Imagining what the lives of those who existed two-and-a-half centuries ago were like can be a daunting task. For Gloucester Museum of History Museum Specialist Sidney Ripley, the past does not feel so far away as she has experience with 18th century cooking, clothing and cosmetics. Ripley has always had a fascination with history. She spent her undergraduate career at Radford University, earning degrees in Museum Studies and Art History. She is currently working towards a graduate degree in Museum Studies through Harvard University. She started her career in history at the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation as a teenager. “It was my first job when I was 16,” said Ripley. “I started volunteering there when I was 14.” During her tenure at the foundation, Ripley’s passion for history only grew. She learned how to cook, dress, apply cosmetics and act as if she were living during the latter half of the 18th century. Taking part in costumed interpretation at the foundation gave Ripley the inspira...