19th century

On my favorite website, www.archive.org I just found this most interesting cookbook, written by Ms Catharine Esther Beecher, notably the older sister of the well known Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of "Uncle Tom's cabin". Catherine Beecher was an author, teacher, midwife and strongly advocated...

About ten years ago I inherited some of my g grandmother's belongings. Amongst them were these school newspapers from the Suffolk Female Institute (an all female school) and the Suffolk Collegiate Institute (a co-ed school), both in Suffolk, Virginia, four issues each. When I presented these to...

Early stereoscopic image entitled, "The New Woman, Wash Day " mocks reversal of the separate spheres. The New Woman.—Wash Day.” American Stereoscopic Company, 1901, stereograph. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. In the 19th century gender roles were looked upon as separate spheres. A woman's...

This question comes from searches that I have done on my Civil War relatives. Every one of them that survived the war collected an "invalid" pension, claiming that their health was ruined due to conditions they endured while enlisted. I have no idea if this was true or if they were "gaming the...

Founded in 1852 in Clinton, MS, The Central Female Institute was founded to educate young ladies. This photo, taken around 1890, shows a chaperone leading a group of students to church on Sunday morning. Both the men's college in town (Mississippi College) and The Central Female Institute were...

I dug up this calling card copper printing plate a few years back and wanted to share it on this thread. I hope you find it interesting. People use to carry cards with them as a method of introduction when visiting people or meeting people. I guess you can say this was an early form of social...

Just for fun, here’s a list of carols written during or around the mid-19th century. Angels We Have Heard on High (1862) Come Buy my Nice Fresh Ivy or O’Carolan’s Lament (1849) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (1833) Good King Wenceslas (1853) Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (1855) Jingle Bells...

The holiday season is upon us and that means preparing family favorites - many being casseroles. Casseroles really began to take off in the late 19th century thanks to various potteries that were producing a variety of ceramic casserole dishes that worked well in ovens. This coincided with a...

Ladies’ magazines in the 19th century often included menus and recipes for a successful outdoor picnic. Godey’s Lady’s Book offered some elaborate and delicious recipes — not your everyday fare — for their readers in 1879. The recipe below caught my eye. Raspberry Vinegar Beverage...

While it’s hard to imagine anyone appreciating the heavenly combination of shredded cheese, mayo, and diced red pimentos as much as Southerners, pimento spread actually got its start in New York. That may sound like culinary heresy to some Southerners, but cream cheese came from the North, too...

A slice of this nutty, slightly-sweet soda bread pairs well with butter and jam or molasses butter. It is also tasty covered with melted cheese. Beware! One slice may not be enough! Molasses Soda Bread Ingredients for bread: 2¾ cups whole-wheat flour ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons...

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd post a recipe for an authentic, traditional, Irish fruit bread or spotted dog. It seems at the time of the year when the men were working particularly hard in the fields, the farmer’s wife would reward them with a richer, sweeter bread than...

The majority of presidents in U.S. history have been fairly wealthy. Adjusting each president’s net worth for today's dollars, most would be considered multi-millionaires. However, many presidents came from humble beginnings and never became highly wealthy. According to the Wall Street...

An 1866 newspaper ad from the Louisville Courier, published right after the civil war ended. What is pineapple cheese? Well according to Victorian Passage Into Time: “In 1808 a man named Lewis M Norton, from Goshen, Connecticut, was given a Pineapple cheese which had been brought from...

Granola (5532501690) Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons In 1863, Dr. James C. Jackson of New York developed what he called "Granula," a Graham flour mixture that was formed into sheets, baked until dry, broken up...

It seems the phrase “Southern hospitality” wasn’t used until the 1820s or 1830s, when national debates about slavery intensified. For many, the idea of “Southern hospitality” became a way of defending the Southern lifestyle and a political system that depended on slavery. Even today, “Southern...

The feeling of peace and tranquility that one experiences upon entering this church is indescribable. It is truly a respite from the busy streets of New Orleans. The Immaculate Conception church, locally known as Jesuit church, is a Roman Catholic church in the Central Business District of New...

(Pinterest) I’ve been a fan of chocolate covered cherries since I was a child, but as an adult I’ve found it is fun to kick them up a notch by spiking them with delicious liquors. There are plenty of confectioners that make cherry cordials, but the three most popular are Cella’s, Queen Anne’s...

“First-Footing” was critical to New Year’s Eve in the Victorian Era. “First Footing” literally means the first foot to cross your threshold after midnight. This visitor was expected to bring a gift of bread, salt, coal, whisky, food or greenery to ensure a prosperous and healthy year ahead. I...

The Great River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, LA is home to a unique holiday lighting display – the Christmas Bonfires. Dozens of 20-feet-high flaming pyramids of burning logs are built along the earthen levees each December and set ablaze on Christmas Eve. The Christmas Bonfires...