Join Vi, creator of the YouTube channel SnappyDragon, as she demonstrates how a young working-class Hungarian Jewish immigrant woman would get dressed in her best clothes for Shabbat in the Victorian-era Lower East Side. Based on the story of her own great-great-grandmother Carolina at age 19, Vi has created reproduction garments from the year 1881, from underpinnings and corsetry to outerwear and millinery. Attendees will get an up-close look at how 19th century clothes were made and worn, and have the opportunity to ask questions throughout the presentation. The dress reconstruction can be seen in The Clothes On Their Backs, a Youtube series developed with support from the Jewish Writers’ Initiative Digital Storytellers Lab, a project of Maimonides Fund.
About Vi
Vi (she/her) is a dressmaker, public historian, and videographer who explores the social realities of the past and present through fashion history. Her YouTube channel SnappyDragon has over 85k subscribers and uses everything from sewing techniques to TikTok trends and popular media to break down historical misconceptions and discuss representation, Jewish history, and disability justice. Vi loves the human side of history, and aims to make the humour and the hardship of past centuries relatable to a modern audience.