Corsets & Women Entrepreneurs, Part 2: The Remarkable Mme Vermilyea

In this second of three illustrated talks on corsets and dressmaking in 19th century Toronto, historian and fashion expert Dr. Alanna McKnight introduces us to the extraordinay corset maker Mme Hannah Vermilyea. She had a showroom and a store in downtown Toronto and a corset-making factory in the Junction. She employed an all-woman workforce of 150 and had some corset patents to her name. Later she moved to the U.S. but decided to bypass any tariffs: She was caught smuggling thousands of dollars’ worth of corsets across the border!

In her last talk on Sunday, Dec. 14, Alanna introduces us to Mary Augusta and the pre-industrial needle trade in Toronto. While much has been written about Mary's husband, Alexander Augusta, the second Black doctor in Toronto, Mary's career as a Black dressmaker and shop owner would have remained forgotten had she not in 1854 placed an 1854 in a newspaper serving the Black population in Upper Canada.

The illustrated talks take place at Back Lane Studios, 9 Neepawa Ave. in Roncesvalles Village (a block south of Howard Park Ave. and just east of Roncesvalles Ave. Tickets: $15 for each lecture (refreshments included). Only 30 tickets available for each session.

Lecture 3: Mary Augusta: The Forgotten Black Dressmaker with a Famous Husband: Sunday, Dec. 14, 2-4pm. Get tickets .

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