Sprigged & Spotted

Category: Historical Lifeways

  • Vintage Book Review: A Woman’s Story of Pioneer Illinois by Christiana Tillson [A Vibrant Retrospective]

    Vintage Book Review: A Woman’s Story of Pioneer Illinois by Christiana Tillson [A Vibrant Retrospective]

    A first-person account of log cabin living as a young wife and mother.

    Most of us can name at least one or two historically significant memoirs, such as Elie Wiesel’s Night or the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Such first-person accounts of history add richness and personality to the dry study of dates, places, and politicians which usually dominate history lessons. While getting a bird’s eye view of historical events is important, well-crafted memoirs written by those who survived the trials of past events provide us with the “story” part of history. This year, I had the pleasure of encountering an unusual and underappreciated historical memoir of this kind, A Woman’s Story of Pioneer Illinois by Christiana Holmes Tillson.

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  • Lost Greetings: Postcards from the Past Revisited

    Lost Greetings: Postcards from the Past Revisited

    Mr. Willoughby was a favorite teacher of mine during high school, and I still count him as a friend in adulthood. A former Army officer and veteran of the Vietnam War turned history teacher, he formed lasting relationships with his students. And, the giant bulletin board hanging at the rear of his classroom attested to his impact. It was covered in postcards sent to him by his current and former pupils, in some places the cards were several layers deep.

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  • Ye Olde Nail Clippers: How did people trim their nails in the past?

    Ye Olde Nail Clippers: How did people trim their nails in the past?

    I love the ordinary.

    What could be more ordinary than clipping your nails?

    Many a time have I pondered the difficulty of such a mundane task for people with no access to handy, purpose-built nail clippers, either in the past or the present. Thus, I was delighted to come across this huge, centuries-old painting by Dutch master, Rembrandt (or one of his pupils) of an aged woman tending to her finger nails. Though, I am no art historian, I have always been drawn to the painters of old who shined a light on the common folk rather than just the wealthy. The Bible itself includes a reference to nail grooming, though without mention of a specialized tool.

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