Vivandière Items

http://dp.la/api/items/69b389533be072a75b526b0c7c574b1e

Vivandière Items

1864 - 1865

Physical Description

Housewife sewing kit of blue wool with needle, thread, and buttons. Tobacco twist. Sugar bag, coffee bag and metal can, circular lamp, and camp stove.

General History

A vivandière, a woman who traveled with soldiers, often provided creature comforts to the men, including sugar, coffee, and tobacco. A housewife, or hussif, was a cloth sewing kit that soldiers carried into battle. Usually made of cloth or leather, it contained needles, thread, and a thimble for mending uniforms. While it was often difficult for the public to obtain tobacco, soldiers in the Civil War found it plentiful. The U.S. Navy supplied sailors with tobacco rations and in 1864, the Confederate government did the same for its soldiers. Confederate officers did not receive a tobacco ration as they were more likely to smoke the more fashionable cigar. Sugar and coffee were generally distributed to soldiers on an individual basis and carried in bags. Coffee cans were issued as part of a mess kit for cooking or boiling, as were oil lamps and camp stoves.

Civil War and Reconstruction

Sewing

Civil War, 1861-1865

Clothing and dress

Knitting

American Civil War (1861-1865)

Dress accessories

ThinkFinity

Military

Textiles

Sewing and Knitting

Smithsonian Institution

http://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=record_ID=nmah_439673&repo=DPLA

Civil War and Reconstruction

Sewing

Civil War, 1861-1865

Clothing and dress

Knitting

American Civil War (1861-1865)

Dress accessories

ThinkFinity

Military

Textiles

Sewing and Knitting