Living history

This article is about the term as used among historical reenactors. For the autobiography of Hillary Clinton, see Living History.

File:Queen-Elisabeth-1.jpg

An actress playing the role of Mary Queen of Scots at a Scottish fair in 2003.

Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation which seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to reenact a specific event in history, living history is similar to, and sometimes incorporates, historical reenactment. Living history is an educational medium used by museums to educate the public in particulars areas of history. These museums utilize museum professionals, historians and trained interpreters in order to convey the most correct historical information available.

A one-on-one combat reenactment demonstration at a Scotish Games gathering.

Activities

This may be confined to wearing period dress and perhaps explaining relevant historical information, either in role (also called first-person interpretation) or out of character (also called third-person interpretation). While many museums allow their staff to move in and out of character to better answer visitor questions, some encourage their staff to stay in role at all times. This technique was pioneered by the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village in Alberta, Canada.

Living history portrayal often involves demonstrating everyday activities such as cooking, cleaning, medical care, or particular skills and handicrafts. Depending on the historical period portrayed, these might include spinning, sewing, loom weaving, tablet weaving, inkle weaving or tapestry weaving, cloth dyeing, basket weaving, rope making, leather-working, shoemaking, metalworking, glassblowing, woodworking or other crafts. Considerable research is often applied to identifying authentic techniques and often recreating replica tools and equipment.

Presentation

Historical reenactment groups often attempt to organize such displays in an encampment or display area at an event, and have a separate area for combat reenactment activities. During the 1990s, reenactment groups, primarily American Civil War groups, began to show interest in this style of interpretation and began using it at their reenactments .

Living History in Education

Living History may also be used to describe a method of teaching history whereby students try their hand at such activities and experience some aspects of period lifestyle guided by historical interpreters, albeit sometimes with less stringent standards of authenticity.

Photographs of Living History exhibits are increasingly used in Historical textbooks to illustrate aspects of daily life. Living History requires thorough research on the part of the museum staff, volunteers and interpreters.

Notable Living History Museums

• Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
• Conner Prairie in Fishers, Indiana, USA
• Cosmeston Medieval Village in Vale of Glamorgan, Wales
• Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia in Staunton, Virginia, USA
• Heritage Park Historical Village in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
• Jorvik Viking Centre in York, England
• Old Salem in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
• Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, USA
• The Old Town, Aarhus, Denmark
• Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA
• Skansen open air museum in Stockholm, Sweden
• Sovereign Hill in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
• Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village in Alberta, Canada
• Halifax Citadel National Historic Site of Canada (Citadel Hill), Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

See also

• Historical reenactment
• Combat reenactment
• Living museum
• Living History Australia
• Society for Creative Anachronism
• Buckskinning ("Rendezvous")
• Experimental archaeology

External links

• Living History at the Open Directory Project
• Museum Village, Monroe, New York
• Widoeghe a Dutch language historical reenactment web site
• Frontier Culture Museum, Staunton, VA
• Jersey County Victorian Festival in Jerseyville, Illinois
• Legio V Alaudae Roman history reenactment group in Tennessee
• Comitatus (UK) ( Late & Post-Roman Romano-British and Germanic Living history and experimental re-enactment, 306-866AD)
• Society for Creative Anachronism
• WEOROD Early Medieval Historical Re-Enactment and Living History Society in Hampshire UK
• Company of Chivalry’ Medieval Re-Enactment and Living History in 1370