For the past twenty years, I’ve been familiar with Townsends as an Indiana-based business that makes and sells historical reproductions to reenactors and historic sites. James Townsend founded the company in 1973, and it remains in the family’s hands, managed primarily by his son, Jon Townsend. Among the many small businesses specializing in eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century goods, Townsends is the largest domestic operation and has perhaps the widest customer base. As a result, their reputation as a vendor is mixed: known for appealing printed catalogs and good customer service, they also produce reproductions that are meant to be affordable for customers yet profitable for the company, resulting in occasional compromises on historical accuracy. Much of their clothing, for example, unlike garments of the eighteenth century, is machine-sewn to standard modern sizes rather than hand-sewn to personal fit.

But over the past few years, in conversations with visitors where I...

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