5 Historical Films on the African Diaspora That You Should Watch | ft. Real Historians

⭐️This is part of a collaboration with @NotYourMommasHistory – don’t forget to watch her video after this one for a more in-depth discussion of the historical context of these films. ⭐️
Historical costume dramas are a huge inspiration for cosplayers, costumers, and reenactors alike. We devour Jane Austen and debate Little Women constantly, but do non-BIPoC creators ever think of referencing movies that focus on the Black American experience? In this 2-part collaboration with Cheyney McKnight a public historian, activist, and owner of Not Your Momma’s History, we explore 5 incredible films that center around Black American (and one British) stories.

In this video, we discuss the incredible costumes in Belle (2013), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Harriet (2019) [Paul Tazewell deserved an Oscar Nomination for his work], Beloved (1998), and The Color Purple (1985). Spanning 200 years – we can find sewing inspiration from the 18th-Century through the 1940s by watching these films.

The other part of this collaboration with @NotYourMommasHistory will discuss the historical context and what the movies got right, wrong, and could have done better with the actual history of Enslaved individuals and the Free Black community in the United States (also, Belle, the exception to the rule here…) I am, as always, completely blown away by Cheyney and am so grateful for her friendship. She is the most incredible teacher, and I learned so much speaking with and listening to her. So, if you’re actually reading down this far, and you haven’t clicked to go watch her video yet, please do so.

📚If you’d like to buy my books you can do so here (or anywhere books are sold!)

The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking:

The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty: (featuring an incredible essay by Cheyney about the cultural appropriation of African hair in the 1700s that we discuss in relation to the movie Belle.)

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🖼Images Used:

Ann Frankland Lewis, Dress of the Year 1781, LACMA

Afternoon Dress, c. 1845, The Metropolitan Museum of Art,

Dress, 1860-63, The Metropolitan Museum of Art,

Wilson Chinn, a branded slave from Louisiana / Photographed by Kimball, 477 Broadway, N.Y., 1863, Library of Congress

Slave with an Iron Muzzle, 1839,

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