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| 05/28/2007 |
| Love of Victorian era turns into a vocation |
BY ELIZABETH SKRAPITS
STAFF WRITER
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WILKES-BARRE — In the meticulously restored parlor of the Stegmaier mansion on South Franklin Street, Lisa Lewis looks like she stepped out of the society pages of a turn-of-the-century newspaper.
The 19th century, that is.
Modeling Victorian Fashions
Her outfit, an authentic 1900 lingerie summer ensemble, is accented with period jewelry and a hat she trimmed herself. And the exquisite Victorian decor at the mansion is the perfect setting for it.
Lewis is a re-enactor and lecturer, specializing in the costumes and customs of the Victorian era, also known as the Gilded Age, and the Edwardian era — think 1912 and the Titanic. Her area of expertise is in the years 1870 to 1920.
I always wanted to have my own business. I was an art major by training; I love history; I wanted to be creative, Lewis said. It’s everything I love rolled into one. I’m very fortunate.
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She has always been an avid reader, starting with classics like the 1908 bestseller Anne of Green Gables, as a child.
I have been fascinated with the Victorian era since I was in junior high school, the Pittston Area graduate said.
When she was in 10th grade, she went to her first estate sale with a friend’s mother, and got hooked. Today Lewis boasts an extensive collection of Victoriana, some bought, some donated. Many people have given her clothing from their great-grandmothers, knowing Lewis would appreciate it.
Some of the pieces are very unusual, like a nursing corset (They had corsets for everything, Lewis remarked) and a negligee from a bridal trousseau. Her collection of children’s clothing is a big hit at schools — when she did a presentation for her daughter’s kindergarten class at Wyoming Area recently, the kids didn’t want her to leave.
Lewis lives in West Pittston — In a Victorian home, of course, — with her four children.
The demands of motherhood mean it’s not always easy for Lewis to find time to pursue her passion, but immersing herself in the Victorian era is the way she relaxes.
I think the reason I’m so drawn to the era is our society is so fast-paced any more. Everything is so hurry-up and technical, and I just need to get away from that sometimes, she said. The Victorian era was an era of elegance and ambiance and manners. Of course there were problems, but it was a simpler time. It wasn’t hustle and bustle and deadlines. You could savor things — you can’t do that any more.
Lewis started as a Victorian re-enactor in 2003, when she and some other mothers of young children in West Pittston formed The Pleasure of Tea and Friendship Society. Each tea party had a different theme. At one of them, a friend asked Lewis to wear her Victorian costume because her 80-year-old mother and two great-aunts would love it.
It was about that time the demand for Lewis’ Victorian garb and expertise began to grow. She participated in a Wilkes-Barre trolley tour. People were asking her to host tea parties for their daughters, mothers, friends.
I started thinking, I’m onto something, Lewis said.
At first, in addition to wearing costumes, Lewis catered the tea parties. She stopped bringing food two years ago when new state regulations required her to install a commercial kitchen in her home.
A year ago Lewis was approached by John Dziak of the Greater Pittston Historical Society, where she has lectured, to play the role of young Esther Tinsley, administrator of Pittston Hospital in a documentary, Haven on the Hill. Tinsley, the first female hospital administrator in the country, arrived in the area in 1910 to work at Nesbitt Hospital in Kingston.
She read about the Stegmaier Mansion on South Franklin Street being renovated by owner Joe Matteo and asked him if he’d be interested. He said he had been looking for someone like her to give tours.
It was the beginning of a great working relationship. In fact, her latest project is a DVD presentation filmed there called Victorian Fashions at the Mansion.
Lewis does tours and events at The Lands at Hillside Farms, and in October she took part in a Victorian funeral at the Swetland Homestead. She’s working on an Ellis Island program, and gives a presentation on the subject to Clark Switzer’s eighth grade class at Wyoming Seminary.
Lewis is also starting a Pennsylvania Victorian society, and asks anyone who’s interested to contact her at
Lisa@victorianalady.com
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