Our Programs

Available Lectures:

• NEW! “The Web They Wove:” Women & their Wardrobes during New England’s Revolution: Underpinning the sensationalism of battle reports & broadsides is the often silent steadiness of women’s work with textiles. The choices they made every day about fashion and fabric consumption & creation drove the course of Revolution just as determinedly as any congress. As southern New England commemorates the 250th anniversary (semiquincentennial) of the War for Independence, it is these local lives dressed in fulled wool or spun silk that continue to inspire creativity, resilience, and empathy in us today. From the mythology of homespun to legends of midnight rides in red cloaks & calashes, the Dirty Blue Shirts share stories of women who waged war on multiple fronts as well as a look at what they wore as their worlds turn’d upside down. This program is presented by costumed historians and includes reproduction clothing pieces & fabric samples as well as a PowerPoint presentation with images of extant originals.
• Federal Fashion - Lately Arrived in New London: While Europe’s drawing-rooms dressed Regency, we Americans were developing our own Federal style.  From the balmy ports of the Carolinas to the snowy harbors of New England, ships offloaded fabrics & fashion papers to a waiting audience of savvy consumers.  At home, textile production was growing apace, providing everyday fabrics as well as employment for countless citizens. Join the Dirty Blue Shirts for a show-and-feel of the clothing of the new Republic, the ways in which we stayed on top of European styles and the ways in which we made our own sartorial marks on the international scene.
• Knit So As to Turn Water: the History of New England's Maritime Knitting: It followed the fish, the flight paths of immigrants, the sea-lanes of war: the knitted clothing of New England reflects maritime cultures the world over. Rich with origin mythology and salty with sailors' yarns, garments like nippers, half-handers, and the infamous fisherman's sweater each hold a romantic yet real place in our coastal History. Join Rebecca Bayreuther Donohue, historian & knitter, for an ode to wool and marvel once again at how the sea connects us all. A PowerPoint chronology comes to life with examples of breed-specific yarns and recreated garments.

Immersive Programming:

• Maritime Demonstrations: Great for museums, festivals, and family-friendly events! The Dirty Blue Shirts will educate your audience through hands-on activities including rope-making, netting, cargo handling, the Dead Horse Ceremony, and more!
• Living History Events: The Dirty Blue Shirt can bring life to any historical site! From women's history and material culture to maritime history, the Shirts can bring life to any historic site, backed by academic research. Planning for your institution's 2026 Semiquincentennial calendar of events? The Dirty Blue Shirts are currently expanding our 1770s-1780s repertoire.
• Cemetery Tours: We bring reverence and historical accuracy to each of our cemetery programs at all times of the year - from Memorial Day to All Hallows' Eve!
• Prohibition and Rum Running Events: The 1920s is one of our favorite decades to interpret. We are always open to bringing our love of this exciting period of Connecticut history to new venues!

Music Programs: