Souvenirs from Colonial Williamsburg
For our upcoming Becoming History presentation, my son decided to use several of his souvenirs from Colonial Williamsburg.
Inspired by a Bosun Whistle
Discovering a bosun whistle at the Colonial Williamsburg souvenir shop last summer, my son decided his next persona must entail the whistle.
While studying the Napoleonic/Regency/Federal Era of 1800-1825 my son discovered Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s famed for taking control of Lake Erie from the British in 1813.
Stay tuned for the Becoming History presentation…but for now, learn how to use the rest of my son’s Colonial Williamsburg souvenirs.
Recreating a Famous Letter
Because Commodore Perry wrote a famous letter, my son recreated it with his souvenir quill, ink, ink well, parchment paper, sealing wax, and stamp.
First he used his ink powder from Colonial Williamsburg, to make the ink. (see header photo)
Sitting at his desk, he dipped his quill into his ink well to pen the letter onto parchment.
Can you guess who he is writing to?
After that dried, he placed it into a parchment envelope that he sealed with wax.
To use the wax, merely place a flame on the wax to melt it enough to press into the envelope where the seal is required.
While still wet, press the stamp into the wax.
Epilogue
We’ve since learned that envelopes weren’t yet used, so it would have been more proper to fold the paper and seal that.
Nevertheless it was a great project!
For more photos check my Flickr set.
Also stay tuned for our Napoleonic Era becoming history presentation.
