If you happen to be lucky enough to live in or near Michigan, you may be aware of an annual event peopled by “time travelers”. This is what the many people who make an annual trip to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island call themselves. Every year in October, the historic Grand Hotel hosts the [...]
Who among us has not dreamed of doing nothing but shop for beautiful fabric and rich, beaded trims? In April, Susan and Shelby, who happen to be sisters (twins no less!) and both work for Recollections, had the opportunity to travel to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York on a three-day buying trip. Their assignment [...]
What setting could be more ideal for a Recollections photo shoot than the lovely Mackinac Island in Michigan? No cars are permitted there, and everyone comes to the island via a ferry boat. Earlier this month, models CJ (blonde), Lindsey (the redhead), and Courtney (the brunette), gathered for the shoot along with hairdresser Sharon. Susan, [...]
Today it may seem to us that Victorians had a rather morbid fascination with death, however it is probably we who are now so insulated from this part of life, are overly sensitive to the topic. In the late 1800’s one in twenty infants died before their first birthday, and during the Civil [...]
After retiring to the historic mountain town of Durango, Colorado with her husband, Suzanne Parker noticed that she would sometimes see people strolling downtown who were dressed in period attire from the late 1800’s. An avid seamstress who first picked up a needle and thread about the age of 12, her interest in Victorian attire [...]
Last October, with the enthusiastic encouragement of several friends who love to dress in period attire, my husband and I made the 6-hour trek from Prescott, Arizona to the lovely old western town of Durango, Colorado for the third annual Durango Heritage Celebration. We stayed at the beautifully restored Strater Hotel, and immersed ourselves in [...]
Queen Victoria goes into mourning In December of 1861, Queen Victoria’s beloved husband Albert died. Her response to his death would forever change Victorian mourning clothing and customs. It had been the custom for a widow to wear black for a period of one year; other relatives were in mourning for lesser periods, depending on [...]
In the early 1800’s, there was not public education as we know it. Wealthy families hired tutors for their children, and for the working-class poor, school was not an option. In the late 18th century a tailor named Thomas Cranfield offered free education for poor children in London. In 1798 Cranfield established a free [...]