A Phenomenological Study of Costumed Interpreters and the Wearing of Period Clothing at Living History Museums

Abstract

This study explored the phenomenological experiences of costumed interpreters who wear period dress while working at living history museums, specifically the meanings they gave to their clothed experiences. This study highlights the wearer of period clothing, rather than the producer or viewer, of such clothes. Data collection included qualitative in-depth interviews with 22 costumed interpreters from eight living history sites. Purposive sampling was used and prospective participants were reached through the Association of Living History, Farms and Museums, the National Council for Public History, and the researcher’s professional contacts. Participants were all over the age of 18, represented 17 women and five men, and had an average of 12 years of experience wearing period clothing at living history sites. Participants were overwhelmingly white, with one Black participant. Interviews took place between July 2020 and January 2021. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, all interviews were conducted virtually through Zoom. Participants sent a picture of themselves in their period clothes, and interview questions were answered based on the clothing in those images. Interviews ranged from 45 minutes to 2 hours, 15 min. Data were coded using NVivo analysis software. Analysis of data revealed two interpretive themes: (1) The lived experience wearing period clothing at living history museums advances’ the wearer’s knowledge of history and, (2) the lived experience with period clothing promotes and challenges personal and collective memories of the past. Because the wearer advances their knowledge of history, they may extend that understanding to the viewers of their period clothing. Future research could study the wearer’s experience of period clothing while facilitating discussions of slavery, racism, and settler colonialism with living history museum visitors.