets to use their more modern name). Additionally, questions about the house or the families who lived here, if not asked and answered during the tour, will be invited at this time.

Additional history of the house and a visit to the 'new' kitchen, built some time before 1870, will conclude your tour and your glimpse into how people really dressed and lived, and why they wore what they did when they did, even out here in rural Pennsylvania!

So I hope you're intrigued and will decide to make the journey out to French Azilum, near Towanda, PA, on July 23 and visit me and my friends Marny and Lee and allow us to share with you the delight we have found in the LaPorte Hagerman House.