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Advice & More February 2016

AKA Mary Todd Lincoln and other First Ladies

By Ann Hattes

One fourth grader sits impatiently, his inquisitive face ready to burst like a bubble burning with a question. "Do you have legs under there?" he asks when finally called on.

Mary Todd Lincoln (aka. Jessica Michna) swishes across the gym floor in her large hoop skirt, speaking of her life in the 1850s to a group of young students. One fourth grader sits impatiently, his inquisitive face ready to burst like a bubble burning with a question.

"Do you have legs under there?" he asks when finally called on.

Mrs. Lincoln politely picks up the edge of her skirt so that he can see she's not just floating on air, but fully mobile with a pair of legs.

Mary Todd Lincoln was the very first notable lady that Jessica Michna researched and portrayed after retiring from working in the health field for many years. Because of interest and requests, Mary Todd Lincoln is the only First Lady presentation that has been divided into three separate programs: Preserve the Union; An Intimate Conspiracy; and A Widow Forgotten.

Jessica talks of a historical society meeting where a man was interested in the underwear that Mary Todd Lincoln was wearing. "He was very knowledgeable and he wanted to know that I was wearing the proper underwear that a lady would wear in the 1860s. I assured him I was. After the performance, the gentleman happened to meet me in the hallway and said: 'I just want to see.'" Jessica picked up the edge of her dress to prove that she was indeed wearing pantalettes. "I was! And I always do! But if he'd asked me about my corset, I would have drawn the line. That is underwraps. My favorite is one that I purchased in Ohio, for Mary Lincoln. It's actually very comfortable once you get accustomed to it."

"What I enjoy most, I meet such fantastic people. I was invited to host a wedding at Old World Wisconsin and toasted the new Mr. and Mrs. as Mary Lincoln. I was asked to come as Mary Lincoln to a man's 50th birthday party because he's a fanatic about the Civil War and the Lincolns. I rang the doorbell and his wife answered, calling out to her husband, 'the First Lady's here.’

'Laura Bush?' he queries.

'No, it's Mrs. Lincoln!'”

Jessica portrayed Mary of the Kentucky Todds at the National Mme. Alexander Doll Club Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2013. In Jessica's honor, a Mary Todd doll was introduced and presented at the convention, the doll clothed in a copy of a dress that Mary actually wore in 1837 when she was a very young woman going to Springfield, Illinois.

When Jessica appears, she is as authentic as she can be from head to toe, wigs to shoes, and undergarments too. She designs and makes many of the clothes she wears. The clothing is thoroughly researched with all characters having different clothing for different occasions and seasons. "I make the pantalettes and the corsets that I wear. The only thing I draw the line at is with my 1692 Salem witch trial lady – Goode Rebeka Nurse. I wear underpants," states Jessica emphatically, "that I made like boxer shorts but with a drawstring. I'm not going out without them. Rebeka would not have had underpants, but I do!"

Through Jessica, also meet First Ladies Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, Edith Galt Wilson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Wisconsin First Lady Cordelia Perrine Harvey, and First Lady of Appalachia, storyteller Sari (Ma) Semple. Also greet notable women like Helen Keller; Civil War nurse Mary Ann Bickerdyke; Goode Rebeka Nurse of Salem Witch trial fame; Margaret Cummins, head housekeeper for Queen Victoria at Balmoral Castle; and Mrs. Charles Dickens.

Usually it takes Jessica two years on the average to research and ready one of her ladies to meet the public. "I not only research the person, I want to know what life was in that period. I read newspapers of the day and periodicals. If I can get access, I read diaries of people who lived in the period. And letters are extremely valuable because you get a real feel for that person. I never stop doing research." In childhood in Pennsylvania she first developed a love of American history, visiting the main Revolutionary and Civil War sites in the area near where she lived.

"If I don't feel secure about something, until I can trace it down, I don't use it," she says. It takes her anywhere from days to several months to write the script.

Most of the time Jessica rehearses by herself, often in front of a full length mirror to make sure facial expressions and the way the person would stand or sit is right. Jessica's husband, Michael Michna, helps by giving critiques and suggestions. "It's an evolution with every character, because all are such different people - different time periods, different walks of life, social status, education. I try to make my presentations conversational and I always like it when someone comes up to me and says 'It was as if we were having a nice talk with Eleanor Roosevelt. She was just there telling me about her family and how difficult it was.'"

Before creating her First Impressions business, Jessica raised a family, earned a degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin, worked several years as a research and teaching assistant, and in the health field.

Jessica has no plans of retiring anytime soon, delighting in returning to communities meeting old friends as a new historical personage. Where longer distances are involved, she'll often stay with local families and members of historical societies. She loves seeing familiar faces as she continues to combine her two great passions of history and theater, bringing influential women to life for her audiences.

Contact Jessica Michna at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at First Impressions, 5328 Willowview Road, Racine, WI 53402.

 

Ann Hattes has over 25 years experience writing about both travel and food for publications both in the US and internationally. A senior living in Wisconsin, she’s a member of the International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association and the Midwest Travel Writers Association.

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