Category: 19th Century

Mary Wheatland, Victorian Life Saver

5/5/2019

The Illustrated London News, Volume 75, 1879

Today on Heroes, Heroines, and History, I tell the inspiring true story of a humble Victorian woman, Mary Wheatland, who started working as a bathing machine attendant at the age of 14 and used her love of swimming and diving to rescue over 30 people in my post, The Life Saver of Bognor Beach.

Beach Machines Part 2

4/5/2019

Bathing Costumes from Marshall & Snelgrove, Oxford, Lady's World, 1 August 1887. Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

I'm having fun with my beach machine research and found a lot of information and images to share with you for Rise of the Beach Machines Part 2. So, stop by www.history.com and see the fashion and trends for yourself.

Beach Machines Part 1

3/5/2019

Mermaids at Brighton, 1829. Digital Public Library of America, Public Domain

What is a beach machine? That's what I wondered when I worked on a recent post about a seaside bandstand and found several photographs and postcards about these cute little houses on wheels. I dove into the research which led me to structures as you see above that were used in the past few centuries to allow people - royals and commoners - to bathe in privacy.

Join me at Heroes, Heroines and History as I venture into the adventurous world I've entitled, Rise of the Bathing Machines Part 1.

Snowshoes on Horses

2/5/2019

Woodcut from Historia Delle Genti, by Olaus Magnus, 1565 edition. Library of Congress

I'm over at Heroes, Heroines and History talking about horses wearing snowshoes, and if you think the woodcut above is just a novelty, come over and see the rest of the photos I found to show it was more common than you might think.

I also found several newspaper clippings that mention horses wearing snowshoes and although I've only included the links on the HHH blog, here's one for you to read in case you can't get to the links.

Idaho County free press. (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) January 02, 1902

If you enjoy this post, please let me know as it inspires me to search out more historical treasures.

Ice Slides Go Way Back

1/5/2019

Russian Ice Slides 16th Century. Public Domain

I love research and my post, From Ice Slide to Roller Coaster, over at the Heroes, Heroines and History blog, is full of interesting images of what turns out to be the beginnings of roller coasters.

And if thrill rides aren't your thing, drop in and see what luxury awaited the pleasure-seekers of Catherine the Great's court after a day on the slides.

Hope to see you there.

Music Theme Bandstands on HHH

10/5/2018

Music Stand at Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, Mo., Public Domain

If you are a fan of the arts, and music in particular, then you might like to know about bandstands that have a visual tribute to musicians. Tower Grove Park in Saint Louis, Missouri, is the site of several statues and pavilions, including what is called the music stand, a large Victorian bandstand erected in the 19th century and representative of what you would find in a Victorian walking park. Officially registered on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), Tower Grove Park Music Stand was built in 1872 and is surrounded by pillars bearing the white marble busts of six famous musical composers.

As you may have guessed, I'm over at the Heroes, Heroines and History blog with images and info about one Canadian and two American music-themed bandstands.

If you drop by and visit my post, Bandstands with a Music Theme, let me know what you think about the currently painted color scheme. Honestly, I think I prefer the original colors above, but then I'm a traditionalist at heart. What about you?

Wooden Bandstands

5/5/2018

One of the busy spots in progressive Olds, c1916. Source: Prairie Postcards, Peel Library, University of Alberta

I'm over at the Heroes, Heroines and History blog showing the first post in a series on historic bandstands. I'm starting with the wooden bandstand as it was the most economical for early settlers to build. Future posts will consider construction materials, size, and the stories behind the bandstand..

Wooden Bandstands of By Gone Years

The Mall and the Music Pavilion, Central Park, New York City, New York. ca. 1865. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

Historic Porch Swing Photos

4/5/2018

Porch swing up for the winter, Mayetta, Kansas, Nov 1940. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, DC

I'm over at the Heroes, Heroines and History blog showing historic images of people on their porch swings, a place where they show the joy and agony of life. Memorable folks captured at this leisure activity, which was also a place of refuge.

These days, many people don't have a porch or veranda to hold a swing, but it seems that the trend may return by the look of the new styles of houses being built today. Good news as I feel it's an integral part of a friendly and caring neighborhood.

Porch Swing Time at http://www.hhhistory.com/2018/04/porch-swing-time.html

Early Images of Tobogganing

2/5/2018

Toboggan Party, glass negative, ca 1910-1915. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The social aspects of tobogganing a century ago are explored in my Heroes, Heroines and History post, Romance on a Toboggan. Back then in areas that received adequate snowfall, toboggan runs were prepared and iced slides that started high and ran long. An added bonus was that you got to hold your main squeeze all the way to the end if you wished.

You even got a nice view while you were at the top, like this one from Ottawa, Canada in 1922...

Rideau Canal Toboggan run, Ottawa Winter Carnival, 1922. Credit: Canadian National Railways/Library and Archives Canada

As always, comments and thoughts are appreciated and just to get you started, here's my question for this post...

Tobogganing on an iced slide of this magnitude would be exhilarating, don't you think?

Vintage Children's Sleigh Images

1/4/2018

Midwinter Carnival, Children's Parade, Doll Sleds, Upper Saranac Lake, N.Y. c1909. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

My last Heroes, Heroines and History blog post, Sleighs, Cutters & Carioles featured winter travel by sleigh for those who lived in areas that received some amount of snow. This time I'm posting about sleighs and sleds made for children and dolls.

So come on over and share your memories or read of others who've experienced this mode of travel and fun on my January 5th HHH blog post, Early photos of Children's Sleighs.

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