During February Vacation watch historic tailor Henry Cooke turn a well-worn reproduction boy’s coat and remake it to look like new during our debut “18^th c. Tailor in Residence” event! Henry will demonstrate his craft inside the Revere Room in our Education and Visitor Center; the event is a drop in experience included in the price of admission & sponsored by the Boston Cultural Council.

In colonial Boston, clothing was particularly valuable because of the cost of the materials of which it was made. Wool and linen had to be imported from England, and even ordinary broadcloth garments were cared for and mended, and when they could not be repaired it was a common practice to take the garment completely apart, turn the pieces inside out and remake it with the new side out, a process known as “turning.” This handmade reproduction coat sees A LOT of use in our education programs for schools and will be immediately put back into service after it is refreshed!