Hillsborough Revolutionary War Day debuts 18th century beauty salon

On Saturday, the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough put on their annual Revolutionary War Living History Day, better known as “Rev War Day.” At the Orange County Historical Museum, a new exhibit was featured this year revolving around beauty in the 18th century.

Catie Atkinson, the site manager of the Orange County Historical Museum, was the mastermind behind the beauty salon. She said she did research on 18th-century beauty standards and then discovered products that were most similar to the ones from that time.

“It was really fun to research and learn about it, and figure out how to bring it to life in an easy way for modern audiences,” she said.

This is the first year this exhibit has been a part of Rev War Day, and Atkinson said that it has been received well by everyone, especially the kids. Some of the products available were face stickers in various shapes — originally used in the 18th century to cover blemishes, which then turned into a fashion statement — colored hair powder, white face paint and cream blush. Atkinson said that it is interesting to draw the parallels between products from then, like the stickers and hair powder, to products of today, like pimple patches and dry shampoo. 

Taylor Osborne went to graduate school with Atkinson, which is how he got involved with Rev War Day. For the past couple years, he has impersonated Charles Cornwallis, a famous British general from the American Revolution. 

Osborne also said that Atkinson told him a little bit about her idea to incorporate 18th century beauty into this year’s Rev War Day. He said that he has been reenacting history for close to a decade and had never seen something like this.

“So, looking at the niche, little of 18th century material culture and trends, it’s stuff that blows people’s minds," he said. "So, it’s an interesting way to look at the history." 

Atkinson said that her favorite products from the 18th century are the face stickers. She learned in her research that women during the American Revolution used the stickers as a way to communicate if they were Whigs or Tories, or if they were for or against the revolution. 

“I just saw the one off-reference and didn’t dive into it deeper, but thought that was interesting as a way for women who wouldn’t normally express a political opinion, to express it in a very subtle way,” she said.

Atkinson also discovered while researching that 18th century makeup products were not commonly made from lead and other toxic materials, a popular misconception. She said that most people used things like white clay, rice powder and ground pearls to make the white pigment for their faces.

“People probably, just like today, people take their beauty to extreme measures, there were probably people that used lead to really go hard, but not most people,” she said. 

Kelly Arnold, the programs and events coordinator for the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough, said that she immediately loved Atkinson’s idea for Rev War Day this year. The Alliance got extra funding from the state this year due to it being the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolution, so they were able to offer a few more events this year to keep the day new and exciting.

“Since it is such a staple in the community, we want to make sure that people who have come before have a reason to come back and have something new that they’re going to see,” she said.

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