The Historic Trust

And It Has Pockets! The Battle for Women's Clothing Equality
2025-03-06 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Red Cross Building, 605 Barnes Street, Vancouver, 98661, United States
How many times have you heard someone wearing women’s clothing exclaim, “And it has pockets!” Comparisons have shown that modern garments designed for women have about half the storage space of clothing designed for men. From their invention, pockets in women’s fashion have represented independence—so much so that in the 18th century, laws were enacted to strip women of their personal liberty by making the contents of their pockets the property of their husband. The right to have pockets went hand-in-hand with the right to vote. And people today are still speaking out about the inequality between men’s and women’s clothing based on this simple storage system.
Join costume designer Diane Johnston to dig into the pockets of the past, tracing the history of the humble pocket to determine if the battle for equality may still be decided by a few inches of extremely influential fabric.
Diane Johnston (she/her) is a theatrical costume designer who has spent the past 33 years creating costumes for productions large and small throughout the region. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Costume Design and is a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Johnston has always been fascinated with fashion history and the historic trends that find their way into our modern closets. She is currently designing costumes for Edmonds Driftwood Players.
Johnston lives in Stanwood.
This program is offered free of charge, but space is limited. Please reserve your spot HERE.
Thank you to Humanities WA for their support in bringing this event to Vancouver. Special thanks to the NAACP Vancouver for joining us as our promotional partner for our 2025 series of speaker events. We appreciate you!

Ne Plus Ultra Jass Orchestra at Providence Academy
2025-03-21 19:00 - 21:00 | WA
Come to dance or just to listen at the historic Academy Ballroom!
Since 2016, The Ne Plus Ultra Jass Orchestra has been delighting audiences with the music of the roaring 20s and Depression era 30s.
Under the leadership of master showman Sammuel Murry-Hawkins, the ensemble transports audiences to the golden age of Hot Jazz and Sweet Dance Music, specializing in the tunes of Cab Calloway, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, and George Gershwin.
Guaranteed to delight and put a pep in your step!
To make the event accessible to all, ticket prices are set at $16. Tickets are available at the door or on line at The Historic Music Preservation Project.

Founding of the Vancouver Barracks
2025-03-27 18:30 - 20:00 | O.O. Howard House, 750 Anderson St., Vancouver, WA, 98661, United States
Join the Vancouver Barracks Military Association for an exploration of the personalities of the first officers who founded and commanded the Vancouver Barracks. These include John S. Hatheway, Theodore Talbot, William Wing Loring, and Rufus Ingalls. The talk will also feature early drawings of the original barracks buildings, dating to the early 1850s.
Register for this free program at jddavis@rocketmail.com
Photo Credit: National Archives
