Updated August 2024. There still may be a bit of summer left on the calendar, but soon the leaves will be changing color and autumn will be in the air. When that happens, all of our thoughts will turn to... Halloween! Here are some interesting tidbits about one of our favorite holidays. Halloween's origins can [...]
The tea gown is the epitome of the charm of the late 19th century and early 20th century. Originally meant as a pretty, fashionable, and comfortable garment to wear at home, it grew into a fashion staple that is still loved today. An 1883 article on hygienic dress describes how indispensable the garment had become. [...]
Princess Ka'iulani was the final heir to the Hawaiian throne, the niece of the last Queen of Hawaii Lili'uokalani. If that wasn’t fascinating enough, she was a strong, intelligent young woman who fought for her people and their culture. She lived a life of both intrigue and tragedy. Her story often gets overlooked due to [...]
Dress Reform - Beyond the Bloomer Although the bloomer dress did not take off as a fashion in the mid-19th century, dress reform didn't go away. Women were still seeking social and political equality. The invention of the hoop skirt wasn't going to change that. Women still participated in sports, and fashion continued to evolve [...]
The Seeds of Dress Reform are Sown When settlers came to what is now the United States, it wasn't unusual to see Native American women wearing leggings under their skirts. European women were not immune to their functionality. Some women started wearing a version of pants under their skirts during the French Revolution. This combination was [...]
Mackinac Island and the Gilded Age Mackinac Island and the Grand Hotel are famous for being movie backdrops. Perhaps, Somewhere in Time is its most enduring legacy. Each autumn, a weekend is dedicated to experiencing the Edwardian-era as it was in the film. But, Mackinac Island was a Native American settlement before European exploration started [...]
Josephine Newcomb, Forward-thinking Philanthropist Josephine Louise Lo Monnier was born on Halloween, 1816, in Baltimore, Maryland. Her father was a wealthy businessman and she was educated mostly in France. However, the family's fortune declined after the death of her mother in 1831. She ended up living in New Orleans where her older sister settled after [...]
Memories of a Tea-Time Tradition As we've been looking at the history of tea and how the tradition of tea time started, I was reminded of a time when I was a young girl some decades ago. My little sister and I would often visit with our neighbors, the Walker sisters and their father. Miss [...]
Roots of the Tea Leaf According to legend, Shen Nong, Emperor of China, was visiting a far-flung region of his realm in 2737 B.C. At one stop, some dried leaves from a nearby plant fell into water that was boiling, as was required before drinking at the time. The steeping leaves created a brownish liquid [...]