Registration opens:
September 28th, 2026

Clothes Encounters:Victorian & Edwardian Apparel & Lifestyle

and beyond

Have you ever held a garment sewn around the time of the Civil War? Want to try on a military hat from the 1880s? Sally Cragin discusses the history of fashion from 1850 through the Jazz Age & beyond.

Have you ever held a garment sewn around the time of the Civil War? Want to try on a military hat from the 1880s? Journalist, author, and historian Sally Cragin will discuss the history of fashion, as well as "what was appropriate" for certain genders and classes from about 1850 through the Jazz Age and beyond. The collection includes undergarments (wool and cotton), uniforms from previous eras (shop girls, waitresses, housewives), shoes, hats, handbags and more.

This is a hands-on program! Attendees can handle, examine, and in some cases, try on these items. Sally's collection also includes many antique handbags included beaded, cloisonné, needle-pointed, metallic, and unique (cannot find similar examples on Ebay or antique sites!). We will conclude with the swinging 60s — including a vintage paper dress!

Sponsored by the Wilbraham Friends of the Library. 

Registration is requested as space is limited.

About Sally Cragin:

Award-winning journalist, author and historian Sally Cragin originated the "Clothes Encounters" column for the Boston Phoenix and won two Penney-Missouri Journalism awards for "Best Feature." Before running for office (she serves as a City Councilor-at-large in Fitchburg, MA), she was an arts writer for the Boston Globe, Yankee Magazine, Village Voice, Boston Herald, St. Louis Riverfont Times and other magazines. She is a longtime author with Llewellyn Worldwide. Her books, "The Astrological Elements" and "Astrology on the Cusp" have sold domestically and overseas.

She is the Founder/Director of Be PAWSitive Therapy Pets and Community Education which she founded in 2014. This volunteer non-profit develops, mentors and insures therapy pet teams and provides information about resources for pet care responsibility (vaccinations, spay/neuter, shelter support). 

Sally Cragin teaches New England history, writing, literature, and theatre in the ALFA program at Fitchburg State University.  

She is also the author of The Astrological Elements, and Astrology on the Cusp (Llewellyn Worldwide) which have been translated and sold in a number of countries including India, Russia, Canada, British Virgin Islands, the Czech Republic and Estonia. She was the first astrology commentator for Audible.com (1999-2001). She writes annual astrology forecasts for Llewellyn Worldwide almanacs. She was the first on-line astrologer for Audible.com

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