ECSHA Member Feature
Living History Presenter Sue McLane

Making History Relevant Today

ECSHA member, Sue McLane, has been a Living History presenter known as “The Victorian Lady” since 1991.  She was drawn to the Victorian Era’s simpler way of life and to the study of history itself during what she considers her second career as an independent scholar, and has studied the lifestyle and culture of 19th century America since 1986.  Sue spent seven years as a registered nurse in medical, surgical, cardiac and critical care units before making the choice to develop her entrepreneurial skills and apply them to her avocation for history and a profound desire to simplify her own life. 

A buyer and collector of antique clothing since the 1980s, following her nursing career, she owned an antique shop for several years and delighted in discovering the personal stories associated with items of clothing and furnishings that were hundreds of years old. 

“I discovered my passion in a backwards way,” she explains.  “My love of antique clothing enticed me to discover details about each piece and its origin, which developed my fascination with history.  Each outfit tells a story and looking at the details explains not only what it took to create it, but opens a window into the past that intrigues and urges me to continue with more research.”

McLane moved to Johnstown-NY in 2008 after purchasing a 1870s Victorian home with traditional architectural elements, such as parquet hardwood floors, high ceilings with wooden moldings, bay windows and rooms with tin ceilings.  The walls of her library are filled with 48 boxes she brought with her of 19th century primary source books and materials that she uses for research for her repertoire of presentations.

“This career is a lot more fun,” she says with a smile.  She’s an avid reader and immerses herself in the Victorian life when she enters her home that is furnished with antique items she has amassed over the years.  An item she does not miss is a television set.  She doesn’t own one. 

“I live a life I feel is more real, less artificial. I think there’s value in studying our history and if we make history more relevant, more people will see that value and enjoy it as well.”  It is for these reasons that Sue enjoys being a Living History presenter, as well as working part-time in an upscale gift shop and as an “old-fashioned” gardener for area clients.

Through mainly word-of-mouth advertising, she schedules presentations throughout the year for a variety of entertaining and educational programs, always wearing the appropriate Victorian outfit.  Here are examples of some of her Living History programs:

• At the Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa-NY, Sue hosts interactive programs with hands-on experience of a “Victorian Tea Party” for audiences of school children and for adults.  She talks about the history and background of tea drinking as she guides them through a celebration of Victorian culture, learning about clothing, manners and pastimes.  Participants are taught how to make the invitations, create the menus, set a table properly using vintage linens, china and serving pieces, practice polite tea manners, and make authentic tea foods, while learning how to brew fabulous tea properly. 

• In August 2010 Sue will present “In Mourning For Her Departed Loved One” dressed in period 19th century mourning garb to explain mourning customs and their role in family cemetery visits at Vale Cemetery.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Sites, it is a 100-acre cemetery within a park in the heart of Schenectady-NY and the final resting place of 33,000 souls.

• At the ECSWC-Women’s Symposium in March 2010, “Victorian Secrets” was her program about women’s fashions of the 19th century, from the inside out.

• At Gideon Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs-NY, she participates in “Christmas Past: The Traditions of a Victorian Christmas” demonstrating customs for decorating a Victorian-styled tree using period decorations and talking about 19th century holiday traditions.

• The Adirondack History Center Museum in Elizabethtown-NY invited McLane to provide a lecture to accompany “Changing Silhouette of 19th Century Clothing”— a temporary summer exhibit.  As she walked visitors through the exhibit, Sue described the details of each outfit and the history of the fashions displayed in each section. 

• In Wilton-NY, at an event sponsored by the Friends of the Ulysses S. Grant Cottage State Historic Site, “Wedding Belles” was her program. Sue brought a variety of vintage wedding gowns and talked about courtship and wedding customs of the Victorian Era.  She returned the following summer for an interactive “Traveling Through the 19th Century with Music” program for this New York historical site’s “Saturday on the Porch” series.

• Another popular program she offers is entitled “The Etiquette of Love” and it is often requested for bridal showers, discussing early courtship rituals.

• Sue’s program “Wiawaka: Stories from 100 years on Lake George” about Adirondack women is offered as part of the summer series of distinguished presentations on the natural history of Lake George and the Adirondacks. Wiawaka is the only remaining operational retreat center that arose out of the women's rights movement of the early 20th century and it is situated on the shores of Lake George-NY.  For information, contact: www.wiawaka.org/

• She was a volunteer at the Mabee Farm Historic Site, located in Schenectady-NY, and talked with visitors about the farm.  As the oldest farmhouse in the Mohawk Valley, this 1660 site includes a 1720 inn, 1760 New World Dutch barn, Mabee family items, farming exhibits and gardens.

• McLane’s most popular program is “Passage on the Titanic” where she describes how first, second and steerage class passengers traveled at the turn of the 20th century.  She brings this period to life with costumes and stories of how travelers fared in the days of steamship voyages while telling the story of this maritime disaster.  In fall 2009 Sue traveled to Buffalo-NY to present this program to history enthusiasts.

Sue restores outfits and sells them at antique shows. These contacts are what led to film companies requesting many of her period pieces for costumes.  The 1985 film “Out of Africa” was the first film to include items procured from her collection.  Since then she has sold authentic clothing for use in several films, including the 1997 version of “Titanic” that purchased about 25 of her pieces.

“Now more and more people, from filmmakers to museums to independent collectors, demand antique clothing,” said McLane.  “I like to think that now there are more places for these genuine outfits to be restored and saved.”

In 1995 Sue founded The Victorian Social Club whose members share her love of history and have participated in a number of events and parades locally, dressed in authentic garb.  In 1996 they sponsored the first of 11 subsequent traditional Victorian Balls. The evenings begin at 7pm with a social hour during which parlor music is played. Dancing begins at 8pm with The Grande March.  All of the night’s dances are instructed and prompted by professional historical dance preceptors to period music by live musicians.  Prior dance experience is not necessary.

“If you can walk, you can do these dances,” McLane says. “This was and is a way to spend time with neighbors and friends, and to meet new people.”  Formal attire is requested for the ball and Civil War Era or Victorian period dress is encouraged.  Victorian custom dictates the wearing of gloves by all dancers.  

The ECSHA will sponsor its inaugural Victorian Ball in Johnstown at the 1766 St. Patrick’s Lodge on Saturday, November 13, 2010 from 7pm to midnight.  Sue McLane is coordinating this event, which will be in celebration of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s 195th birthday.  ECSHA plans for this ball to become an annual kick-off to the holiday season, bringing visitors to Mrs. Stanton’s birthplace and celebrating Johnstown’s historic roots.

It is an honor to have Sue as a member of the Johnstown community and the ECSHA.  For more information about Living History programs or the Victorian Ball, check the website for updates or send an e-mail to: info@elizabethcadystantonhometown.org

Elizabeth Cady Stanton Hometown Association
P.O. Box 753
Johnstown, NY 12095-0753
© 2010