By: Katie Burke

Visitors at the Paul Revere House often ask us to identify objects they see around the home and to describe what they were used for. Some of the objects are easily defined, as there are similar items in use today, and others are more difficult. One of the more difficult items to explain is the goffering iron on display in the kitchen. Our goffering iron is a small cylinder on an s-shaped stand. The iron is heated with a hot poker, and then decorative clothing trim like lace and ruffles can be rolled over the iron to be smoothed. This tool is necessary because using a flat iron on ruffles would leave unsightly creases. This leads one to wonder: if the Revere family probably owned a goffering iron, did a lot of their clothes contain lace or ruffles? In order to find the answer, we must first understand a bit about fashions of the late eighteenth century.

Colonial fashions were traditionally based off of European fashions, and formal clothing could be imported to match the newest fashions, or older pieces could be redyed or have additional trim added to better match the new fashions. However, most colonists like the Reveres would wear much simpler clothing for daily wear, and these pieces could last a lot longer and be passed down through generations. Clothing pieces could be made from fabrics like linen, wool, cotton, or silk, and these fabrics could be imported or made locally.[1] In the early 1700s, fabrics and clothing were often imported, but by the 1770s, there was a shift to using more homespun materials. Homespun materials were spun, woven, and sewn in the colonies. This shift in materials was a direct result of the Stamp Act, and merchants’ agreements to not import goods until the Stamp Act was repealed.[2] So the Reveres were likely wearing newer garments made from homespun linen, cotton, and wool as well as continuing to mend and repurpose older, likely imported, garments.

Colonists had fewer articles of clothing per person than we do today. Pieces were made to last, and they were often mended or repurposed to extend their usefulness. The clothing worn by wealthy people would be tight-fitting, but those worn by those who needed to work would be looser, to allow for easier movement. Colors, fabrics, and decorations would vary based on wealth and status, with wealthy people wearing bolder colors, more expensive fabrics, and more embellishments such as lace, ruffles, and embroidery, although all classes sought to include some ornamentation in their clothing.[3]

A middling class woman in colonial times, like Revere’s first wife Sarah or his second wife Rachel, would most likely own:

• Four or five long linen shifts extending to her hip, knees, or calves. Shifts were worn as the innermost layer, and would double as sleepwear
• Four or five layered petticoat skirts
• Whalebone stays or stomacher to give structure to the gown
• Four or five gowns which could either be waist-length or with a long flowing train
• Sleeves to cover the arms which were separate from the gown and would often contain ruffles at the elbows
• Collars and kerchiefs to be worn around the neck for warmth or modesty. These could often contain lace
• Six pairs of stockings to be worn with garters
• One or two pairs of shoes. Shoes were made of leather, silk or wool, and could be heavily decorated or embroidered.[4] Shoe buckles were purchased separately and most colonists would own one pair of buckles.
• Plain aprons and caps to be worn over clothing to keep it clean during daily activities and chores. Embroidered, gauze, or silk aprons could be worn outside the home for more formal occasions including church
• A cloak or coat for cold weather
• A hat[5]

A middling class man in colonial times would most likely own:

• 6 tunic length shirts which could double as sleepwear. Shirts had ruffles at the wrist, and often at the collar.
• A waistcoat or vest
• 2 pairs of breeches (pants)
• 6 pairs of stockings to be worn with garters
• 1 or 2 pairs of shoes plus a pair of shoe buckles
• A jacket
• A greatcoat or cloak for cold weather
• A hat[6]

Babies in colonial times – both boys and girls – were dressed in long white gowns which extended far past the feet until they were old enough to walk. Once walking, young children wore ankle length gowns until the age of six or seven. After this age, children began dressing like adults. Boys began wearing breeches and shirts with ruffled collars, while girls’ dresses followed regular adult styles. The main difference between clothing for children and adults was that clothing worn by children tended to be looser.[7]

Laundry was an arduous task in the Reveres’ time. Only the innermost clothing layers or those which got excessively soiled such as shifts, shirts, kerchiefs, and aprons were washed weekly. Outer layers including gowns and vests were washed far less frequently. Washing laundry would take all day, because water needed to be brought in from outside, heated, clothes washed, rinsed, and wrung out by hand, and then hung out to dry. Once clothes were dry, they then needed to be ironed and put away. Because of all this work, daughters were required to help with the laundry from a young age. This means that Revere’s daughters were most likely the ones doing the laundry and using the goffering iron.

When Boston was founded in 1630, there were many Puritan laws about how people could dress. One such law forbade clothing with silver, gold, silk, or thread lace.[8] By the 1700s, this law was no longer in effect and formal clothing often contained satin, pearls, ruffles, and lace.[9] Formal clothing was worn weekly on Sundays for church services, which would last all day as well as special occasions such as weddings and funerals. Weddings in particular were a time for the very best clothes, which would have contained the most ornamentation (lace, ruffles, or embroidery) that a person could afford.[10]

So, yes, a goffering iron like the one in our kitchen would have been a necessity for the Revere family because they likely owned clothes with lace and ruffles, even if their everyday clothing was much simpler.

Katie Burke is an interpreter at the Paul Revere House.

[1] DuPlessis, The Material Atlantic, 30.

[2] Haulman, The Politics of Fashion, 62.

[3] DuPlessis, The Material Atlantic, 31.

[4] Alexander, Treasures Afoot, 38.

[5] Nylander, Our Own Snug Fireside, 156.

[6] Nylander, Our Own Snug Fireside, 156.

[7] Majer, “Fashion History Timeline.”

[8] Earle, Home Life in Colonial Days, 282.

[9] Crocker, Reminiscences and Traditions of Boston, 46.

[10] Earle, Home Life in Colonial Days, 376; Alexander, Treasures Afoot, 43.

Works Cited:

Alexander, Kimberly. Treasures Afoot: Shoe Stories from the Georgian Era. China: John Hopkins University Press, 2018.

Crocker, Hannah Mather. Eileen Hunt Botting and Sarah L. Houser, eds. Reminiscences and Traditions of Boston. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.

DuPlessis, Robert S. The Material Atlantic: Clothing, Commerce, and Colonization in the Atlantic World, 1650-1800. Cambridge University Press, 2016.

Earle, Alice Morse. 1974. Home Life in Colonial Days. Berkshire Traveller Press, 1974.

Haulman, Kate. The Politics of Fashion in Eighteenth-Century America. University of North Carolina Press, 2011.

Majer, Michele. “Decade overview | Fashion History Timeline.” Fashion History Timeline, accessed October 2024, http://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1770-1779.

Mitchell, Sarah. Men’s Clothing 1760-1785. Mitchell’s Publications, 2012.

Mitchell, Sarah. Women’s Clothing in the Revolutionary War Era 1765-1783. Mitchell’s Publications, 2012.

Nylander, Jane. Our Own Snug Fireside: Images of the New England Home, 1760-1860. Knopf, 1993.