Kristin Holt's Blog, page 27

Is it Okay to Use O.K. in Historical Fiction?

When did the term "O.K." or "okay" find its way into common use in American English? Is it incorrect (and inaccurate) to use "okay" in 19th century fiction? What if it's spelled "O.K."? What does O.K. stand for, anyway? I've provided numerous historical newspaper articles and snippets showing the etymology and proving one of the spellings (O.K.) is highly accurate in the 19th century, but the other (okay) is not.

Victorian Ladies Underwear

Throughout the 19th century, ladies undergarments remained quite similar. Drawers (or bloomers), yesteryear's most related item to today's panties, ranged from mid-thigh to below the knee, were constructed out of various fabrics, and were held up by a button or drawstring. Because of the many layers women wore beneath their gowns or suits, it was necessary for drawers to have an open crotch. Item listings in Sears Roebuck & Co. catalog and Montgomery Ward & Co. catalog illustrate the standard items available via mail-order throughout the United States in the late 19th century. Ladies Union Suits, Summer Union Suits, and Medicated Underwear (medicated? with what?) might be less familiar.

Victorian Era Feminine Hygiene

Open discussion of a woman's menstrual cycle (and hygiene needs) are a relatively new development, but women have been coping without modern feminine hygiene products for millennia. The Victorian-era American women had many conveniences for their day, including ready-made, catalog-ready products marketed specifically for them. Hygiene often included douching with specially designed syringes. The timing of the first truly disposable product just might surprise you. This article contains images from the Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog and Montgomery, Ward & Co. catalog of the day.

Lady Victoria(n)’s Secret

Judge John H. Arbuckle promised divorces to unsuspecting men duped by mail-order brides from the East who padded their limbs, hips, bosoms or employed false hair or used cosmetic paints. Such elements of beauty were common in the Victorian American Era, at least among the wealthy. It must have been common enough among disillusioned bridegrooms for the Judge to rule (April 3, 1873) that "marriages into which a man is seduced by the use of (his list of offenses like makeup and padded breasts) without the man's knowledge, shall stand null and void if he so desires". Victorian ladies were guilty of nothing today's generation hasn't done. But just what padding devices and cosmetics were readily available in the early 1870's?

Victorian Curling Irons

American women in the late Victorian Era often cut and curled bangs at the forehead. Many photographs (cabinet cards) show this hairstyle, with the rest being upswept and pinned, as women grew their hair to amazing lengths--all except those stylish bangs. If the curls about the forehead were not a hair piece (purchased by mail), then they most often required a curl. Victorian curling irons (their prices, designs, and heating methods) might surprise you--after all, it's not (only) like Laura Ingalls Wilder described in her fictionalized memoirs of coming of age and cutting her hair in this style.

Victorian Hair Augmentation

Victorian-era Americans (both men and women) had ready access to commercially prepared human hair pieces. Women wore them to achieve the style of the day without cutting their hair or to achieve the fullness and length considered stylish and desirable when their own hair couldn't grow to such amazing lengths. Mail-order catalogs of the period provided a wide variety of products, appealing to men and women alike, including products purported to restore gray hair to the color of youth.

Charlotte Smith Demands National Legislation to Require Matrimony

I endorse newspaper articles as an original source in researching Victorian-era America. Yet while I trust--for the most part--newspaper articles to be a reasonable representation of attitudes, circumstances, happenings, and differing opinions, I'm well aware that not everything in print is fact...at least as presented.

I came across newspaper articles mentioning Mrs. Charlotte Smith, presented as a rather ridiculous woman seeking legislation to force marriage upon the matrimony unencumbered. Three such articles follow, all of which are from credible, well-respected newspapers of the late nineteenth century. At the bottom, I'll share more of who Mrs. Charlotte Smith was, the platforms she supported, the work she did--and cast an entirely different light on her nature than these newspaper reporters suggest.

BOOK REVIEW: Legends of the West: The History of the James-Younger Gang, by Charles River Editors

4.5 (out of 5) stars for this nonfiction American history title by Sean McLachlan. I listened to the audio (Audible) version and read the kindle version--both of which are well done and present the legends and factual history surrounding Jesse and Frank James and their association with the Youngers, the James-Younger Gang. In my opinion, the history was presented fairly, properly documented and researched, and provides amateur historians like me with the foundation necessary to create a frame of reference for the fiction I so enjoy reading. As an author, the short format (just over 2 hours listening time, or 62 print pages with historic photographs) provides the most comprehension for the smallest investment; a win-win offering.

BOOK REVIEW: Island of Vice, by Richard Zacks

Amazon selected “ISLAND OF VICE” as one of the Top 100 books of 2012; it also selected it as one of the Top Ten history books of the year. I purchased three editions: hardback, audible, and kindle; listened to the audio edition (15 hours, 28 minutes), reread much of the kindle edition and hardback. From an amateur historian viewpoint--and my fascination with all things late 19th century--this nonfiction title deserves five stars. I learned so very much from every chapter, found myself so ever much better informed about the 1890's in politics, the Reform Movement (Progressive Era). Review contains two pages of images from the hardback and kindle editions.

Victorian America Celebrates Arbor Day

The first Arbor Day was held in the early 1870's in Nebraska. The event slowly became an annual occasion in all of the fifty States. This tradition of planting trees to beautify and forest the plains has benefited all states in the union. Quotes, a period newspaper article, and historic images enrich the historic understanding of this holiday's origins.