We don’t have much material written about pregnancy in Victorian times, as the topic was strictly off-limits. It was illegal to publish information about birth control. In the literature of the day, authors were masters at “producing” a child without any mention of the pregnancy which must certainly have preceded the event. Still, women [...]

With 2012 marking the 100th anniversary of the voyage of the Titanic, several cruise lines have scheduled memorial voyages to commemorate this event.  Other venues are also planning special activities as well. For example, the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island will be having a “Titanic at the Grand” event, May 4th -6th.  Events [...]

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, which went down on April 14th, 1912. No other maritime disaster has captured the public’s attention like this one. The story of her sinking continues to be the subject of stage, cinema and literature. While this may well be the greatest maritime [...]

“And visions of sugarplums danced in their heads..” Have you ever wondered what a sugarplum was? In Victorian times these candied fruits were a traditional Christmas treat. We found a recipe on the “Earthbound Farm” website , and thought you might like to try it. Please keep in mind that these need to “mellow” [...]

One of the more delightful rituals Victorians practiced was the art of making social calls. In a time when the telephone was not in common use, social calls were a way to keep in touch, especially if one was interested in climbing the social ladder. An integral part of visiting was the use of [...]

Have you seen the lovely snood among Recollections newest products? The snood – historically worn by European women – has a very long history, and the word is first recorded in Old English sometime around A.D. 725. Snoods were widely worn in the Middle Ages, and the term “snood” was applied to a [...]