Celebrating Independence Day

Wishing you a happy 4th of July! 

Vintage holiday card from the early 1900’s

Gloves and Glove Etiquette

New glove fashions for Spring of 1929 and a blog post on glove etiquette, compiled from numerous etiquette authorities https://www.harssidanzar.com/glove-etiquette/ 

The prices were most likely comparable to 2019’s, even though this advertisement is 90 years old. The “Highboy” below, from the same newspaper, seems a bit pricey, but is most likely comparable to a modern day “radio receiver” or “mobile phone.”

19th C. Napkin Folding

Two napkin folds for the 19th Century housewife to try on her table– the Rose and the Star– from Mrs. Beeton

Entertaining and food ideas from Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management, first published in 1861

Have a Wonderful Easter

1920’s Advertising for Mothers

I love to see what life was like for women during Georgia Belle Graber’s days as a mother of young children. I wonder if she used Lydia’s E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound. The adverts for the elixir were found in all of the local and larger newspapers.

1921 Humor in the News

What was found funny in the news pages of the 1920’s... From May, 1921

Wilson College girls got out their examination books today and answered the now famous Edison questions. Here is the result of their labor over some of the questions:

Q. What star is it that has recently been measured and found to be of enormous size?

A. Fatty Arbuckle.

Q. Who was Cleopatra?

A. Anthony's sweetie.

Q. What is coke?

A. Seven cents, including; war tax.

Q. Where do we get peanuts from?

A. The circus.

Q. From where do we get our dates?

A. The University of Pennsylvania.

Q. To what is the change of seasons due?

A. Good teamwork on the part of the milliners and dressmakers.

Q. What state is the largest?

A. Matrimony.

Boyabus Kissabus

Boyabus Kissabus a sweet girlorrum

Girlabus cryabus— “Wants some morum!”

Boyabus Kissabus — Walked old mamorum;

Boyabus kickedbus out the back doorum;

Girlabus cryabus, “Kisses no morum!”

By the author,

Ruth Martin

I found this charming verse when researching the women of the Graber Olive House family for a 4 month long exhibit at the Ontario Museum of History and Art in 2017.  

Ruth Martin was not a Graber, but her daughter, Betty, became one when she married Bob Graber in 1936. The paper was signed “By the author, Ruth Martin.” 

This style of speaking was called “hog Latin” and was all the rage with schoolgirls in the late-1800’s, and made comebacks several times in the early 1900’s.

Attend one of our popular “Talk with Tea” events and learn more about young women in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.