Sprigged & Spotted

Tag: history

  • 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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  • Project Log: 18th Century Handsewn Shortgown Jacket

    Project Log: 18th Century Handsewn Shortgown Jacket

    Intellectual Effort and Tedium

    I hold great respect for the good people who made it through life in the tough centuries before my birth. I want to know them better and appreciate their ways of life, and I believe they were more like us than many will admit. As a twenty-first century woman who has always cultivated many hobbies, I am continually building upon transferable skills and pouring effort into creative endeavors which might most serve a particular moment in my life. At this point, I needed an activity which required a healthy balance of intellectual effort and tedium.

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  • 18th Century Cloth & Textiles Quiz – Basic Level

    18th Century Cloth & Textiles Quiz – Basic Level

    Test your knowledge of 18th century fabrics with a quick quiz.

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  • Obsolete & Antique Tools Quiz – Easy

    Obsolete & Antique Tools Quiz – Easy

    See if you can identify these objects which were much more commonly used in a bygone era.

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  • A life of layers: the Lens of Material Culture

    A life of layers: the Lens of Material Culture

    Some bits of material culture come and go. Others stick with us for centuries.

    I am fascinated by what stays and what goes. How do our objects, our clothing, our pastimes reflect our present and our past?

    These are questions I want to explore here.

    I hope you join me for the journey.

    Draped linen fabric image