Meet the Curator of the Molly Brown House

By | June 26th, 2022|Categories: Women's History|Tags: |

I have been volunteering for the Molly Brown House in Capitol Hill, Denver for the past three years. I am currently performing in their ‘Penn After Hours’; events designed to provide the 21 and over crowd a fun chance to step back in time for a bit of Victorian or Edwardian fun. Even though I [...]

Have fun, but not too much fun: Victorian ball etiquette

By | June 16th, 2022|Categories: Entertainment, Victorian culture, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: |

Last week I wrote about the majesty of Victorian ball gowns and how there are few things I would rather look at. I can only imagine the splendor of an actual Victorian ball and a room full of more than a hundred people dressed in their 19th-century finest. Balls were more than just an opportunity [...]

17th and 18th century mass media: panoramas

By | June 11th, 2022|Categories: Entertainment, Regency Era, Victorian Era|

Motions pictures were invented over 130 years ago and remain one of the most popular forms of entertainment. But the concept of a visual experience to transport audiences to a new place wasn’t new, even in the 1880s. In the 18th century artists with remarkable vision created visual delights that would allow huge audiences to [...]

Led by simplicity: Victorian ball gowns

By | June 8th, 2022|Categories: Ball Gowns, Fashion, Victorian Era|Tags: , , |

Few things are more fun to simply look at than Victorian ball gowns. They are truly a feast for the eyes, made with rich colors, exquisite trimmings, artificial flowers, and yards of the finest fabrics. The women who wore them went to great effort to make sure that each detail was just right for each [...]

A look at tea tables

By | June 4th, 2022|Categories: Entertainment, History of the home, Regency Era|Tags: , |

Let’s return to the history of afternoon tea! I have been having so much fun looking into the various aspects of the history of tea, especially as it relates to the Victorian era. So far this summer we have looked at a short history of the English afternoon tea and teaware of times past. I [...]

Rosy cheeks: the Victorian way

By | May 27th, 2022|Categories: Fashion, Victorian culture, Victorian Era, Women's History|

One of the first things I do when I put on makeup is to dab my cheeks with a bit of blush. I have always loved the effect and while blush has taken a back seat to eyeliner and contouring more recently, it is still a part of my most basic leaving the house routine. [...]

Five fun facts about Sarah Bernhardt

By | May 25th, 2022|Categories: Women's History|Tags: |

I have been interested in diving into the life of Sarah Bernhardt for a long time. There are so many things that interest me including that one of my heroes, Margaret Brown (aka Molly Brown) was a huge admirer of hers. Margaret Brown was so inspired by Sarah Bernhardt that she took acting lessons in [...]

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 [...]

Nellie Cashman: Wild West Angel

By | May 19th, 2022|Categories: American West, Old West, Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , |

I have recently returned back to Denver after another great trip to Tombstone, AZ. It was a magical few days full of new friendships, horseback riding, saloons, and of course, history. I picked up a copy of the Tombstone Times while I was out on one of my shopping excursions and was excited to see [...]