Navigating the Heartache WWI Brings
In my novel, Angel of Mercy, Hettie’s birthday and her marriage to Geoffrey Bartlette correspond with the celebration of Victoria Day. If you’re American, you may be unaware of this holiday or why Canadians celebrate it. The holiday commemorates the birthday of Queen Victoria who was born May 24, 1819. It did not become a …
Having a family member “in service” or being in service yourself was common before the end of World War I. Domestic servants were needed to run the expansive homes of the upper middle class and wealthy prior to the invention of many electric conveniences. While today we may think of working as a maid, for …
How did you celebrate your last birthday? Chances are you had a party that featured a cake decorated with candles. Did you ever take time to think where these traditions got their start? If you guessed in the Victorian era, you’d be wrong. Most are much older. Let’s examine the origins of some of our …
One hundred years ago today, people were celebrating the start of what would be dubbed the Roaring 20s in the United States. What should have been a cause for celebration was slightly tempered. This was the last New Year celebration before Prohibition would go into effect on Jan. 16, 1920. In Boston, revelers gathered at cafes …
The commercialization of Christmas began during the Victorian era. Retailers encouraged consumers to shop for the holidays instead of giving homemade gifts, and shop employees also decorated their shop windows with lavish displays to attract passersby. The tradition of Christmas shopping was born. So what were the popular gifts in this bygone era? Let’s find …
Kids Say the Darndest Things may be a television show, but kids have been saying what’s on their minds – and amusing adults – for centuries. In 1903, the Sioux City Journal in Iowa asked the city’s school children to pen an essay on Thanksgiving turkeys. A sampling of the essays were published on Nov. …
As the new century dawned in 1901, fashion was quickly changing. Soon hemlines would rise while necklines would fall, and dress styles began to hug a woman’s body. Wedding fashions, however, did not change as drastically and were somewhat behind the times compared to streetwear. Wedding traditions, on the other hand, are surprisingly recognizable. Let’s …
We are slaves to fashion – both in our wardrooms and in our homes. This also was the case during the Victorian era. Homes in the Victorian era often were covered in wallpaper. The Victorians loved wallpaper so much they covered every wall with it and sometimes the ceiling. The wallpaper of choice was that …
The corset is probably considered the most uncomfortable garment ever invented, not only because it constricts the body, but also because it is symbolic of women being constricted in society. Was this true, or is it a stereotype? Corsets have been part of a woman’s wardrobe since antiquity. Over the centuries, they evolved and changed. The …
Belief in the paranormal is not limited to modern times. It began long ago with our ancestors telling spooky stories for entertainment. The Victorians, especially, were practically obsessed with ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Spiritualism – the belief that the dead can interact with the living through a medium – was …