If you have found yourself often sewing by hand, as I have recently, you need a place to keep your favorite notions at the ready. In the 18th and 19th century, the need to keep little items from getting lost in pockets and bags was just as prevalent as it is now. To a Georgian-era woman, a “housewife” was the perfect place to secure small valuable items she wanted to keep on her person.
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Traditional Trades & Professions Quiz – Level 2 (Medium)
Test your knowledge of slightly obscure historical trades and traditional vocations. “Level 2” features terminology which might be familiar to many English speakers, but many questions may stump you. Are you up to the task? Notice: All questions, answers, and explanations may not be duplicated, used, or reproduced without express permission from the author. Liked […]
Food for Thought
Snarky skincare advice for backwoods women [Mid-19th Century Sunbonnets, Part 1]
The weekly newspaper serving the town of Glasgow in central Missouri published a saucy opinion column entitled “Letter to Country Girls,” attributed to Mrs. Swisshelm. In her 800 word rant, the writer lays into women who, in her view, have their priorities out of order with regards to skincare and other health habits.
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, […]
