As many of our readers, I enjoy spending my free time dreaming about owning Victorian gowns and wishing that I could spend more time in the layers, colors, ribbons, and elegance that come to mind when I think of the era. I am also a true woman of the Southwest - an Arizona native and [...]
Many of us know about the women’s suffrage movement, abolition, and temperance societies, but what about the dress reform movement? Many of the most radical and audacious women involved in progressive movements of the Victorian Era could see the way that women were physically prevented from fully participating in society. Such limitations, they argued, took [...]
A few weeks ago I bought my first pair of snow boots and cannot believe the difference that they have made in my overall comfort this winter. I have recently moved to snowy Denver after five years in Australia and had to accept that my Converse Allstars aren’t really the best for walking around icy [...]
A lot of interest has recently been given by clothing historians to the subject of women’s underclothes through time. It is, after all, something that we can all relate to, right? Maybe not. When one looks at the bustle, crinoline, and even whalebone corsets, for instance, we are truly looking at cultural artifacts from the [...]
Theresa looked forward to attending the Colfax Annual Ice Cream Social with her grandmother each year. It was an opportunity for her to participate in this sweet treasured tradition, and it was held at the 1886 Victorian home known as the Perkins House. Theresa Fitzerald-Dale loved history and things of old since she was a [...]
The Origins of the Tournament of Roses Parade What do you do when the “flowers are blooming and the oranges are about to bear” and it’s cold and snowy in Chicago and New York? Well, if it is 1890 in southern California, you have a “festival to tell the world about your paradise!” – Charles [...]
If it’s November, it’s time for Dickens fairs! These mid-Victorian London-inspired events pay homage to 19th century author Charles Dickens and the wonderful characters he created. The fairs are popular throughout England and the USA. Each one has its own signature, but all embody the spirit of the time. Here are a few Dickens Fairs [...]
How did Southern Ghost Girls Tours and Paranormal Investigations come to life? Lesley Ann Hyde loves to travel. She loves history and enjoys paranormal investigations. As she pursued her passion, Lesley noticed that most investigators were men, no one immersed themselves in history by dressing the part, and participants rarely got to do the investigating. [...]
Olga Leake is an American Revolution Continental Soldier reenactor from Pennsylvania.