A dynamic period of women’s fashion across the U.S. and Britain will be detailed May 15, 7 p.m., at Simpson County’s historic Sandford Inn — held by area historian Susan Lyons Hughes.

The Simpson County Tourism Commission will hold the presentation, “Dressing Mrs. Duncan: Women’s Fashion 1820-1865” as one of multiple monthly events being scheduled through September for its upcoming documentary on the Duncan Inn, premiering in June.

The programming intends to bring people to the inn and encourage people to learn about local history, commission Executive Director Amy Ellis said.

The historic inn, which operated from 1822 to 1862, is one of Simpson County’s most important attractions: The stage coach stop on the Cumberland Trace — 40 miles from Nashville — made it a place where news of fashion trends and current events were present and brought numerous people to town, including Abraham Lincoln, Sam Houston and Andrew Jackson.

Hughes will don historically accurate attire for the documentary as she reenacts Nancy Hammond Duncan, the wife of the inn’s owner and operator, Sandford Duncan. Research on clothing that Nancy Hammond Duncan may have worn was conducted for the documentary to allow for an accurate reproduction of a dress from 1852.

Hughes will model the dress for the preceding presentation, which will cover fashion through the inn’s operation — a period where fashion was much influenced by the Industrial Revolution, Hughes said.

“It was an incredibly dynamic period in part because of the Industrial Revolution — the changing roles of women — and that is manifested in women’s clothes,” Hughes said. “In short, there were big changes in the silhouette in women’s bodies, and a big factor in that are the foundation garments that were worn.”

This looked like a straight line for women’s bodies in the 1820s — but by 1862, hoop skirts were in fashion, and other manifestations came in between, said Hughes, who’s studied the field over the past 45 years.

One importance of fashion comes from how it’s tied to women’s outlooks and attitudes about themselves and where they fit into society, Hughes said.

“It happens every day today: How women feel about themselves is manifested in their clothing, in what they wear …,” she said.

The presentation, which is free, has limited seating. Reservations can be made by calling the commission at (270) 586-3040 or emailing tourism@franklinky.info