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“Tommy Brown’s Christmas Gift,” from Sunny Slopes (1866)
It was just four days before Christmas, and the winter thus far had been an unusually mild one, no snow having fallen of any consequence. So the boys said, who were very impatient to try their new brightly-painted sleds, “which were no manner of use in the world to them,…
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In which Eliza Leslie calls you on your crap, Sophronia
Some young ladies, who profess a sort of daughterly regard for certain wealthy old gentlemen, are so kind as so knit purses or work slippers for them, or some other nick-nacks, (provided always that the “dear old man” has a character for generosity,) for they know that he will reward…
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Mugs for a Child, Staffordshire (Concord Museum)
These children’s mugs, originally made in Staffordshire, England, were exhibited at the Concord Museum in Concord, Massachusetts, in 2014. Found on Wikimedia Commons. Collection, Group A Collection, Group B Collection, Group C Present for a Good Girl. For My Dear Girl. For Loving a Book. (My personal favorite.) A Pretty…
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The Child’s Prayer for Its Soldier Father.
“Written during the war for the suppression of the Slaveholders’ Rebellion.” Hand down thine ear, dear Savior, And hear my earnest prayer; O bless my soldier-father, And keep him in thy care. When marching o’er the mountains, Out in the wintry storm; Or in the scorching sunshine, Protect him from…
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Food for Invalids: Or, I Just Had My Wisdom Teeth Removed.
Today’s obsession is with food for invalids, due to yesterday’s wisdom teeth removal. All four. Blessings upon the head of modern dentistry. I’ve been subsisting on cool to lukewarm water, tea, soups, and mashed potatoes. I’m doing just fine so far — it’s the next two days and more I’m…
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“When Ladies Should be Looked At,” Daily Chronicle & Sentinel, Georgia (1860).
“A writer in the Atlantic Monthly thus enlightens the belles of the street concerning the inalienable rights of men to look at their pretty faces:
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“Exercises (In-door),” from The Corner Cupboard (1858).
“Females much confined within doors often suffer ill health from want of exercise. Nature demands it, and health cannot exist without it. The skipping rope, dumb-bells, battle-door and shuttle cock, &c. are all aids to the required end.
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“Echo Answering,” from Gleanings for the Curious (1860).
What must be done to conduct a newspaper right? — Write. What is necessary for a farmer to assist him? — System.
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A Kettle Holder in Double Knitting (The Workwoman’s Guide, 1840)
In the Living History Knits (and Crochets!) group on Facebook, there’s a call for a few period-correct patterns friendly to beginning knitters. Though you can’t get any more beginner-friendly than basic garter stitch (what’s known as plain knitting in the mid-19th century), I was asked to translate a kettle holder…
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‘Tis Not For Fame.
A poem titled “‘Tis Not For Fame.” from Forget Me Not; A Collection of Poems by Jennie T. McHenry (1867).