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So far recollections has created 411 blog entries.

Caption This! Halloween Photo Contest

By | October 29th, 2016|Categories: Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , , , , |

In our continuing celebration of Halloween, we're inviting you to participate in our 'Caption This!' Halloween photo contest. There are 10 photos from which to choose. Rules Caption one or caption all ten. You don't have to caption each photo to win. One winner per photo. You can only win once. Each winner receives a [...]

Lucy Brand, First Woman to Vote in New York

By | October 25th, 2016|Categories: Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , , , |

The year 1880 was an historic one for women in New York. At the end of the previous year, women didn’t have the right to vote in any election but were able to wield their influence nonetheless. In the Eleventh senatorial district, Miss Susan A. King gave time and money to the cause of electing [...]

Victorian Travel Tips – Wardrobe

By | October 22nd, 2016|Categories: Uncategorized, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , |

Updated February 4, 2019 It seems that some things never change. The details may change but the subject is the same – the savvy traveler. Today, we pack for a vacation or business trip that may include air travel. There are tips and tricks to get the most out of your wardrobe. Here’s a glimpse [...]

Winchester Mystery House, Eccentric Victorian Legacy

By | October 18th, 2016|Categories: Uncategorized, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , |

Sarah (Pardee) Winchester grew up in New Haven, Connecticut and attended Yale’s Young Ladies Collegiate Institute (please see part one of this series for more on Sarah’s life). She traveled in the social circles that included many of Yale’s progressive thinkers. Both she and her husband had family members who were Freemasons. The influences of [...]

Sarah Winchester, Still the Talk of the Town

By | October 15th, 2016|Categories: Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Sarah Pardee, The Belle of New Haven Sarah Lockwood Pardee was the fifth of seven children born to Leonard Pardee and Sarah Burns. There are no records to confirm when she was born, but it is estimated to have been between 1835 and 1845. Her family was part of the upper middle class in New [...]

Lady Clementina Hawarden – Fashion’s First Photographer?

By | October 11th, 2016|Categories: Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , |

Clementina Elphinstone Fleeming was born on June 1, 1822, at Cumbernauld House, located near Glasgow, Scotland. Her father was the Honorable Admiral Charles Elphinstone Fleeming who served in the Venezuelan and Colombian wars of liberation from 1811 through 1825. Her mother, Catalina Paulina Alessandro of Cadiz, an exotic beauty, was 26 years his junior. Clementina [...]

Julia Margaret Cameron – Groundbreaking Photographer

By | October 8th, 2016|Categories: Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , |

You never know what you are going to find when doing research for a Recollections blog post! While learning more about the Victorian pastime of tableau vivant, or posing for vignettes, the name of Julia Margaret Cameron came up. She was a very interesting woman who came to photography after her children were grown. She [...]

Victorian Vignette: Costume Dressing to Entertain

By | October 1st, 2016|Categories: Halloween, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , |

We have almost unlimited choices when it comes to entertainment today. When we think about what life was like 150 years ago and the entertainment choices of the Victorians, the list is a lot shorter. There was no television. Cinema was in very early development and a commercial entity. There was no radio. There was [...]

Recollections Connection: Cindy Ayers Smith at Fairlawn Mansion

By | October 1st, 2016|Categories: Halloween, Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Two views of Fairlawn Mansion Halloween is one of our favorite holidays at Recollections. Recently, we asked our Facebook community to let us know what their favorite Halloween events were. Cindy Ayers Smith let us know about a favorite of hers; the Flashlight Tour at Fairlawn Mansion. The Flashlight Tour takes place each [...]