Chapter One Hundred Seventy One
We have just had a wonderful time! Reading the book about our ancestor Hitty has always been a favorite pastime which we do over and over again. A week or so ago, we decided to take inventory of just how many of the outfits shown in the illustrations in the book we had and were pleasantly surprised to find a reasonable number. We don't wear them on a regular basis. We asked Esther if she would build us a stage so we could put on a show using scenes from the book. She knew we couldn't do them all but thought it an excellent idea.
Days later she presented us with a stage! We were thrilled and immediately decided who would take which part. We practiced and practiced and finally the day arrived to show all our sisters. Each was excited to see what we had done.
The
program opened with a display of various editions of the book. Hitty
Sabrina was the narrator and she dressed in our version of Hitty's first dress,
the buff calico strewn with red flowers. She showed an autographed copy of the
first edition, second printing (left); the current hard back (right); and probably the most
widely read, the paperback (center).
We showed our scenes in the order they appeared in the book. In fact I remember one of the very first things Esther wanted when she got into the Hitty hobby was to make a sampler like Little Thankful did. That made it quite appropriate for me to do our first scene as I am her first Hitty.
Next was HittyBelle wearing the Quaker outfit like Hitty wore when she lived with Clarissa Pryce. This is where she also learned to read and write and was so pleased to have a desk her size. We enlisted the help of Puppy as there was a dog in the illustration too.
Hitty Sabrina continued describing the illustrations. Hitty had been dressed by Miss Pinch when she lived with Isabella Van Rensselaer. On a walk with her father, Isabella dropped Hitty and she landed at the feet of Charles Dickens in front of a hotel. We used artistic license to create our scene. Hitty Missy played the part of Hitty but she did not want to fall!
Our ancestor had many trials and experiences in the years before she arrived in New Orleans and was dressed by Miss Annette and Miss Hortense Larraby for the Cotton Exposition. Just as the Larraby sisters had used an antique handkerchief to make their dress, our dress for this scene was made by hand from an antique handkerchief. We also put her under glass to create the same feel Hitty must have had as she spent the days being viewed by crowds of people.
Our last scene was the same as the one in the book. Hitty Colleen sat on the bench awaiting more adventures just as Hitty did in Miss Hunter's antique shop.
At end of our program Hitty Sabrina called for us to all take a bow! The cheers from our audience warmed each of our hearts. This whole project has been so rewarding for us and Esther too! We hope all our readers have enjoyed our Hitty program.
Credits: Items used in this program have been made by: Boneka, Martha Cramer, William Fifer, Sally Gavney, Becca Green, Esther Robertson, Eileen Stewart, and JoAnn Wester.
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