The multiple meanings of “corsage”

By | June 2nd, 2023|Categories: Edwardian Era, Victorian culture, Victorian Era|Tags: |

Today, most of us automatically think of high school dances when we hear the word “corsage.” Myself, I am envious when I see the photos and firmly believe that more of us should be given opportunities to wear flowers around our wrists!  But I digress… While we may picture prom dresses and photos on the [...]

Jean Beraud : Documenting the Belle Epoque

By | September 19th, 2022|Categories: Edwardian Era|Tags: , , |

The work of Jean Beraud was recently brought to my attention by a member of the Recollections team and I am so glad that it was! For the past several days I have been scouring the internet to find examples of his late Victorian and Belle Epoque paintings and enjoying every minute. His art is [...]

The titillating history of the tea dance

By | July 7th, 2022|Categories: Edwardian Era, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|

This summer we have been exploring the history of Victorian tea culture. The mass popularity of tea in the 19th century led to new furniture, a growing amount of teaware, and new household schedules. It also led to social occasions that society molded around. This included afternoon tea, high tea, tea parties, and tea dances. [...]

Victorian and Edwardian combination garments

By | May 22nd, 2022|Categories: Edwardian Era, Fashion, Underpinnings, Victorian Era, Victorian Fashions|

I love wearing petticoats! Recently I wrote a post about the history of petticoats and discovered that our readers love them as well. I am also a big fan of the history of the corset and its variations over time. It is therefore surprising that I have never done much digging into the history or [...]

Antique Easter Greetings!

By | April 15th, 2022|Categories: Edwardian Era, Holidays, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , |

Happy Easter Recollections Community!  I have looked forward to writing posts this time of year since I came into the Recollections blog because Easter is such a pretty holiday and I know that many of our customers love celebrating it. I enjoy Easter and this time of year because I am such a firm believer [...]

The woman behind the Campbell's Soup Kids: Grace Drayton

By | April 7th, 2022|Categories: Edwardian Era, Women's History|

Because of my interest in paper dolls, I have wanted to research the origins of Dolly Dingle for a while now. What I have uncovered is the illustrious career of a pioneering female artist, Grace Drayton. You will no doubt be familiar with some of her most well-known cartoons, which she was creating during a [...]

Victorian and Edwardian New Year's resolutions advice

By | December 30th, 2021|Categories: Edwardian Era, Holidays, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: |

I love the fresh start of a new year! I think that even if it is just symbolic, the rare opportunities that we have in life to start a new chapter can be great chances to reevaluate our lives and make changes that ensure we are making the most of our time on this planet. [...]

Irene Castle: Flapper Era’s Best Dressed

By | December 15th, 2021|Categories: 1920s fashion, Edwardian Era, Edwardian Fashion, Entertainment, Fashion, Roaring 20s, Women's History|

I have often seen references to "Irene Castle Corticelli" in my research for Recollections blog posts but didn’t know much about the woman behind the brand. I love studying the lives of women related to the fashion industry of the 1910s and 1920s so have had her on my list for a while. I was [...]

Edwardian motoring fashions

By | December 8th, 2021|Categories: Edwardian Era, Edwardian Fashion, Fashion, Women's History|Tags: , , |

I recently gave a presentation on women and the Victorian bicycle craze and explored the way that women’s fashion was examined as the popularity of the bicycle. At the end of the presentation, I touched briefly on the next craze on wheels that hit the public, the automobile. I showed a selection of images from [...]