rambling about corsetry

 hey, if you know me, you probably already know i love corsets  and am mildly obsessed with historical fashion. however, these are constantly vilified by media, so i just wanted to talk about them real quick :)

so, i guess you all already know what corsets are but still: corsets and stays are boned garments that appeared in the 16th century and were used by people (not just women) to support their back and chest and, later, to shape the body in a flattering way. they went out of fashion in the early 20th century but are still sometimes worn for asthetic or medical purposes. though they are two different kinds of garments, stays are usually called corsets as they are kinda similar and it's easier to just group them together. the difference is stays are conical shaped, meanwhile corsets are hourglass shaped. they were usually boned with whalebone or featherbone, and more modernly with plastic or steel 

although they are usually portrayed by modern media as torture instruments, people would work, play sports and exercise in them. however i am absolutely not saying that wearing corsets too often cannot be bad for the body or restrict movement. to this day people wear corsets for scoliosis, although, these are way less comfortable since instead of fabric and flexible boning they are made out of plastic

although i have never worn a historical corset, i have regularily worn a modern one for the past two years and here are the answers to things i got asked:

• can you breathe in it? absolutely: although my stomach  and lower ribs are mildly compressed i can breathe just fine from my upper chest

• can you eat in it? yes but not as much, kinda like a tight belt

• does it make you nauseous/make your stomach hurt? absolutely not, since the pressure is mild and distributed on a large area it doesnt affect my organs at all

also it supports my back and makes it less painful, it also keeps me from slouching. here, have a video about that

now i just wanna talk about the most common corset trope in media: super tight corsets that restrict airflow

movies sure love to make it seem like women wore extremely tight corsets everyday, although women at the time did sometimes tight lace, it was reserved to very special occasions (usually once or twice a year) and only for wealthy, high society folk. kinda like when modern celebrities wear steel boned corsets on red carpets

the reason we think waists were made extremely small is partly that the pictures of the time were modified and the portraits and illustrations made their subject's waists look smaller. this is as if people in 300 years thought we all looked like photoshopped pictures in fashion magazines

also, bigger corsets were more likely to get upcycled, or get worn to bits, so most of the authentic corsets that remain are quite small.

there's also the fact that most critiques of corsets from the time came from men who didnt wear corsets and feminine fashion was often looked down upon bc, u know, misogyny, here's another video about that:

also this is obviously not how you tighten a corset, you pull the laces in opposite directions, like shoelaces. you also dont need a whole team of maids, u can just do it in a mirror or even without one if you have more braincells than me(which is very likely)

another trope that isn't as common but still annoys me is the lack of garments underneath the corsets. obviously, lacing it on bare skin is sexier but it can pinch and chafe the skin, therefore it's both inacurate and uncomfortable for the actors. people at the time would wear chemises or shifts, here, look at a lady with proper undergarments, doesnt she look cool

also although it was way less common, some men wore corsets too, as back support but also to shape their belly

now that im done getting mad at modern depictions of corsetry (though i could go on) i just wanna show some corsets and stays i like bc why not:

some mid 1700s stays

 these are my favourite cuz i love their silhouette and they are quite pretty and decorative since they were often visible (unlike most other corsets which were basically underwear)

1860s and 1870s corsets, i really love the silhouette of 1860s dresses and the corsets are integral to it

some edwardian ladies (1900-1910s), i just love the edwardian "pigeon bust" silhouette and i love how the undergarments looked, so much lace and volume

also why not share some historical fashion creators i love: karolina zebrowska, bernadette banner, abby cox,  @ladyrebeccafashions, @asta.darling, @elle.lexxa(absolutely not aiming for historical accuracy but i love the stays she wears), @french.meadows (again not really accurate but gorgeous). (the @s are all on instagram, the other names are on youtube)

yayyy i finally got these corset thoughts off my mind (know that everytime you look at me i am thinking about historical fashion and keep myself from talking about it not to annoy everyone, even here i tried making it less detailed and try to get rid of things), maybe im not done infodumping and i'll do another post about historical fashion, thanks for reading

"Triple steps, grave robbing, freezing cold and bibliographies" - an ex-OIB in Edinburgh

(I swear that despite that title, this article is family friendly)
"Exam season, diner to cook, no participation mark... why am I here again? Oh yeah procrastination"

Why hello Charlie, long time no see!

Looks like the blog is still active and the new OIBs are a good article writer, that makes me more happy than you could imagine! I know, I know, it has been a super long time since I actually posted anything here, and it's finally time for me to catch up!

And being an unoriginal Alumni, I figured out that talking about my experience here would be fun. Also sorry in advance: I have almost no pictures cause my phone's camera broke down when I arrived.

Prepare yourselves, for here is the tale of a nostalgic OIB student thrown into the cold and alcoholic wild Scottish lands of Edinburgh for his first semester at UoE...

Part 1: Actually getting there

This might not seem like a big deal for those of you who travel a lot, but for me who has never lived elsewhere than in his comfy forest (no exageration) that was a HUGE deal. Sorting out what to pack, wondering if cheese can pass customs, constantly weighting the luggage, trying to fit in 4 jumpers thinking it would be way too much (spoiler: nope.). I was a stressed out mess for a solid month preparing everything.

Then, the day arrived, September 7th.

After 2 long months, here I was in the airport, waving good bye at my wee brother and going into the plane with my mom and grandma... Little side note: DO NOT embark with your parents if they are afraid of flying, that was a tough experience for me. But after 2 hours of shaking anxiety, we landed at the airport, took me luggage, got lost twice in the airport, and took the bus to Edinburgh...

Unfortunately I do not have many pictures of that moment, but it was purely magical: being seated on the upper floor of the bus, watching "Castle Rock" (for all of you nostalgic of Munro) from a far, going up Prince Street, Haymarket... It was really at that moment that I felt like "This is it, this is a new page of my life".

Anyway, here I was, in Edinburgh. It was freezing for September (by my Provençal standards) but I was more thrilled than ever.

A snapshot one hour after we arrived at a local pub, a pint in hand, eating some proper haggis and mashed potatoes as first Scottish meal!

 Part 2: Man vs Wild - a French wee lad in Scotland

Man I do not know where to start... Ok so first the flat is absolutely awesome, I have been blessed with a cozy room right next to the uni for a cheap rent (typical example of the depressing joys of student life). My flat mate, Declan, is a pure Scot from mighty Dundee, meaning I was unable to have a conversation with him for a solid week because of the accent.

Settling in was a strange experience honestly, having all this stuff to handle: banking, cooking, laundry, meeting people, buying books... Honestly you really feel like an adult at this stage, which is honestly terrifying yet at the same time thrilling (... I guess?)

After that short weekend, finally settled, I waved goodbye to my mom and grandma and was now alone in Edinburgh, the city in which I shall build my future. I'm honestly lucky that it was not as hard as I thought, some people here still feel bad about it, not a pleasant experience to say the least. But now that the weekend has passed, y'all know what that means...

FRESHERS WEEEEEEEEEEEK

Now, everyone has different memories of their freshers’ week, ranging from a depressing time away from your family, to the best week of their life with new friends, to no memories at all due to heavy alcohol poisoning (cause yeah, welcome to uni/Scotland). Although to be fair, clubbing and drinking were faaaaar from being the only options here. With over 400 societies and sports clubs (yep), there were things going on LITERALLY all the time during the week from 8 am to 3 am. It was a bit overwhelming, not gonna lie, but it was so awesome! There are plenty of opportunities to try new sports, have taster sessions of almost all the societies ranging from crafts, to academic ones, to dancing, to cooking, to volunteering... Heck, in one day I learned to cook sushi, learned swing dancing and had a speech by an Amnesty International representative.

Honestly this week was an absolute blast; I met so many new and fascinating people. Even reuniting with the people I've been talking to online on the uni's group chat feels amazing!

Oh yeah, and it was voucher paradise: every shop and restaurants want to get new regular customers, you can basically live for a whole week out of £5 meal deals at restaurants, free pizzas and have complete set of new clothes for dirt cheap.

And thus, after a week of settling in, discoveries, fun, parties and waaaaayyy too much pizza, it was finally time to actually start studying.

I have been quite dramatic so far, but honestly nothing could have prepared me for what is to come

Part 3: There is a reason why "dying" is in Studying.

Now I think every Alumni in the UK can back me up on that one, but you never realise how useful the OIB is until that point. Everything from workload to essay writing is easier thanks to the OIB.

I'm currently on board for a 4 years degree in Archaeology and Ancient History, ie. a double degree. The way it functions is:

- You get core subjects you need to take to have your degree (in my case: Archaeology, Roman and Greek History)

- With the credits left, you get to pick a subject you want, related to your degree or not (I chose Islamic History).

- You specialise yourself during the 3rd and 4th year.

And boy oh boy, that semester has been a delight. University is really all about studying on your own, reading, watching interviews, going to meetings and special lectures... Some find it overwhelming but I loved it. The lecturers are fascinating and real walking encyclopedias, the uni staff and older students are willing to help and super accessible. Really there is everything to help you in your study and to foster your interest in your degree. I was ecstatic, having never done Archaeology before I was kinda scared of what the course would be; now it's probably my favourite subject ever. Best thing is, the university offers a lot of opportunity to the students to invest themselves. In my case, I had the occasion to go thrice on a dig at the Dunfermline Abbey site in the North of Edinburgh. As grim as it may sound, digging up dead people and playing a massive jigsaw puzzle with smashed baby bones is actually funnier than expected! Here are some sneak pics of some of our finds!

Some of us at work, slightly freezing though

What we dug up in a day with 3 of my friends. Most likely related burials of wealthy children who died of tuberculosis.

Part of the upper jaw of one of the oldest children burried

All our finds after a day: human and animal bones, ceramic, glass... even clay pipes and parts of rich coffins!

A (late) disclaimer though, you better be passionate about what you do, because the workload is MASSIVE, no exaggeration. In my case, I work every day from 8am to 9pm. Even though it's mostly reading and preparing lectures, this is an unprecedented amount of work and knowledge coming straight at you since day 1.

This is why you need to relax if you don't want to go into a burnout (looking at you Terminales)!

Part 4: Swing your problems away!

Without hesitation, swing dancing has to be my favourite discovery of this semester. I never thought I would like it and yet... here I am! Sports (and any activity really) you do at university quickly becomes a beacon, something you look forward to in order to relax. Swing dancing gave me the opportunity to try something completely new that I probably wouldn't have done at home. I can't express how glad I am that I started to dance. I have never been much of an extrovert, yet this gave me so much more confidence in myself, my body, and what I can achieve. 

In itself, it is not very tiring, but you usually dance it for several hours, and this is what makes it both awesome and a great (jazzy) workout. 

It's a very welcoming world, and I would advise anyone who can attend a taster session to go! You'll meet awesome people and will learn to dance to equally amazing music!

Really, there is so much to do in Edinburgh, from tourist attractions to yearly events like the Military Tattoo or the Fringe... And don't get me started about Christmas! Edinburgh knows how to get you in the mood! Here is a little insight:

CHRISTMAS MARKEEEEET!! That was a mesmerizing experience. The whole atmosphere was just warmth, happiness and lots of great Christmas vibes

Nope this is not some castle, but one of the University's "humble" bars and cafés, Teviot. The lights transcended the Christmas magic. This is probably one of my favourite places in the city.

And this is inside Teviot... fab isn't it?

I love my experience in Edinburgh, and despite all the hardship of work, being away from home and the Scottish weather... well it's a great time. There is a feeling of freedom that I have never experienced before which is pumping in my veins since September. It can be scary sometimes to feel thrown into this new and wild environment, but it really is a great push to try new things.

Anyway, I hope this article motivated some of you to see what experience awaits you abroad. If you want more information about it all, check Judith's articles, another Alumnus who has been more prolific in terms of writing. I know a lot of you think studying abroad is scary, expensive or haven't even considered it, but trust me: if you want it and you work for it, you can do it!

See you later Charlie, and good luck to all the new OIB lads & lassies!

- Kellian

Happy Thanksgiving! (slightly delayed)

Hello everyone,
I know many of you 1ere students experienced your first North American Thanksgiving in early October in Ottawa and as honorary Canadians must believe I'm beyond late.
I've also had to experience this great feast 2 years ago in Ottawa and enjoyed it very much but frankly, as far as I'm concerned, Thanksgiving is meant to be in late November and  the Canadians are much too early. (They told it's because of the snow...)

I know that a few of you in the OIB community  have also just celebrated it.
Like me, you might  have had to wait for Saturday (It's difficult to celebrate this holiday on a Thursday in France)  but it was worth it: was splendid!

As a person who wrote her PHD on Native American history, I'm well aware of how controversial this holiday can be and I fully agree that on hindsight the Native Americans would have been much better off to let these first Pilgrims starve rather than saving them by bringing food and teaching them the way of the land.

However,  it is also a very special moment for family and friends I treasure and look forward to and I've chosen to see it as a moment of hope and a very appropriate time to have a look at my life and realize how lucky and thankful I am.

Besides, the eating is real good and that doesn't hurt, does it?
If  you love cooking and eating like me I can share some great Thanksgiving-themed not necessarily very traditional  recipes
I'll hopefully get over my food coma and see you tomorrow!

Take care,
Mrs. C

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

I used to be the biggest contributor of the blog and now I'm merely a simple observer... What in the world happened?

Anyway. Hi everyone, it's your usual medieval history nerd here to talk about of a long awaited game which finally comes out. Now you probably know that I love two things: history and video games, and this game is a very unusual mix which offers a fantastic case study when it comes to how to entertain with historical accuracy. To help you see clearer, here is what the game is about: the story takes place in Bohemia (now part of Czech Republic) after the death of Emperor Charles IV. The emperor's son, Wenceslas is but the shadow of his father and his half-brother, Sigismund king of Hungary senses that and decides to raid the Holy Roman Empire to get to the throne. In the midst of all this, you are Henry a son of blacksmith whose village has been pillaged by mercenaries and you will have to play a role in this political turmoil against your will.

I know, it sounds classic and cheesy, but the story of the game is not the central part of the game: it's its history which really matters. And here are some reason why this game is more interesting that you might think:

1) Historically accurate.

And it's rare enough to be noticed. The game actually makes it its main selling argument. And it's not just the story of the game that is accurate, it is everything. WarHorse Studio worked with teams of specialized historians to recreate as accurately as possible how life was back in XVth century Bohemia: from the habits of the villagers, the designs of the villages, the combat... everything wishes to be as accurate as possible. And you know what? This is extremely convincing!

2) Historiography in a videogame?

I know that most of you have nightmarish flashbacks from history lessons when they hear "historiography", but here it is not what you might think. Ask anyone around you about the history of the Czech Republic and you might not be surprised by the lack of answers. And here is a noble vocation of the game: teach others about their history. And it's actually a very valid point, because when we think about history in video-games, we usually have images of American-glorifying WW2 shooters. Here it is the dedication of a bunch of Czech people who started a game on kick-started and end up being an international hit while teaching about the unknown history of their country.

3) This is how we get people to like history.

You might know it already, I'm a reenactor and I hold much pride in this activity. More than hanging out in armor every once in a while, we have a central role in bringing history to people, especially young people. And this game helps us greatly. The elder the history, the more approximation and the least knowledge people will have of it, and this game helps us fighting against it. Because it makes history look nice, entertaining while being accurate, it's an interactive lesson open to anyone curious. And I believe that this kind of initiatives should definitely be encouraged in the future as they offer the opportunity to know more about history in one of the best ways possible.

4) Reproducing inacuracies.

This might not sound like a positive point, but it definitely is. In an interview with the developers, the question of HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts, basically how to fight with a sword, a poleaxe, etc...) came on, and the team had a great idea. Back then, military and martial training was exclusive, and not every soldier in the battlefield could fight like a master of arms. So when they did the motion capture, they captured both the moves of professionals and of casual. This might sound like nothing, but it is a fantastic idea when it comes to having a balance gameplay with growing levels of difficulty as well as more accuracy on the battle field where everyone wasn't fighting professionals.

The list could go on forever, so I'll leave this here. I know this might not motivate anyone to buy the game it needs time and involvement that we do not have here, but I think it is necessary to share this kind of initiatives which really help to increase our knowledge of history. If you want to know a bit more about the game, here is one of the latest episodes of History's Creed which aired on Arte and it's about KCD.

See ya Charlie!

Kellian.

Interesting youtube channels!

Hey Charlie!

Not a longtime ago, I've discovered some youtube channels that I found really cool and interesting:

In a Nutshell provides some very cool content: basically you learn new stuff about very different topics (mostly scientific) thanks to good visuals and explainations (in english of course lol), here are some examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbuUW9i-mHs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEYbgyL5n1g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlTKTTt47WE

What I like about this channel is that they both create "serious" videos (concrete) or debatable videos, which is super interesting in my point of view.

The second channel is, as the name indicates, rather about history so if you ever doubt on a fact or you need some more precisions in your notes (or if you didn't catch some informations during Mr.Leveque's class don't worry I got you) well this channel is perfect for you! 

Once again, what is super cool about their videos is that they have such good visuals that you understand even more what happened etc...So give it a go and tell me what you thought about them!

How to revise history geography

Make sure your door is closed and then sing your lesson while reading it

PS : I hope my spamming is just to relieve exam stress otherwise next year you'll have one-sentence-long posts three times a day where I'll be telling you about my fascinating student meals

An Ice-cream war

Hello hello!

I'm going to talk to you about a book written by William Boyd, called "An ice-cream war".

An ice-cream war is set between England and East Africa during World War One. Indeed, the book is a mix of several stories, blending and intersecting. The story begins between English East Africa and German East Africa, where two colonists, an american and a german, coexist peacefully and in harmony across the border. Meanwhile, the story begins as well in England, where two beloved brothers try to deal with their peacetime problems in their wealthy family: Gabriel, an enthousiastic officer, marries a woman named Charis while Felix gets bored in Oxford University. Then, war breaks up in Europe and consequently in Africa, scattering the characters and turning love into betrayal. The story is then going to follow the three characters in their split and destruction while in Africa, the two friendly colonists become foes.

The writing style and the way of construction of this book are fascinating and add authenticity to the story. I think the unrestrained and singular way of construction keeps the reader in suspense by managing to get him lost: the characters don’t know where the story is going and neither does the reader, which adds authenticity, and makes the story look more realistic. This complex writing technique conveys to the reader how complex war can be and how it can have an overwhelming and destructive impact on relationships: making friends become enemies, and interfering deeply in people’s private life. In the manner of Boris Vian in ‘Le déserteur’, William Boyd denounces the absurdity of war by describing terrible situations with devastating humor.

What I most enjoyed in this book is the construction of the characters: I think they are developed and unpredictable (as well as human beings I guess) and consequently appear more real and more lovable: the reader gets more attached to realistic characters than perfect and indestructible ones. What makes the characters even more human is their constant evolution. Indeed, each character has developed because of war, proving again its huge impact.

I recommend you this book, because I think it helps to understand the effects of a society disruption on individuals (and the story is cool as well).

See you!

How to win 1500€

Dear Charlie,

I came across this project that we could do as a class, since it's about World War 1 and Australia. If you are interested, check the website out and we could apply and maybe win 1500€ ! We have until February to apply and March to do the project, it could be a great opportunity to discuss that subject with Australian partners. 
Of course if some people want to do it with me, we will discuss it with Mr Leveque, to see if it is possible.
Here is the link to the official website for more info about the prize: 
Project 








Irène

Remembrance Day/ Veterans Day

debate club follow-up, 2

Ben Carson (again), last week. European history might not be his strong suit...

Glanum, the archaeological site

Hello Charlie!!!

This Tuesday I went with my family to the Archaeological site of Glanum!

Between the 6th and 2nd centuries BC, a distinctive civilization grew up on the flanks of the Alpilles: the Glanics, Salluvians* Gauls of Provence.

The town they built around a sacred spring with healing powers (1) was gradually influenced by the Greeks in Marseille, as can still be seen from the Dromos well (2) and the Bouleterion (3).

In the 1st century BC, the arrival of the Romans imposed other architectural models: the twin temples (4) dedicated to Emperor worship, the forum (5) and the thermal baths (6) all indicate a change in lifestyle.

The arch (7) marks the boundary and northern entrance to the ancient town. Next to it the mausoleum (8) suggests that the necropolis lay beyond the walls, which have now disappeared.

* Salluvians: a Gaulish people of Celto-Ligurian origin who settled in Provence.

History:

The Salluvian oppidum*

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The first inhabitants settled here in the 6th and 7th centuries B.C., were protected by a dry-stone rampart blocking the road to the Alpilles for a length of 300 meters. Pottery and coins thrown as offering into the swallow-hole* above the spring indicate the Gaulish settlement was medicated by religious reasons from its origin. A Celtic god, Glan, together with his benevolent companions the Glantic Mothers, lived in the waters that were thought to have healing properties and which gave their name to the inhabitants. 

* Oppidum: a Celitc fortifications, either with or without residential quarters. These large areas were protected by ditches, providing refuge in times of trouble and acting as meeting places in times of peace. 

* Swallow-hole: a naturally formed depression found in limestone.

The Hellenistic* then Roman city 

···········································································

Subsequent relations with the Greek world brought wealth to the inhabitants of Glanum, resulting in the extension of the inhabited zone and the construction of building in the Hellenistic style in the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C. Then Glanum became a Roman colony in the very early years of Augustus' reign (63 B.C. - 14 A.D.).  This resulted in the rapid, profound transformation of the city's monumental architecture. Finally, unable to resist the Alamannic invasions of 260 A.D., the town was abandoned by its inhabitants in favor of the nearby agglomeration that came into the possession of the Abbey of Saint-Remi in Reims in the Merovingian period.

* Hellenistic: Gallo-Greek culture in which Greeks from Marseille were particularly influential (from the 3rd to the 1st century B.C.)

Archaeological digs:

The most important Gaulish Site in Narbonensis*

Les Antiques:

···········································································

From the 16th century "Les Antiques" were visited by learned men and visitors. These monuments, a triumphal arch and a mausoleum*, were the only vestiges of the city of Glanum then visible. In the late 17th and 18th centuries, an increasing number of ancient objects were discovered in their vicinity. The mausoleum is 18 meters high and it is the most preserved monument of all the Roman domination. It was built by three brothers in honor of their grandfather who served in the roman army and received the Roman citizenship. There is an inscription on it: 

"SEX(tus) M(arcus) L(ucius) IVLIEI C(aii) •F(ilii) PARENTIBVS SVEIS"
(Sextus, Marcus and Lucius Julius, sons of Caius, for their parents.)

The Arch

The mausoleum

Spectacular discoveries:

···········································································

From 1921, systematic archaeological digs were carried out on the site, initiated by the architect of historical monuments Jules Formigé. Under his authority, Pierre de Brun oversaw works for twenty years; first he unearthed the surrounding of the basilica*, the houses in the northern area and the thermal baths. Henri Rolland succeeded him from 1941 to 1969. Since 1983, digs and research have once again been under way, yielding better knowledge about the ramparts and the twin temples resulted in the restoration of a corner of the smaller of the two in 1992.

Hellenistic remains have also been discovered beneath the Roman forum. Restoration of it started in 2007, with the decision to adopt the layout of the late 1st century B.C.. Two "archeological windows" - openings in the ground- allow elements from earlier periods to be observed: the dromos well and the Hellenic trapezoid square.

* Narbonensis: a province in south-east Gaul, governed directly by Rome.

* Mausoleum: a monument erected to the memory of Roman Citizens who had distinguished themselves in military campaigns.

* Basilica: Roman building composed of a large rectangular hall, generally divided into several naves by colonnades and terminated by an apse. In Imperial times, all cities had a basilica adjoining the forum which was used as a court of justice.

Carla. F

American flag

Dear Charlie,
Did you know that this week the American flag is 238 years old?
Here are a few facts to know all about the flag and its history.
http://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/interactive-flag.aspx
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/06/14/flag-usa-origin/
http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/fast-flag-facts
http://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/preservation-project.aspx

Remembrance

Dear Charlie,
Yesterday marked the centenary of the Battle of Gallipoli, fought mainly between ANZAC troops (from Australia and New Zealand) and Turkish troops representing the Ottoman Empire. It was a very bloody battle, and was commemorated in song by the Scottish-born Australian singer-songwriter Eric Bogle. My favourite version is this one, by Anglo-Irish folk-punks The Pogues, but there are other great versions by the author, and June Tabor, among others. In my opinion, it's the most moving anti-war song ever, a fitting tribute to the thousands slain in this battle and too many others...

All the best,
Mr Leah

A historical journey: " She sails like a bird."

Dear Charlie,
You must have heard in the news that the Hermione set sail for the US today
I find this a fascinating project, I thought, you'd be interested too.
More details, below
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2746878/That-s-one-hull-ship-Replica-French-navy-frigate-shipped-General-Lafayette-America-sets-sail-time-17-year-20-MILLION-restoration-project.html
http://hermione2015.com/index.html
http://www.sailtraining.org/tallships/2015atlantic/documents/HERMIONE%20BROCHURE%202.21%20reduced.pdf
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11547477/Replica-of-American-Revolution-frigate-LHermione-prepares-to-cross-Atlantic.html
Bon Voyage!
Mrs. C.