The start of December brings the season of Victorian balls, like the Fezziwigs held by organizations such as The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers and Regency Encounters which both held yearly Victorian balls prior to Covid. The night is filled with 19th century carols, refreshments, and dancing as guests step back in time. While not as many [...]
Early Life Susan La Flesche Picotte was the first Native American female physician. She is remembered for breaking racial and gender barriers. Susan was born in 1865 in the Omaha Indian Reservation, daughter to Chief Joseph (called “Iron Eyes”) and Mary Gale (called “One Woman”). Both parents were of mixed race. The chief knew his tribe [...]
While this week we celebrate Veterans Day to honor all who have fought in our country’s wars, it was originally established as Armistice Day in 1919 to recognize and honor those who had recently served in World War One. What was a bit overlooked then, and still sometimes now, was the widespread contributions of women [...]
Over two hundred years ago, in 1818, Mary Shelley first published Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus. Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley was the daughter of the feminist author, Mary Wollstonecraft, and the philosopher, William Godwin. At fifteen, she fell in love with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was married and had two children at the [...]
Thank you to all of our wonderful customers who entered the Halloween 2018 Photo Contest. You are the best! And the winner is... The Grand Prize Winner of $250 to spend on our website is #17 Joan M., Auburn, CA. The panel of judges thought her photo best embodied the spirit of Halloween. Runners-up ($50 [...]
Thank you to everyone who entered the contest! The judges chose the winner for each photo. You'll find the winning captions below. Please visit Recollections for history-inspired fashions for women. We design and manufacture in the USA. Our garments come in American sizes XS-XXXXL. Fashions include the late 1700s, 1800s (Victorian, Civil War, Old West), [...]
It’s been 150 years since Louisa May Alcott introduced us to the March family in Little Women and we can’t seem to get enough of the story and the characters who inhabit it. Is it because of the diverse personalities of the March siblings? Our readers have strong opinions on who is their favorite and how the [...]
Thomas Hardy’s first literary success Far from the Madding Crowd was written by Thomas Hardy in 1874. It was his fourth novel and the first one to see major literary success. The story was first published anonymously as a monthly serial in Cornhill Magazine. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) considered himself a poet first and foremost but [...]
Halloween is one of our favorite holidays! Here are some of the Halloween happenings in a few of the larger cities in the USA. We'll add more and are interested in hearing from you about your favorite Halloween happenings. Comment with the name of the event, the date(s), location, and a link and we'll add [...]