19th Century Fashion

A Visit From St. Nicholas

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Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

“Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!”

 

That is probably the best known poem in the English language. Written by Professor Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863) in 1822, the poem was first published, anonymously, in The New York Sentinel on  December 23, 1823.

Clement Clarke Moore came from a prominent family and his father Benjamin Moore was the Bishop of New York who was famous for officiating at the inauguration of George Washington. 

It was not until 1844 that Clement Clarke Moore claimed ownership when the work was included in a book of his poetry.

       MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

 

Victorian clip art (pictures 2, 3, & 4 in the blog) courtesy of Averyl’s Attic: http://www.averyl.com/attic

The Lost Art of American Quilting

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Quilting is a lost art … or is it?  Although Mama sewed ever since she was tall enough to peddle Grannie’s treadle sewing machine, she didn’t get interested in quilting until she retired. Yet, much like the pioneer women, she saved every scrap of material no matter how small. I inherited that trait. At first, she hand-pieced each square; and later went to machine-piecing. My mother always had several quilt tops going at one time. When each of her grandchildren married they received a finished quilt. As the great-grand’s came along, it was a given that they’d get a quilt and pillow for their nursery. For Christmas, we fairly well knew what our gift from Mama would be based on the events of our lives.

I hate to piece! Literally, hate it, but love to stitch a quilt. Mother’s stitches were so tiny and accurately spaced that you have to really look hard to tell a quilt she worked by hand over a machine piece. If you looked at mine, let’s just say you would definitely know the difference. Many times, an experience quiltmaker can date the quilt by the type of material used, the stitches, but more importantly, the patterns.

While quilting remains a cherished tradition, modern alternatives have also emerged to enhance the comfort and aesthetics of our bedrooms. As I ventured into the world of quilting, I discovered the remarkable benefits of bamboo bedding. My curiosity led me to explore luxurious and sustainable materials, like those found in the bed sheets sold by ComfyBambooSheets. The softness and breathability of the bamboo fabric bring a new level of comfort to the quilting process, making it a delightful experience. While I may not be an expert at piecing like my mother, incorporating bamboo bedding into my quilts adds a touch of contemporary elegance while preserving the age-old art of quilting for generations to come.

The art of quilting goes back to Ancient Egypt and the Middle Ages. Most likely the early items were created out of the necessity to keep warriors warm. Quilted bedding was probably created for the same reason. In Europe, during pre-colonial days, soldiers put away their heavy armor and wore padded, quilted clothing instead for protection.

In the 1700’s, wealthy ladies embroidered “throws” made of irregular pieces of silk, linen, and wool, now called Crazy Quilts. They used cutouts of imported chintz appliquéd to whole cloth, usually with a center design surrounded by formal placement of small designs cut from the same chintz. The oldest surviving American-made quilt dates back to this era. There are two housed in the Smithsonian.

Arriving in America with the colonialists, patchwork quilting as most of us are familiar with evolved into a uniquely American art form mainly because of the thrift and ingenuity of the pioneer woman. The patterns developed by these women reflected their day-to-day lives; their gardens, the sky, heroes of the day and battles. Or simply as a reflection of the beauty and grandeur of the new land. Many came about in honor of historic events, such as Lincoln’s Platform which commemorated the Lincoln-Douglas debates in the 1858 senatorial election.

Later, as the pioneer woman entered into new territories, her quilt patterns traveled with her. It became common practice to change the names to better reflect her new surroundings. Thus, many old patterns have been known by different names. Jacobs Ladder was originally called Road to California. The second version became known as Stepping Stones in New England and Virginia; The Tail of Benjamin’s Kite in Pennsylvania; Trail of the Covered Wagon or Wagon Tracks in the South and Midwest; the Underground Railroad in Kentucky; and Rocky Road to California or Rocky Road to Oklahoma. Sugar Loaf was derived from the days when sugar came in loaves wrapped in blue paper. Many times this quilt top was pieced using dark and light blues.

Scrap quilts were born of necessity. Several sources suggest that patchwork was a natural extension of mending and the mind-set of the frontier women who were forced to exercise frugality. Patching of clothing, and of course, bed coverings was a common and necessary technique.  The idea of using saved scraps of materials in piecing was also natural to the Puritan and frontier mentality of thrift, utility, and economy. Although it’s also one of the most difficult patterns, Grandmother’s Flower Garden is still a favorite of quiltmakers because it uses up huge quantities of small scrap pieces.

 Grandmother’s Flower Garden

The Log Cabin was probably the most popular quilt pattern ever devised. It is a scrap design. The only rule seems to be that the center square be red.

Log Cabin

After the Industrial Revolution (mid-1800’s), materials had become affordable and available enough that fabrics were bought specifically for the purpose of making a quilt, thus the birth of patterns that had repeating patterns. The housewife was no longer dependent upon the accumulation of scraps of different colors, sizes, and patterns in her scrap bag to create a specific pattern or design.  She could now repeat a pattern in a particular color of fabric to carry out a desired color scheme. Typically they were pieced together using squares, rectangles, and triangles. Later, with the invention of the locked stitch sewing machine, more fanciful designs were developed.

During the Depression, feedbag prints became popular. As a promotional gimmick, the companies that sold products in cotton bags such as flour, sugar, and chick feed made these bags of printed fabrics. Being practical, women looked for the prettiest fabric, and made clothing from the feed sacks, using the left over scraps for quilts.

We lost Mama on August 28, 2004, with fast moving lung cancer. When Christmas came around, we weren’t exactly prepared to find that she’d left each of us a present in her bedroom closet, all wrapped and ready to open … a finely pieced and stitched quilt.  Well, for almost everyone … mine was two pieced quilt tops because she didn’t have time to finish them before she got ill. And, yes, it’s crossed my mind that she may have deliberately given me the tops as her way of reminding me how many times I said, “I love to stitch, but hate to piece.”  The truth, knowing her, I’m surprised I didn’t get a box of quilt squares cut, penned and ready to piece together as payback for smart-mouthing her.  The quilt tops were the best Christmas present I have ever received in my life.

When my precious mother-in-law came to live with us for her final days, I finished stitching the Philadelphia Pavement during the hours Lola and I sat and talked.  She passed away August 26, 2008. After she left us, I took the finished quilt over to a seamstress and she added the name and birthday of my husband and me at one end, and at the other she stitched both of our mother’s and father’s names, birth dates and the dates they died.  Down each side are the names and birthdays of our two daughters and beside them are their children. Ironically, Mama had patterned in the exact number of blocks to include everyone.

I’ve been stitching on the other quilt top Texas Star for years, and I’m not sure I’ll ever finish.  I’ve never seen so many triangles in one pattern in my born days. I’m pleased to say that my oldest two teenage granddaughters have taken interest in quilting and so far we’ve worked together on a number of smaller projects.  Emma and I pieced and stitched a little boy quilt for her brother. Abigail, with the help of her mother, made me a lap quilt last Christmas, and they are both currently working on throw pillows … all in preparation for the “big” quilt!   Unless my fingers stay nibble enough to finish Texas Star, that might be their first major project.

I salute the generations of American women who, in spite of technological advances, took such pride to keep the art of quilting alive and preserved this rich heritage for us.  Do you have a favorite quilt or quilt story to share?

You can find a fascinating website with the timeline of quilting in America at http://www.reddawn.net/quilt/timeline.htm.

To one lucky reader who leaves a comment, I’m giving away my newest anthology Give Me a Texas Ranger.

Linda Ford ~ The History of APRONS

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 I remember when women wore aprons over their dresses as they did their daily work. Nowadays, I don’t think our kids even know what an apron is.

The following essay was on this site but also on a number of other sites: http://theopenpantry.blogspot.com/2009/01/history-of-aprons.html

“The principal use of Grandma’s apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for  removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children’s tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. (A warming oven was a narrow cabinet above a wood-burning stove, next to the stovepipe.)

“When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.

“Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

“From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

“When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

“When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the menfolk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

“It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that old-time apron that served so many purposes. “

Aprons have been used for hundreds of year by men and women for a variety of tasks. Perhaps the first mention of the use of an apron is in the Bible when Adam and Eve sewed together fig leaves to make aprons to cover themselves. We traditionally think of aprons being used for cooking, and while that is true, they have served as a cover-up for other tasks that tend to be messy. Occupations such as butchers, welders and bakers have always used aprons to protect both their clothing and bodies from their work.  In fact, men probably wore aprons before women did.

Some interesting facts about aprons.

The word comes from a French word for napkin or small tablecloth.

During earlier times, like maybe the 16th and 17th centuries, colors indicated the trade of the wearer. For instance, English barbers wore a checked pattern, butchers and porters wore green.

A pinafore apron was “pinned” to clothing.

Cooks turned their aprons to hide the stains but only once or the stains weren’t hidden.

I remember the first thing I learned to sew was a half apron that tied around my waist. I also remember when servers at wedding receptions all wore matching aprons. Often the color and style had been chosen by the bride or bride’s mother. I also remember accidently going to school in grade one without removing the apron I wore. I was so embarrassed. Looking back I can’t imagine why it bothered me so but it did.

Here is a site with free patterns for making aprons. http://tipnut.com/56-free-apron-patterns-you-can-make/

We’ve almost forgotten about aprons although my grandson designed an apron for me that I’m very proud of. (That’s it on the right.) In writing historical fiction, I need to remember how they were always worn and how they were used. In my August release, Dakota Cowboy, I used aprons a couple of times but not in my Christmas novella, Christmas Under Western Skies, due out later this year.

Website www.lindaford.org Blog www.lindaford.org/blog

I’ll give away a copy of Dakota Cowboy to one person who comments.

RE-ENACTMENT BECOMES A WAY OF LIFE by Janét Vincent Lee

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(Note from Winnie:  Our guest blogger today is Janét Vincent Lee – an actress, singer, costumer, western re-enactor and most importantly, my friend.  She and I go way back (I won’t say how many years 🙂 ) to our high school days and have just recently reconnected via facebook.  She very generously agreed to cover for me today while I am away attending a writers’ conference.  In honor of her visit and as a thank you to all of you who I know are going to make her feel right at home, I am going to giveaway a book (choice of any book from my backlist) to one person randomly selected from those who post comments for Janét.)

 

There is no finer way of relieving stress in a marriage than shooting your husband with a shotgun.  At least once a week!

I don’t think there was any wife in our re-enactment troupe who didn’t enjoy opening up with both barrels on her spouse now and then.  Fortunately, the audiences’ favorite shootout skits were always those where the bad guys created havoc, the sheriff and his deputies either were killed or ran away (depending on whether it was a drama or a comedy), and the ladies of the town had to take down the villains on their own.

In the 1990s my then-husband and I managed a troupe of re-enactors known as the Cross Creek Cowboys, based in San Juan Capistrano, California.  The group began with a handful of members from the Living History group at the fabled Mission San Juan Capistrano.  Some of our members were actors but most were not.  Our roster included a physics teacher, a professional cook, an entrepreneur, a bird rescuer, a graphic designer, a mechanic, and diverse others, with our common denominators being a passionate love of the Old West and a burning desire to keep its memory alive. 

Over the course of several years, we had expanded to 22 members and had done hundreds of performances at festivals, parades, fund-raisers and civic events.  We made numerous television appearances, were featured in a number of newspapers and magazines, and amassed a collection of awards and honors for performance and costume authenticity.  Ultimately we produced a half-hour film, shot on a western set in the high desert, featuring all of our members.  But most of all, we had a lot of fun. 

We acquired and constructed enough sets, props, costumes, weapons and supplies to fill a two-car garage and a storage trailer.  We spent untold hours loading and unloading trucks, traveling, pitching and striking tents, designing and sewing costumes, repairing gear, cleaning guns, reloading blanks, doing safety training, researching, writing and rehearsing skits, and, always, looking for more indispensable old goodies.  Most of our free time was spent together.  While performing was undeniably fun, the best part of re-enactment was camaraderie with hundreds of other Old West enthusiasts.  Re-enactment is more than a hobby, it becomes a way of life.

Our troupe were all members of the Single Action Shooting Society, an international organization which formerly held its annual shooting championship in Norco, California before relocating to New Mexico.  The last of these Norco events drew 2500 competitors and over 20,000 members of the public to a five-day encampment.  In addition to wild-west shows, television and movie stars, vendors, artisans, cowboy poets, western musicians, chuck wagon cooks and suffragettes on parade, there was a rambling town set where our troupe and others performed re-enactment skits several times a day.

At the end of the day the gates would close to the public, all weapons would be stowed, lanterns would be lit, and friends would gather around campfires to share a cup of hospitality and rehash the events of the day.  These were the finest times of all.  After dinner there would be music, dancing and socializing in the main tent or the saloon tent, but the campfire visits stretched on into the night until weariness finally dictated that we all retire to our tents, trucks or trailers for the night.

Though some of these multi-day encampments such as End of Trail and Marching Through History no longer take place, the San Bernardino Harvest Fair is still held every November.  Many local troupes of cowboys, townies, mountain men, 7th Cavalry, native American scouts, Buffalo Soldiers, Civil War re-enactors and musicians perform throughout two weekends.

Several excellent annual events are also still held in Tombstone, Arizona, including  Wyatt Earp Days in May, and Helldorado in October, which commemorates the infamous shootout at the O.K. Corral.  Re-enactors and tourists from throughout the western states gather to bring Tombstone alive with the sounds of spur jinglebobs on boardwalks and gunfire in the streets.  Although carefully coordinated and approved by a safety committee, gunfights appear to break out spontaneously, and tourists gather on the boardwalks to watch. 

The bad part of doing shootouts in Tombstone is “dying” on the street that is, literally, hot enough to cook an egg, and can raise blisters on any unexposed skin that happens to touch it.  Fortunately, our troupe was often invited to perform in the town’s amphitheater, where horned toads skitter across the dirt stage and hide in the shade of the wood-plank bleachers.  The famous Bird Cage Theater is not used for performances but is a museum and legitimate time capsule from the 19th Century, having been sealed for 50 years before reopening as a museum. 

A favorite memory of mine is of standing alone on the deserted street in front of the Bird Cage, with yellow lamplight in the street and a full moon above.  I heard faint music and laughter from Big Nose Kate’s Saloon a block away, and the clip-clop of hooves of a lone horse walking unhurriedly into town.  It whinnied several times before coming into view at the corner of Allen Street, and the cowboy rode it up to the saloon, tied it to the hitching post and went inside.  It was a magical moment, frozen in time.

There are things I don’t miss about re-enactment.  I don’t miss setting and striking tents in the rain, or dodging horse apples while “dying” in a shooting show on a parade route.  I don’t miss having the police called by neighbors who heard gunfire and hadn’t been informed that there would be a shootout show (“Oh, it’s you guys!  Call off the other car; it’s the Cross Creek bunch again.”).   I don’t miss performing all day in corset, bustle and petticoats in 110-degree heat in Cucamonga.  I don’t miss loading and unloading truckloads of gear as if I were in training as a carnie.  But, as life will do, it parted us and we drifted in different directions, and I miss the countless hours spent with my comrades in arms, bringing the Old West back to life and stepping through the veil of time to live there for a while.  Because, basically, everyone enjoys dressing up and playing cowboy with our friends.

Dressing for the West by Joyce Henderson

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I’m right proud to be here at the Junction. Thank you for having me.

I’ve been writing romance since 1984, and I’ve been fortunate to have several books published. I love what I do. I also love to share with other writers what expertise I have learned about this crazy business. 

Most people have heard the saying, clothes make the man. Through history that has certainly proven true. One can’t think of a knight in medieval times without picturing a man ironclad from head to toe. Even his horse carried protective armor. A mace could smash a horse’s bones if not protected similar to his ride.

Fast forward to the 1800’s and a man still made a living on horseback, but his clothes changed to what we think of as a cowboy. Cowboys’ clothes were nothing if not serviceable, from their hats right down to their boots.

Cowboys wore all types of hats from bowlers to boaters, but for service on the range, broad brims kept the sun off faces and necks. When times really got tough, a cowboy could pour water from a canteen into the crown as a handy trough to water his horse. Low-brimmed hats worked well on the plains when wind kicked up. As you can see, there were different styles worn in different parts of the West.

Cowboys wore what they owned, including long-johns unless it was hotter’ern billy-blue-blazes. They might have one change of shirt and pants; wash one set while wearing the other, and the clean set carried in saddlebags. Flannel shirts were the norm, and few wore belts because they’d chaffed around the waist. Some stitched leather over the seat of their pants and down the inside seam, to prolonged the life of the pants.

Before I forget, another piece of vital gear was the bandanna. If the cowboy drew the drag spot on a drive, rather than eat dust all day long he’d cover his nose and mouth with the bandanna. He could also soak it in cool water and wad it in his hat’s crown, which worked like insulation against the merciless sun. Of course, strips of leather could be used in an emergency, but a bandanna worked just as well as a tourniquet.  

Many cowboys wore chaps. And if you please, that’s pronounced “shaps,” not chaps.

 

 Shotguns             Batwings            Woolies

Made of leather, chaps protected men’s legs in dense brush. In winter, especially in Northern climes, men pulled on woolies. Rather than remove his spurs and boots, some chaps tied or buckled around the leg. Actually, cowboys of today still wear chaps, and some zipper up the outside of the leg hidden beneath fringe. There’s another shorter style chaps that’s call chinks, which comes from the Spanish chincadera, meaning sawed off. Both styles worn today by rodeo performers may have longer fringe or flashy inlay.

When I see folks today working around horses in tennis shoes, or worse, flip-flops, I want to smack ’em! Okay, I don’t actually follow through on that urge, but who in his right mind would work close to a six or eight hundred pound animal that could shatter fragile foot bones with one misstep? Sure, boots of old may not have stood up to all that weight, but they were better than nothing, and many boots manufactured today have steel toes.

  Early      Cowboy heel      Mule ear    Fancy

The early boots were worn home following the Civil War. That boot was plain with rounded toe and flat heeled. In the 1860s boot-makers added a reinforced arch and a higher heel. That higher heel serves another purpose. Hooked against the stirrup, it keeps the foot from slipping through. Try that in tennis shoes! The mule ear got its name from the leather flaps added to aid in pulling on higher boots. In brush country, that added height coupled with chaps was pretty good protection. And of course, today’s urban cowboy just loves the fancy stitching and colors added to dress-up his/her feet. Some say it adds to a better, closer fit, too.  

The working cowboy wore spurs. And more often than not, didn’t take them off when entering the house. This spur shows the leather strap that crosses the instep and attaches to spur buttons. Below that is a chain that circles beneath the instep of the boot. The rowel is attached to the heel shank, and of special interest…jinglebobs. Clint Eastwood usually wore jinglebobs on his spurs in his movies.

American cowboys preferred more blunt rowels which were less apt to scour his horse’s barrel. Did you see Mercedes Mc Cambridge’s scene in Giant where she raked Elizabeth Taylor’s black thoroughbred with spurs? As I recall, she wore the longer-rowels like a Spanish colonial pair. These spurs on the right depicted here are fancy silver. Sometimes a cowboy of yesteryear was flush enough in the purse to afford a pair.

This fairly well covers a cowboy’s clothes. His uniform of choice, if you will.

Many moons ago I’m astride the first horse we owned. We suspected Duke was born and bred in cold country. Every year he grew a winter coat, even in Southern California. He was only 14 hands, but he was a joy to ride and moved like a shot, whipping around barrels or turning in the keyhole race to carry one of us across the finish line, often times ahead of other riders.

There’ll be a drawing from the names of those who’ve slogged through this entire blog and leave a comment. I’ll be happy to give a print copy of my latest book from The Wild Rose Press to one lucky winner. The winner will be announced by one of the fillies in the Junction. She’ll explain how the winner should let me know where to send the copy.

 

And now for an excerpt from Capture an Eagle:

“Where in tarnation is she?”

Dandy pranced, responding to Tanner’s rising tension. The gelding turned in a slow circle as Tanner scanned the vast, lonesome prairie.

Well, fuming at his sister wouldn’t find her. And if Ma and Pa found out, fuming wouldn’t let him escape the tongue-lashing they’d give him for allowing Mariah to ride off on her own. Boy, howdy!

Even though it meant losing distance already covered, he’d have to head south on the west side of the cedar break to find her. “You better not have gotten yourself in trouble, sis,” he groused as he kneed Dandy into a lope.

About the same time he caught sight of them, Tanner smelled smoke. It made sense that Silver Eagle would’ve made a small camp for himself, including a cook fire.

The closer he got, the more perplexed he became. What in tarnation were they doin’? He yanked back on the reins when realization dawned.

Dandy plunged his head down and came close to hunching his back into a stiff-legged buck. Instead, he snorted his displeasure at the rough treatment on his mouth, tossing his head.

Tanner ignored it, so shocked was he. Kissin’? Mariah and Silver Eagle? He shook his head and rubbed his eyes to clear both. And still they remained snuggled together like wire wrapped around a fence post.  

Vaguely, he recalled that day he and Sil had found Mariah senseless at the river. Yeah, he’d noticed…somethin’. Okay, more than somethin’, but he’d chosen not to examine Sil’s

expression too closely. And then forgot about it.

“Damn you,” he seethed. “Damn the both of you!”

Dandy leaped forward when the unaccustomed spurs dug his sides.

Silver Eagle, attention snagged by pounding hoof beats, glanced north. He and Mariah merely held hands by the time Tanner closed in enough to leap from the saddle. Hat sailing off, his body hit Sil’s, sending him to the dirt, to sprawl on his back.

“Damn you! Damn you to hell!” He dealt a knuckle-buster to the jaw, snapping his friend’s head sideways. Knees planted on either side of Silver Eagle’s prone body, he continued yelling, “Damn you!” And put even more weight into his left. Sil’s head whipped the other direction.

“Stop it!”

He dimly heard Mariah’s shouts.

“Are you crazy, Tanner? Stop!”

The next instant her weight slammed against his back.

“Stop! He’s not fighting back! Tanner, for God’s sake, you’ll kill him!” She pummeled his head and shoulders with each desperate word.

More sorrow than his body and mind could tolerate helped him finally see that Mariah was right. Sil lay motionless, absorbing each blow. He hadn’t even tried to protect his face. One blow had split his lower lip. Bruising already evident on his cheek, he’d have a shiner so severe, he wouldn’t see out of that eye for a week.

When Sil slowly turned his head, Tanner saw swelling beginning around the other eye as well. But what made his own vision blur with tears was Sil’s eyes, mirroring the same heartbreak that sliced his own heart. Sil knew as well as he that their friendship, their brotherhood would never be the same.

Could Sil even work on the Broken Spur after this?

“Dammit, Tanner, move. Let him up.” Mariah tugged on his arm as if she could lift his weight.

He jerked out of her grasp and pushed to his feet. As he extended a hand to help Sil rise, Mariah shoved him aside. Falling to her knees, she brushed trembling fingers over Sil’s forehead.

“Look what he’s done to you,” she cried.

Thanks again to the fillies for having me.

You may find Capture an Eagle at The Wild Rose Press or at Amazon: In print,

ISBN: 1-60154-630-0, or Digital

And be sure to visit my web site: www.joycehendersonauthor.com

Stop in and say, howdy. Visiting with readers via cyberspace is one of the greatest privileges of my life as a writer.

There’ll be a drawing from the names of those who’ve slogged through this entire blog and leave a comment. I’ll be happy to give a print copy of my latest book from The Wild Rose Press to one lucky winner. The winner will be announced by one of the fillies in the Junction. She’ll explain how the winner should let me know where to send the copy.

Robin Lee Hatcher ~ Americana Romance: My Historical “Sweet Spot”

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robin lee hatcher picWhen I wrote my first novel, my love for Gone With the Wind (both book and movie) led me to set my story in the Civil War South. Over the course of the next ten years, I explored many other settings: Medieval England, Regency England, Victorian England, the high seas (pirate books), the Titanic, the Old West. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot of historical facts that I hadn’t known before.

But in the early 1990’s I discovered my historical “sweet spot” when I wrote my first Americana romance. I realized how much I loved writing about ordinary people who had the courage to live and work in the American West, people who had the courage to build new towns and begin new lives, no matter the hardships that came their way.

I particularly love to set my books in Idaho. My home state is a beautiful place, full of rugged mountains and high country deserts and amazing rivers and lakes, and I love sharing all of it with my readers.signature_3sistercovers

My most recent series, the Sisters of Bethlehem Springs (a fictional Idaho town), got its start with the question: “Who says a woman can’t do a man’s job?” I wanted my heroines to have unusual occupations for their day. So what would be “their day?” I immediately knew I would return to the early 1900’s. It’s such a perfect example of the old mixing with the new. Some people rode in buggies pulled by horses. Others puttered along in their Model T Fords. Most people still had to use outhouses while some homes had fancy new plumbing. Electricity illuminated1918frocks some buildings while the majority used oil lamps. If you wanted to go across the country, you went by train –– unless you were a pilot of one of those new flying machines.

In the third and final book of the Sisters of Bethlehem Springs series, A Matter of Character (which takes place in 1918), my heroine is a dime novelist, writing under a male pseudonym. Her occupation is a secret, even from membe1918 ad Royalrs of her family. But with the arrival of newspaperman Joshua Crawford in Bethlehem Springs, her secret is about to come out.

Research for this series took me in all kinds of directions. For A Vote of Confidence (1915), I researched, among other things, politics and health spas. For Fit To Be Tied (1916), my focus was on cattle ranching, horses, and the war in Europe, especially its impact on England. For A Matter of Character, in addition to research on dime novels, I needed to know all about the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918.

I hope readers will enjoy reading A Matter of Character (which should begin arriving in stores within the next week or so) as much as I enjoyed telling Daphne’s and Joshua’s story. I also hope they will miss the people of Bethlehem Springs as much as I miss them now that I’ve moved on to writing about other characters.

Before I go, I’d like to invite readers of Petticoats & Pistols to join me for a Facebook launch party on my Novelist Page on Friday, May 21st, from 6 to 8 PM. I’ll be giving away several copies of A Matter of Character to participants that night. Also, Zondervan and I are hosting a contest with three really fabulous giveaways. The contest will kick off on Monday, May 24th. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this. Be sure to visit my web site, www.robinleehatcher.com on the 24th and follow the contest link (located oMatterOfCharacter covern the Home page).

 

 

Robin is giving away one copy of her brand-new release, A Matter of Character, to a very lucky commenter. Join in the discussion and be sure to include your email address so we can contact you.

The Original White House Cook Book

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We’re going to start and end this week with research books. On Monday, Winnie gave us a wonderful look at a book containing information and recipes from San Francisco in the late 1800s. Now I want to share a really cool book I discovered a couple of years ago. I mentioned it during our fun week of recipes back in September, but I didn’t get into what a truly great research resource this is.

THE ORIGINAL WHITE HOUSE COOKBOOK

A Comprehensive Cyclopedia of Information for the Home,

Mrs. P.L. Gillette & Steward of the White House Mr. Hugo Ziemann, 1887 Edition

 

To the

Wives of Our Presidents,

Those Noble Women who have

Graced the White House,

And whose Names and Memories

Are dear to all Americans,

This Volume

 Is affectionately dedicated

 

whitehouse-cookbookThe Original White House Cook Book has a wealth of information that isn’t restricted to a single locale, a single setting in our history. There are complete menus showing family dinners or how a fancy dinner was put together in the late nineteenth century in America; dyeing or coloring cloth–and eyebrows; how to repair a hole in a silk gown; even table etiquette.

Here’s an example. General Grant’s Birthday Dinner started with clams, went to Consomme Imperatrice Bisque de Crabes (crab bisque), then to a variety of hors d’oeuvres, followed by trout, mushrooms, filet of beef… and then they got to the entrees! They served chicken and veal with green beans and asparagus, followed by sorbet to cleanse the pallet. Next came squab and salad, then fruits and pastries. The meal ended with glace, or glazed fruit, petit fours and coffee.

I feel stuffed just reading about it.

The book includes the seating arrangements for a dinner when the President was in attendance, how glassware should arranged on the tables, even what to put in the ladies’ corsages and the men’s boutonnieres.

Toward the back of the volume is a section dedicated to caring for those who visit the White House; how colds are caught; how to clean black lace; and how to render muslin clothing less likely to catch fire. In the author’s words: “Remember this and save the lives of your children.”

You can even learn how to make Rose Water or Bay Rum, Cold Cream or Hair Invigorator. Or my particular favorite, how to remove freckles. And no, I haven’t tried it yet – but I might.

This is a fun book with a wealth of helpful information. For example, if your heroine is a mail-order bride who grew up working in a wealthy household, you can find what kinds of skills she might have learned in this book.

THE ORIGINAL WHITE HOUSE COOKBOOK 1887 Edition, Mrs. P.L. Gillette & Steward of the White House Mr. Hugo Ziemann [I located it on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com; Borders.com has a different edition available]

Have you discovered a research book that you feel is exceptional? Share it, please.

Weapons of the Regency

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lb_headshot_small1Linore Rose Burkard

Those who enjoy the excitement of a western romance, with all its shoot-em-out
pistols and gunsmoke, may not realize that regency romances might also feature a
fair amount of weaponry. While the rules of engagement (for fighting, that is, not matrimony)
were vastly different than those in operation during the years of the “Wild, Wild, West,”
duelling was a real part of regency society, and war was all around. Both required weapons.

It’s impossible to give a good overview of weapons and their uses in any sense of the word
in one short blog-post, but for a few  great pictures of vintage weapons, subscribe to my newsletter.
Regency weapons will be featured in an upcoming issue, including actual photos of weapons in the collection of Vonnie Hughes, a
regency romance writer. Subscribe HERE–it only takes a minute, and one new subscriber during the month
of November will win a free copy of one of my books! It could be YOU.

Beginning with the American Revolution, British and Hessian muskets and rifles were in abundance
not only in the army, but in British society. The guard and coachman on a carriage, stage coach
or the mail would carry a blunderbuss. Even some elements of the famous Red Coat–the
costume of the British soldier–became fashionable for civilians, such as the bicorne (or tricorne), before-the-season-ends-book-cover1
and Hessian boots. But most civilians did not cart around a heavy, awkward rifle or musket. Instead,
they favored pistols, which could fit in a coat pocket, or sit snugly inside a box made just for that
purpose, in a carriage or coach.  Travelers in particular would keep a pistol tucked inside
a pocket or luggage, and the ever present threat of highwaymen, particularly at night, made this
a practical, necessary precaution.

britishflintlockblunderbusspistolpewter11Then there was the pistol at home in its elegant wooden box, shiny and lovely to behold, kept
stashed away somewhere until it was needed, say, for a duel. Guns of the day often had finials, silver fittings
on English walnut with intricate lacy inlays of silver wire. Popular during the regency was a British Holster Pistol,
 carried by both soldiers and civilians, and made by John Richards of London. Later in the century,
cylinder engraving became an art which made many antique weapons collector’s objects from the start.

Duelling was not akin to the saloon brawl that escalated into gun shots in the West. Instead, it
was a more formal affair; but this is not to say that duels did not result from hot-headedness.
Any perceived insult against one’s self, one’s honour, one’s wife or sister could result in a duel being arranged.
The injured party would demand “satisfaction,” which in turn had to be answered–accepted by the
principal. Once the duel was agreed upon, both parties had to choose “seconds,” back up men who had
hessian_boots1to be present at the event. Their first job was to try and effect a reconciliation, which meant trying to make the
perpetrator apologize for his offence. Failing that, they ensured that the rules were followed; that there was no foulmaledress18041
play; and, in the event that the dueller got cold feet or passed out, the “second” would step
in as his substitute, though in practice, this rarely if ever happened. In the event of great injury or death, the second was also
a witness, and quite possibly the only means of procuring much-needed medical attention to a wounded man.

 Calling for a duel was not to be done lightly, as it could result in death. But once called, it
was a matter of honour, and few men would refuse the challenge without suffering a loss of
respect. If a man was killed as a result of a duel, his killer would be charged with murder. 

Lots of old guns can be seen HERE.

Leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for a copy of you choice of either Before the Season Ends or The
House in Grosvenor Square.

Linore Rose Burkard is the creator of “Inspirational Romance for the Jane Austen Soul.” Her characters take you back in time to experience life and love during the era of Regency England (circa 1811 – 1820). Fans of classic romances, such as Pride & Prejudice, Emma, and Sense & Sensibility, will enjoy meeting Ariana Forsythe, a feisty heroine who finds her heart and beliefs tested by high-society London.

Ms. Burkard’s novels include Before the Seasons Ends and The House in Grosvenor Square (coming April, 2009). Her stories blend Christian faith and romance with well-researched details from the Regency period. Her books and monthly newsletter captivate readers with little-known facts, exciting stories, and historical insights. Experience a romantic age, where timeless lessons still apply to modern life. And, enjoy a romance that reminds you happy endings are possible for everyone.
Linore’s Website HERE

Paper Dolls

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 wg-sig-current

Once again I was trying to come up with some activity or thing the children in my current WIP could use to amuse themselves.  One idea I thought of was paper dolls.  But how common were they in 1894?  So off I went to do some research.  And here is a summary of what I found.

First of all, identifying the date of the appearance of the first paper dolls depends on your definition of what a paper doll is.  As early as AD 900 the Japanese were using paper figurines in purification ceremonies.  In the thirteenth century the Chinese use large stick-mounted figures in their puppet shows.  But most historians agree that paper dolls as we currently think of them originated in the late eighteenth century when French dressmakers employed them as a way to illustrate the latest fashions to their customers.  Today you can find a rare set of  hand painted figures from the 1780s housed in the Winerhur Museum in Delaware.

In Europe, many of the early sets of paper dolls depicted actors and actresses of the stage and there were separately crafted toy stages to go with them.

In Pioneer America, however, paper was a prized resource and any child lucky enough to get paper dolls treasured them greatly.  They were carefully pressed between the pages of books or placed in a sturdy box.

In 1810, S&J Fuller Company of London produced the first commercially popular paper doll.  Named ‘Little Fanny’, the doll was printed in a 15 page book that boasted seven figures.  In addition to the various doll poses and outfits, the book included a moral tale for the edification of the children to whom it was presented.  Two years later, J. Belcher of America printed a similar doll with accompanying moral tale, this one named Little Henry.   Within ten years paper dolls were a popular toy for children in both America and Europe.

In the early days, basic paper dolls were created in various states of dress.  Some came modestly dressed with permanently painted on clothing, while others were attired only in undergarments.  Also, the early versions were missing the tabs for affixing the clothing that are common place today.  Before these came along,  children carefully applied tiny drops of sealing wax to the paper ‘clothes’ as a temporary glue.

Before chroma-lithography came into common usage, paper dolls were colored by hand.  Civil War widows often supplemented depleted incomes by embellishing the printed dolls .  However, even after the advent of lithography, some of the manufacturers continued to print in black and white for children to color themselves.

In 1856, Anson Randolph published the book Paper Dolls and How to Make Them, A Book for Little Girls.  Inside the pages were illustrations of dolls and clothing to cut out and play with.  According to The New York Evangelist   “Paper Dolls and How to Make Them, is a book of a thousand for little girls. It contains instructions how to make those ingenious and beautiful little paper dolls, clothed with every variety of costume, and every style of appearance, which are sometimes sold at the shops. The instructions are so plain, and the plates giving illus­trations so numerous, that every little girl can learn the art, and in learning it, will have a perpetual field for the exercise of taste and ingenuity. The study is exceed­ingly attractive, and will furnish means of enjoyment to the nursery and fireside that may well alternate with books and plays. The author has displayed great tact in giving the descriptions, and a genial loving desire to promote the happiness of children — a trait which we place among the highest virtues, in anybody. As there is nothing of the kind in market, and opens a bound­less field of occupation and enjoyment, the little book must become a favorite.”

(Ah-ha – this is something I can use in my book!)

In 1859 Godey’s Lady’s Book became the first magazine to include a paper doll in its pages.  Other magazines quickly followed suit, including Ladies’ Home Journal, Good Housekeeping and Women’s pd-mccallHome Companion.  These dolls carried such names as Lettie Lane, Polly Pratt, and the famous Kewpie Dolls, and often included figures comprising full families, including servants and pets.   The most popular of these ‘magazine dolls’ came along in 1951 from MacCall’s Magazine – Betsy McCall.

As paper dolls grew in popularity, manufacturers of household goods saw them as a great medium to promote their products.  Some of the products advertised include Pillsbury flour, Singer sewing machines, Hood’s Sarsaparilla, Clark threads and Lyon’s coffee.  These dolls were produced either as die cut items or as printed cards to cut out.  They were produced in large quantities and many examples can still be found today.  J&P Coats company (now Coats and Clark) took this a step farther when they came up with a unique take on the paper doll.  There were five different dolls available to purchasers of Spool and Crochet Cotton.  The unique feature of these dolls were that they had mechanical heads.  The head piece was separate from the body and was actually constructed in a wheel formation that contained three heads painted on both sides, so that the doll could be viewed with any one of six expressions, and even some slight variations on hairstyles.  This head was attached to the body of the doll at the neck with an eyelet,  The clothing for these ‘mechanical paper dolls’ were constructed with a fold and slipped over the head in the same fashion as a ‘real’ dress.

 

Another group that jumped on the paper doll band wagon were newspapers.  In the 1890s the Boston Herald printed two paper dolls, a blonde and a brunette along with instructions for ordering additional dolls.  They kept the interest alive by printing clothing for the dolls in subsequent issues.  The Boston Globe, not to be outdone, began printing their own series of dolls and clothing.  After the turn of the century a Teddy Bear paper doll series made an appearance in the paper as well.  By 1916 several other papers had begun following suit.  During the Great Depression, newspaper produced paper dolls enjoyed a huge comeback.  Many of the characters were pulled directly from the comic papers, characters such as Dick Tracy, Li’l Abner, the Katzenjammer Kids and Brenda Starr.

The 1940s and 1950s was the advent of America’s romanticized love of the Wild West and this was reflected in paper dolls as well.  Many sets of paper dolls were crafted after characters from western movies and television shows, and of the imagined life at a dude ranch.

By the early 1960s, Barbie had appeared on the paper doll scene and quickly became the most popular paper doll among American children of all time, a title she still holds today.

So what about you?  Did you play with paper dolls as a child?  Do you have a particular set you remember fondly?

The Hat Makes The Man

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tracy-garrett-tile

 

As the old cowboy saying goes, ‘It’s the last thing you take off and the first thing that is noticed.’humphreybogart_fedora

Top hats, derbys, tams, fedoras, berets, bowlers – hats do more than cover a man’s head. They make a statement about the wearer.

If I say Bogart, can you see him, fedora pulled down low, collar turned up?

charlie-chaplin_bowlerOr Charlie Chaplin in his bowler?

How about President Abraham Lincoln?abraham-lincoln-top-hat

sean-connery_panamaOr Sean Connery in his Panama?

Hats say a lot about the personality of the man – and some, like President Lincoln’s black stovepipe hat, will be forever linked with the man who wore it.

I believe the most recognizable type of hat, hands down, is the cowboy hat.

Did you see John Wayne in The Quiet Man and wonder where the heck his Stetson was?john-wayne_the-quiet-man

john-wayne_stetsonThere, that’s better.

How about the hat Clint Eastwood wore in Pale Rider? clint-eastwood_pale-rider

John Stetson was the creator of what we think of today as the cowboy hat. The son of a master hatter, John made his first cowboy hat as a demonstration to his buddies about making felt from fur. The wide-brimmed hat was so useful in keeping off the sun and rain, his companions wanted one of their own. And an empire was born.

Stetsonboss-of-the-plains-hat_real started his company in 1865. By 1866, the “Hat of the West” or “Boss of the Plains” set the John B. Stetson Company on the path to becoming the most famous hat in the world. Originally sold in one grade (2 ounce feldudes-in-boss-of-the-plainst) and one color (natural), that original Stetson hat sold for five dollars. The equivalent hat today would cost close to $1,000.

Check out these two Montana dudes (1885) in their brand new Stetson ‘Boss of the Plains.’ The guy on the left is wearing Levi’s.

 

Made of a blend of rabbit, wild hare and beaver fur, today’s Stetson sets the mark for cowboy hats. You can get your Stetson in felt or straw, black, white, grey, tan; choose your style, for casual or dress, for outside wear or for going to church.

If you want to see how these famous hats are made, visit StetsonHats.com and click on the “The Making of a Stetson Hat” from the list on the left.

Stetson isn’t the only hat maker in the U.S. In Dallas in 1927, the Byer-Rolnick company began making the Resistol hats, so named because they were made to “resist all weather.”

But Stetson is the name most associated with the west.

Here’s some eye-candy, just because.

ed-harris_appaloosa     dean_martin_rio_bravo_1959   kenny-chesney

garth-brooks   christian-bale

russell-crowe   george-strait   tim-mcgraw

 

“Even after the wild aspect of the West was somewhat tamed, the cowboy hat never really lost its ability to lend that reckless and rugged aura to its wearer.”

 

touched-by-love

Petticoats & Pistols