There is something about hat boxes that adds such a nice touch to a room or a feeling of sophistication to a scene. While they may not elicit as much excitement as vintage hats themselves, they are elegant reminders of a time past. A time of daily formality and attention to detail. A time when [...]
A brooch is the perfect finishing touch to any Victorian dress or ensemble. I know I have regretted not having one more than once when dressing for a 19th-century-themed event! We have some great options here at Recollections, my favorite is the fairy cameo below. Vintage Fairy Brooch The cameo style is a very distinctive [...]
We love Valentine’s Day here at Recollections! Perhaps it is because the Victorians embraced it so much. Whatever the case, we look forward to it and have enjoyed creating some great content over the last few years. We also love using it as an occasion to express love and appreciation for our customers and readers. [...]
Several months back I came across a framed glove on the Victoria and Albert Museum website. Upon further inspection, I was pleased to discover that it was a Valentine from 1836 from an unknown person to their unknown lover. It got me more than curious about the possibility of other existing 19th-century Valentine’s gifts. I [...]
We are going to try out a new feature here on Recollections! Knowing how much our community loves all things history, fashion, and women’s history related we will now be gathering news stories through the month that includes the latest in research on each topic. What history news would you like us to make sure [...]
Victorian wedding dresses are a sight for any eyes - sore or otherwise. The era was a big time for weddings as life was becoming more public and both parties were increasingly given more say in who they met at the end of the aisle. Queen Victoria herself is a great example of this gradual [...]
I have a new hobby! I am a big fan of hand-lettering and a big history enthusiast. I recently decided to combine two of my passions and start lettering with a fountain pen. That naturally led me down an internet rabbit hole of trying to learn about the history of fountain pens and their related [...]
Happy Holidays! I have such an interest in learning new things about Victorian culture. Last year I discovered that clovers and pigs were popular symbols to represent the start of a new year and were featured on greeting cards for decades. I wondered if there was a similar thing to learn about 19th-century Christmas cards [...]
Victorians were innovators with a deep curiosity about the natural world. They also had a real knack for creating beautiful visuals, especially to our modern sensibilities. As we saw in my look at the life of Marianne North a couple of weeks ago, their scientific explorations often ended with beautiful aesthetics that we still enjoy [...]