JPK Huson 1863
Brev. Brig. Gen'l
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2012
- Location
- Central Pennsylvania
It's a twofer thread. Or three-fer. A tragedy which may or may not have happened ( sounds as if it could have ) was turned into a poem which in turn was turned into a ballad which for some reason became on of those wildly popular DOLLS. Real ones. To play with, with the word ' corpse ' attached to it.
A ' Frozen Charlotte ' doll peeking from a toy, glass-windowed coffin. Unsure of date although these dolls ( sans casket ) were popular beginning 1850.
FAIR CHARLOTTE
Now, Charlotte lived on the mountainside,
In a bleak and dreary spot;
There was no house for miles around,
Except her father's cot.
And yet on many a wintry night,
Young swains were gathered there;
For her father kept a social board,
And she was very fair.
One New Year's Eve as the sun went down,
Far looked her wishful eye
Out from the frosty window pane
As merry sleighs went by.
In a village fifteen miles away,
Was to be a ball that night;
And though the air was heavy and cold,
Her heart was warm and light.
How brightly beamed her laughing eye,
As a well-known voice was heard;
And driving up to the cottage door,
Her lover's sleigh appeared.
"O, daughter dear," her mother cried,
"This blanket 'round you fold;
It is a dreadful night tonight,
You'll catch your death of cold."
"O, nay! O, nay!" young Charlotte cried,
And she laughed like a gypsy queen;
"To ride in blankets muffled up,
I never would be seen.
"My silken cloak is quite enough,
You know 'tis lined throughout;
Besides I have my silken scarf,
To twine my neck about."
Her bonnet and her gloves were on,
She stepped into the sleigh;
Rode swiftly down the mountain side,
And o'er the hills away.
With muffled face and silent lips,
Five miles at length were passed;
When Charles with few and shivering words,
The silence broke at last.
"Such a dreadful night I never saw,
The reins I scarce can hold."
Fair Charlotte shivering faintly said,
"I am exceeding cold."
He cracked his whip, he urged his steed
Much faster than before;
And thus five other dreary miles
In silence were passed o'er.
Said Charles, "How fast the shivering ice
Is gathering on my brow."
And Charlotte still more faintly said,
"I'm growing warmer now."
So on they rode through frosty air
And glittering cold starlight,
Until at last the village lamps
And the ballroom came in sight.
They reached the door and Charles sprang out,
He reached his hand for her;
She sat there like a monument,
That has no power to stir.
He called her once, he called her twice,
She answered not a word;
He asked her for her hand again,
And still she never stirred.
He took her hand in his - O, God!
'Twas cold and hard as stone;
He tore the mantle from her face,
Cold stars upon it shone.
Then quickly to the glowing hall,
Her lifeless form he bore;
Fair Charlotte's eyes were closed in death,
Her voice was heard no more.
And there he sat down by her side,
While bitter tears did flow;
And cried, "My own, my charming bride,
You never more will know."
He twined his arms around her neck,
He kissed her marble brow;
His thoughts flew back to where she said,
"I'm growing warmer now."
He carried her back to the sleigh,
And with her he rode home;
And when he reached the cottage door,
O, how her parents mourned.
Her parents mourned for many a year,
And Charles wept in the gloom;
Till at last her lover died of grief,
And they both lie in one tomb.
“ The name Frozen Charlotte came from an American Folk Ballad, Fair Charlotte which was attributed to William Lorenzo Carter. The song was inspired by a poem, Young Charlotte written by Seba Smith after he read a true story in the New York Observer...."A young woman...was frozen to death while riding to a ball on Jan 1, 1840."
http://awhimsicalfleamarket.blogspot.com/p/fun-frozen-charlotte-info.html
“These dolls were popular in the late Victorian era, roughly between 1850 and 1920. They were primarily made in Germany, though rarely have a manufacturer’s mark..
….made out of white bisque porcelain and ranged anywhere from under an inch up to 18 inches. While white was the main color, very occasionally you would find a black Frozen Charlotte doll. The majority of the dolls were made in the form of a standing, naked figure with fixed arms, bent out at the elbow, and straight legs,
Frozen Charlotte’s were fairly abundant and had several different variations. There were even male versions, named Frozen Charlies. They were very popular as they were inexpensive enough that they could be given frequently and allowed children to amass a collection. They were so cheap that the smaller versions became known as Penny Dolls, since they could be bought for a penny a piece. These smaller dolls were sometimes baked into confections as favors for children’s parties, chilled and placed into tea cups to cool the tea, or embedded into objects such as necklaces, sewing thimbles, pocket watches, or walnut shells. Some of the larger Frozen Charlotte dolls were left unglazed on their backside to allow them to float for use in the bath tub “
The basic gist of the poem is that an adolescent girl, Charlotte, gets invited to go to a ball some 15 miles away in the middle of winter. Her mother warns her that she needs to bundle up, as it is extremely cold outside, but she refuses, insisting that her beautiful dress should be seen by all. On the journey to the ball, she gets colder and colder, eventually freezing to death. Her beau, Charlie, who is transporting her there, does not find this out until he reaches the ball. He eventually dies as well from heart-break. This poem was later set to music by William Lorenzo Carter and turned into a folk ballad. “
https://wonderfulcollection.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/frozen-charlotte/
A ' Frozen Charlotte ' doll peeking from a toy, glass-windowed coffin. Unsure of date although these dolls ( sans casket ) were popular beginning 1850.
FAIR CHARLOTTE
Now, Charlotte lived on the mountainside,
In a bleak and dreary spot;
There was no house for miles around,
Except her father's cot.
And yet on many a wintry night,
Young swains were gathered there;
For her father kept a social board,
And she was very fair.
One New Year's Eve as the sun went down,
Far looked her wishful eye
Out from the frosty window pane
As merry sleighs went by.
In a village fifteen miles away,
Was to be a ball that night;
And though the air was heavy and cold,
Her heart was warm and light.
How brightly beamed her laughing eye,
As a well-known voice was heard;
And driving up to the cottage door,
Her lover's sleigh appeared.
"O, daughter dear," her mother cried,
"This blanket 'round you fold;
It is a dreadful night tonight,
You'll catch your death of cold."
"O, nay! O, nay!" young Charlotte cried,
And she laughed like a gypsy queen;
"To ride in blankets muffled up,
I never would be seen.
"My silken cloak is quite enough,
You know 'tis lined throughout;
Besides I have my silken scarf,
To twine my neck about."
Her bonnet and her gloves were on,
She stepped into the sleigh;
Rode swiftly down the mountain side,
And o'er the hills away.
With muffled face and silent lips,
Five miles at length were passed;
When Charles with few and shivering words,
The silence broke at last.
"Such a dreadful night I never saw,
The reins I scarce can hold."
Fair Charlotte shivering faintly said,
"I am exceeding cold."
He cracked his whip, he urged his steed
Much faster than before;
And thus five other dreary miles
In silence were passed o'er.
Said Charles, "How fast the shivering ice
Is gathering on my brow."
And Charlotte still more faintly said,
"I'm growing warmer now."
So on they rode through frosty air
And glittering cold starlight,
Until at last the village lamps
And the ballroom came in sight.
They reached the door and Charles sprang out,
He reached his hand for her;
She sat there like a monument,
That has no power to stir.
He called her once, he called her twice,
She answered not a word;
He asked her for her hand again,
And still she never stirred.
He took her hand in his - O, God!
'Twas cold and hard as stone;
He tore the mantle from her face,
Cold stars upon it shone.
Then quickly to the glowing hall,
Her lifeless form he bore;
Fair Charlotte's eyes were closed in death,
Her voice was heard no more.
And there he sat down by her side,
While bitter tears did flow;
And cried, "My own, my charming bride,
You never more will know."
He twined his arms around her neck,
He kissed her marble brow;
His thoughts flew back to where she said,
"I'm growing warmer now."
He carried her back to the sleigh,
And with her he rode home;
And when he reached the cottage door,
O, how her parents mourned.
Her parents mourned for many a year,
And Charles wept in the gloom;
Till at last her lover died of grief,
And they both lie in one tomb.
“ The name Frozen Charlotte came from an American Folk Ballad, Fair Charlotte which was attributed to William Lorenzo Carter. The song was inspired by a poem, Young Charlotte written by Seba Smith after he read a true story in the New York Observer...."A young woman...was frozen to death while riding to a ball on Jan 1, 1840."
http://awhimsicalfleamarket.blogspot.com/p/fun-frozen-charlotte-info.html
“These dolls were popular in the late Victorian era, roughly between 1850 and 1920. They were primarily made in Germany, though rarely have a manufacturer’s mark..
….made out of white bisque porcelain and ranged anywhere from under an inch up to 18 inches. While white was the main color, very occasionally you would find a black Frozen Charlotte doll. The majority of the dolls were made in the form of a standing, naked figure with fixed arms, bent out at the elbow, and straight legs,
Frozen Charlotte’s were fairly abundant and had several different variations. There were even male versions, named Frozen Charlies. They were very popular as they were inexpensive enough that they could be given frequently and allowed children to amass a collection. They were so cheap that the smaller versions became known as Penny Dolls, since they could be bought for a penny a piece. These smaller dolls were sometimes baked into confections as favors for children’s parties, chilled and placed into tea cups to cool the tea, or embedded into objects such as necklaces, sewing thimbles, pocket watches, or walnut shells. Some of the larger Frozen Charlotte dolls were left unglazed on their backside to allow them to float for use in the bath tub “
The basic gist of the poem is that an adolescent girl, Charlotte, gets invited to go to a ball some 15 miles away in the middle of winter. Her mother warns her that she needs to bundle up, as it is extremely cold outside, but she refuses, insisting that her beautiful dress should be seen by all. On the journey to the ball, she gets colder and colder, eventually freezing to death. Her beau, Charlie, who is transporting her there, does not find this out until he reaches the ball. He eventually dies as well from heart-break. This poem was later set to music by William Lorenzo Carter and turned into a folk ballad. “
https://wonderfulcollection.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/frozen-charlotte/