One hundred years of nightgowns: from the Victorian era to the 1950s

By | October 3rd, 2021|Categories: 1920s fashion, 1950s fun, Edwardian Era, Fashion, Roaring 20s, Underpinnings, Victorian fashion, Women's History|Tags: , , |

There is something about cooler temperatures that always gets me thinking about pretty and/or comfy sleepwear. Even though it has been just one week of fall here in Denver, I am already dreaming about flannel nightgowns, terry cloth robes, and Uggs. As often happens, I started to think about the evolution of the clothing item [...]

Polly Pry: daring journalist of the Wild West

By | September 26th, 2021|Categories: American West, Old West, Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , |

Polly Pry is a bit of a legend in Colorado. That is because she is directly tied to the notoriety of the most famous people from the state’s history. How so? She is responsible for much of their fame due to being the reporter who put them in the papers. When I first began my [...]

The women behind The Wizard of Oz witches

By | September 23rd, 2021|Categories: Entertainment, Halloween, Holidays, Women's History|Tags: , , , |

Few movie main characters are as different as The Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch The Wizard of Oz. And few are as beloved, with both of them being entrenched in the American consciousness 85-some odd years since the film was released.  The characters would not have become so iconic without [...]

Ideas for great Victorian Halloween costumes

By | September 19th, 2021|Categories: Halloween, Holidays, Victorian Era, Victorian Fashions, Women's History|Tags: , , , |

A memorable Halloween starts with a memorable costume. Why not make it one to remember by dressing as a woman from history who deserves to be remembered? Victorian Halloween costumes are always a part favorite because they are striking and great conversation starters. But who to choose? A lot of women from the Victorian era [...]

Women's aprons through time

By | September 16th, 2021|Categories: 1950s Fashions, Downton Abbey, Fashion, History of the home, Victorian Fashions, Women's History|

It occurred to me some months back that there are some very distinct trends when it comes to women’s aprons. We see them come and go through history and with specific styles when they do. Though we call anything meant to protect a woman’s clothing from harm caused by domestic duties an ‘apron’, they are [...]

Want a Regency-inspired fall? Try a Spencer jacket.

By | September 12th, 2021|Categories: Accessories, Fashion, Regency Era|Tags: , |

What is your favorite Regency fashion? I think mine might be the Spencer jacket, though it took some paper dolls from the period to show me... Last weekend I wrote a fun piece about early printed paper dolls, Little Fanny and her cohorts Little Henry and Naughty Ellen. The dolls were accompanied by charming storybooks [...]

Can Regency paper dolls encourage children to behave?

By | September 5th, 2021|Categories: Entertainment, Regency Era, Women's History|Tags: , |

I have been looking forward to doing a post on the history of paper dolls for a while. And wow - talk about biting off more than I could chew! As soon as I started prepping a couple of weeks back I realized it was WAY too huge of a topic to tackle in one [...]

Edwardian Era Roundup

By | August 31st, 2021|Categories: Edwardian Era, Edwardian Fashion|

We love the Edwardian era! There is something so enchanting about the aesthetic of the time. Perhaps it is the combination of sweeping hairstyles, flowing skirts, and tiny florals. It is a fun time to study as so many things were changing for women yet much of their clothing remained in the traditional styles that [...]

Making sure local war heroes are remembered

By | August 29th, 2021|Categories: Civil War|Tags: , |

Are there any Civil War heroes laid to rest in your town? Are they being remembered with properly marked graves? We recently heard from a customer who was preparing for a dedication of three graves for Union soldiers in her town of New Baltimore and just had to learn more. What we uncovered is a [...]