MISTAKES/GOOFS

• FACT: General George Washington is shown wearing the blue and buff uniform of the style that he would wear throughout the war. However, the style of the collar on this particular coat is not historically accurate in that the two corners of the collar on the uniform should have been either buttoned to the top of the lapels or capable of being buttoned down (which would be evinced by two clearly visible button holes in the collar, one at each corner). While no regimental coat belonging to George Washington from the time of the revolution is known to exist today, every single artist who personally observed Washington during the war painted him in his uniform with the collar either actually buttoned down or capable of being buttoned to the lapel tops. Further, the buttoned down collar was the style fashionable and in common use by American soldiers and officers during the mid-late 1770s.
• DATE: Obvious modern reproduction pewter tankard in the Adams' city residence. Period pewter was cast in molds and then finely hand-smoothed if needed, leading to an evenly smooth surface - including the vessel's bottom. Most modern pieces have bottoms hastily smoothed with a lathe machine. The lathe leaves telltale concentric rings - which shine forth while young Charles shows the vessel's bottom to the camera as he takes a drink at the family table.

TRIVIA