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So far recollections has created 411 blog entries.

History of the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball Drop

By | January 3rd, 2019|Categories: Edwardian Era, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , , , |

Each year on December 31st, people standing in Times Square and people all over the world sitting around their television countdown as the ball drops in New York City. While “Dick Clark’s New York Rockin’ Eve” is a modern tradition, there is a long history of New Years celebrations in New York City.

History of Christmas Trees

By | December 15th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Holidays, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , , , , |

Evergreen trees decorated with lights, garland, and ornaments have become a staple in most households that celebrate Christmas, however,  these trees haven’t always been a symbol of the upcoming holiday. In fact, just like many aspects of Christmas, they have gained popularity since the Victorian era. Let's take a short look at the history of [...]

Time Flies: A History of Time Zones & Daylight Saving Time

By | December 13th, 2018|Categories: Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , |

It has become the norm that when we travel from state to state we must factor in time zone changes and that there is a Sunday in the spring and in the fall when we change our clocks for Daylight Saving Time, but time has not always been this way. The Concept of Time Before [...]

A Dickens-style Christmas: Victorian balls and Fezziwigs

By | December 9th, 2018|Categories: 19th Century Literature, Christmas, Holidays, Recollections, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , , , , |

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 [...]

Susan La Flesche Picotte: First Native American Female Physician

By | November 13th, 2018|Categories: Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , |

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 [...]

Veterans Day: Recognizing American Women in WWI

By | November 12th, 2018|Categories: Edwardian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , , , |

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 [...]

Mary Shelley – Frankenstein at 200

By | October 31st, 2018|Categories: 19th Century Literature, Regency Era|Tags: , , , , |

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 [...]

Halloween 2018 Photo Contest

By | October 31st, 2018|Categories: Contests and Games, Customer's Fashions, Halloween|Tags: , , |

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 [...]

Halloween 2018 Caption This! Photo Contest

By | October 26th, 2018|Categories: Contests and Games, Fashion, Halloween, Holidays|Tags: , , , , |

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), [...]