…a young woman from Towson, Maryland (near Baltimore). The character is very simple; young women of means of the era had little more to do than care for slaves and indentured servants, and to marry well. The rest of the time was spent hosting or attending parties.
Jacinta’s imagined family, based on the Ridgelys of Baltimore, would have owned merchant ships, stores, and produced an abundance of raw materials on their estate including pig iron, tobacco, cotton, and grain crops which they would make lively trade with the English for finished goods like iron railings and furniture. It was said the elder Ridgely also stole stud racehorses, bred them, and returned them in the dark of night.
While Jacinta’s ensemble looks like evening wear, it is actually a typical “every day” dress for a young woman of the time. Made of embroidered cotton, her accessories are 100% silk. As sewing machines had not yet been made lightweight enough for dress garment use (only for punching whale fisherman’s jackets in stacks), every thing was, and is sewn by hand. Her silk and cotton bonnet is hand made on a stiff buckram base, and decorated with silk flowers and a cotton ball.
Most unique and specific to her time is the corded corset – the first time the term was used (although they are really “stays” still). This acts to smoothe out any lumps and to lift the breasts and make them “perfectly round”, which was the ideal silhouette of the day.
Her very long and thick hair is perfectly curled using a special iron for this interpretation, and she wears very little underneath – as appropriate to the day.
In 1805 being “undressed” meant covering up every inch of one’s body, while being “dressed” meant baring it all.
Jacinta is our choreographer and staging director, and plays an increasingly important role is organizing and directing The Gals in the shows. As The Gals hit the streets giving historic tours of downtown Cody, Jacinta will be working with historical content and writing small vignettes to perform alongside the “Wild Bunch” (Cody Gunfighter shows).
We know it looks odd to put these very distinctly different eras next to each other. The strength of The Gals is that we are each absolutely authentic and individual and independent. We just couldn’t resist taking selfies in Buffalo Bill Cody’s personal suite at his historic Irma Hotel though.
