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 [...]
Experience Life in the 19th Century at Camp this Summer Did you attend summer camp? What do you think of when you think 'summer camp?' Is it running around outdoors, getting dirty, maybe do some swimming, a few crafts, and maybe a stream hike or two? That was part of my childhood experience, but perhaps [...]
July 4th - Celebrating American Independence for more than 240 Years! Independence Day – many countries celebrate Independence Day with traditions unique to their culture. In the United States, we've been celebrating this most patriotic holiday for more than 240 years on July 4th. Here are some cool facts about the 4th of July. Although [...]
Immerse Yourself in TeslaCon Everybody likes a party, but Eric Larson, aka Lord Hastings Robert Bobbins III, Prime Minister of England, has taken the fan convention concept to a new level with TeslaCon. He was bored of the traditional fan convention and used his talents to reimagine the experience. Some fans refer to him as [...]