At the end of every month, I look back in a panic at how quickly it moved, but I must admit that April of 2026 went by with particular speed.

There’s a very good reason for that: I was offered the position of John L. Wehle Gallery curator at Genesee Country Village & Museum, which necessitates selling my house and moving to Rochester, not in that order. It’s quite a significant upending of my life!

On the one hand, moving to Rochester is a huge change. It’s about four hours away from where I live now in central New York, so I can’t do it in stages on my own — I have to hire a moving van and people to deal with the heavy furniture (like the spinet). And I need to have a place to move to, which is difficult to find from four hours away! (Particularly as Rochester has a very tricky housing market. For some reason the realtors there get a kick out of deliberately under-pricing housing to provoke a bidding war?) I’m going to have to build an entire new social circle, find new community theatre groups to join, and essentially remake my sense of what is normal.

On the other hand, my sense of self is heavily bound up in my current job, in my specific circumstances. I … should not go into detail on what that means, at least for another month or two, but broadly speaking, I’ll just say that it’s not entirely healthy and I’m having a difficult time disengaging from viewing myself as Manager Of This Collection. Going from being a collections manager to a curator is a big shift: think of Pam Beesley getting herself promoted from receptionist to sales. It’s what I’ve wanted for my career, but it’s still discombobulating.

So — I have not kept up with my 500-words-a-day habit. When you’re going through a weird psychological thing for the whole workday, or spending twelve hours driving, looking at houses, and driving home again, you’re just drained. But at least I still have weekends to make some progress, and I do.

This also pushes back when I can start posting Mary Marchbanks, just because I need to be in a position to do so consistently, without getting distracted by, you know, packing up my entire house and unpacking it again. Let’s count on July!

This month’s fashion history focus is on a portrait from the 1840s, as Genesee Country Village’s collection is mostly based around the early-to-mid-nineteenth century. It depicts Nancy Foy Lawson, the wife of a prosperous clothing merchant of Boston.

Perhaps this is why Mrs. Lawson’s clothing, in contrast to that of many folk art portraits of the period, is highly detailed and carefully depicted. Her dark green gown has the full sleeves, pleated down over the upper arm, that are characteristic of the late 1830s and early 1840s, as well as decorative pleats running down either side of the front of the bodice. Both sets of pleats are trimmed with buttons covered with green fabric, possibly the same as the gown or a matching silk taffeta (given the sheen).

The broad and deep V-neckline is adorned with a heavily whiteworked muslin collar, edged with embroidered scallops: either a pricey accessory or evidence of the wearer’s skill and domesticity. The neckline is also filled in with a chemisette that appears to be embroidered in a more basic way, edged at the top with a ruffle. Most basic of all, Mrs. Lawson’s sleeves are trimmed with plain white cotton cuffs.

Her cap is an even sheerer muslin, one that is almost transparent; it’s a simple cut, with most of the visual interest coming from the small ruffle around the face. Its ribbon is more striking, with a brocaded pattern (possibly of fruit or leaves) against a light pink ground, and a picot edge.

Mrs. Lawson is also wearing several pieces of jewelry. Around her neck is a black ribbon held with a tiny brooch. There is also a slightly larger brooch, possibly a mourning piece, in the center of the visible triangle of chemisette. Lastly, there is a plain gold ring on her right hand.

Thank you for reading! I can’t wait to tell you about developments in my living situation and A Run of Better Fortune in May!