About Janice Formichella

Hi! I'm Janice, a content creator and lover of history currently residing in Denver, Colorado. I have been interested in in the history of how women lived in the past and of women's stories since before I can remember. I am especially interested in stories of women from the 19th century frontier. It's amazing to me that I get to write blog posts about my favorite topic!

These Good Housekeeping Gingerbread Houses Will Get You in the Holiday Spirit

By | December 2nd, 2022|Categories: Christmas, Holidays|

The holidays are upon us and that means once-a-year decor, food, and music. I have really enjoyed exploring Christmas traditions on the blog over the last few years. The holiday season is a fun topic to explore as one is unlikely to run out of ideas. Don’t believe me? Check out the multitude of podcasts [...]

Five fun facts about pumpkin pie

By | November 22nd, 2022|Categories: 4th of July, Holidays|Tags: , , |

What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish? Mine is such a toss-up between mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. For the last three years, I have enjoyed picking up a very special gluten-free version from a lovely vegan bakery here in Denver. I put in my order this week and look forward to leaving plenty of room [...]

Botany Beauty: Marianne North

By | November 17th, 2022|Categories: Victorian Era, Women's History|

I love looking at vintage botanical illustrations and have wanted to cover the history of the art form for a long time. I started to dig in over the last month and was pleased to discover that an Englishwoman was one of the more influential leaders of the Victorian movement to explore and document natural [...]

Letter seals: a history

By | November 13th, 2022|Categories: History of the home, Regency Era, Victorian Era|

There is something so satisfying about depictions of 19th-century letter exchanges. The paper appears thick and high quality, the letting is in cursive writing which is so rare these days, and of course, the wax seals they are often closed with. Communicating this way must have made each correspondence somewhat significant, more so than the [...]

Heloise's 1962 Housekeeping Tips

By | November 6th, 2022|Categories: History of the home, Women's History|Tags: , |

I really enjoy vintage etiquette and household manuals. The latest in my collection is a 1962 edition of Heloise’s Housekeeping Hints. I have been enjoying poking through it over the last couple of weeks, being both educated on some helpful tips and humored at some of the outdated inclusions. For instance, have you ever tried [...]

The mysterious world of poison rings

By | October 29th, 2022|Categories: Accessories, Victorian Era|Tags: |

Tis the season to be spooky! I have always considered poison rings to be a dark and mysterious item from the past though have never been able to learn much about them. Well, I know now that they have fairly ancient roots that extend to the present day, something that we don’t see very often [...]

Halloween Greetings!

By | October 27th, 2022|Categories: Halloween, Holidays|Tags: |

Happy Halloween dear customers and readers! We know that many of you are up to a lot of fun over the next few days and we hope it will be spookily delightful. To thank you for being a part of our community this weekend and to get you in the spirit of things I have [...]

These Victorian-era paintings of autumn leaves will make you love the season even more

By | October 23rd, 2022|Categories: 19th Century Literature, Victorian Era|

"There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne It is a great autumn season here in Denver. Luckily we haven’t had snow yet, and the leaves are getting brighter by the day. I know [...]

The history of corduroy

By | October 20th, 2022|Categories: 1950s Fashions, Fashion, Textiles|Tags: , |

Fall is here, the perfect time for corduroy clothes of all types. It’s warm, durable, and oh-so-cozy, just what one wants for the transition from summer to the colder months. Just thinking about corduroy clothing makes me picture walking through my neighborhood park and enjoying the bright-colored leaves that Denver is blessed with right now. [...]