ladies’ parlor

[Enoch L. Cade]

Hello all. A lot of Greek Revival houses in the South had a dedicated "ladies parlor" to which they might retire for tea and cakes while the menfolk talked cotton prices in the men's parlor.

I'm looking for sources or references on how such a room would be decorated. Thanks jn advance for any assistance.

 

[DBF]

@Enoch L. Cade

Here are some threads to get your started:

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/pot-pourri-sachets-and-pastilles-where-nostalgia-was-born.161810/

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/afternoon-tea-where-did-it-come-from.120705/

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/teapots-of-the-era.91475/

I'm sure they were exquisitely decorated as the majority of those homes having a separate parlor were among the elite class.

 

[Enoch L. Cade]

This is incredible. thank you!

 

[Rhea Cole]

Don't forget the social dip.

For Southern ladies, spittoons & tobacco fixings would have been strategically placed. The species of the little twigs that were chewed to dip & apply the snuff would depend on social class.

Girls of all classes smoked pipes from a young age. During the early days when clay pipes were ubiquitous, there was a distinctive circular space worn into the teeth.

My great grandfathers were born in the 1860's. My dad described his great aunts sitting around the hearth dipping & expertly spitting into the fire. A twist of dark fired tobacco was on the mantle for them to crumble a pinch into a pipe.

If it is authenticity you are looking for, a twist of dark fired & fixings has to be by the fire.


Link:

The Social Dip: Snuff Dipping Southern Women in the Civil War Era

During the mid 19th century many younger Southern women chose snuff dipping over the pipe smoking of their mothers. This habit both amused and disgusted federal soldiers serving in the South, and is often mentioned in letters, diaries, and newspaper articles. This presentation looks at types of...

scholarworks.uttyler.edu

The "social dip" has been discussed in great detail here on CWT.

Link:

Ladies Up In Smoke; Or, Gentlemen, Smoke At Your Own Risk. Godey's 1863 | Ladies Tea - War from a Feminine Perspective

Pre-war Godey's image illustrating either the foolishness of men smoking tobacco or the danger they stood in, courting ladies' disapproval. Or both. Not all of us were smitten by tobacco, one of our first cash crops, and its inevitable usage. Topping that list would have been enslaved laborers...

civilwartalk.com

Link:

Southern Ladies and their Tobacco Habits | Ladies Tea - War from a Feminine Perspective

"According to numerous observers of the time, the most distinctive characteristic that set apart many southern women from their Northern sisters was their fondness for tobacco." http://www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/snuff.htm -

civilwartalk.com

 

[lupaglupa]

Don't forget the social dip.

For Southern ladies, spittoons & tobacco fixings would have been strategically placed. The species of the little twigs that were chewed to dip & apply the snuff would depend on social class.

Girls of all classes smoked pipes from a young age. During the early days when clay pipes were ubiquitous, there was a distinctive circular space worn into the teeth.

My great grandfathers were born in the 1860's. My dad described his great aunts sitting around the hearth dipping & expertly spitting into the fire. A twist of dark fired tobacco was on the mantle for them to crumble a pinch into a pipe.

If it is authenticity you are looking for, a twist of dark fired & fixings has to be by the fire.


Link:

The Social Dip: Snuff Dipping Southern Women in the Civil War Era

During the mid 19th century many younger Southern women chose snuff dipping over the pipe smoking of their mothers. This habit both amused and disgusted federal soldiers serving in the South, and is often mentioned in letters, diaries, and newspaper articles. This presentation looks at types of...

scholarworks.uttyler.edu

The "social dip" has been discussed in great detail here on CWT.

Link:

Ladies Up In Smoke; Or, Gentlemen, Smoke At Your Own Risk. Godey's 1863 | Ladies Tea - War from a Feminine Perspective

Pre-war Godey's image illustrating either the foolishness of men smoking tobacco or the danger they stood in, courting ladies' disapproval. Or both. Not all of us were smitten by tobacco, one of our first cash crops, and its inevitable usage. Topping that list would have been enslaved laborers...

civilwartalk.com

Link:

Southern Ladies and their Tobacco Habits | Ladies Tea - War from a Feminine Perspective

"According to numerous observers of the time, the most distinctive characteristic that set apart many southern women from their Northern sisters was their fondness for tobacco." http://www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/snuff.htm -

civilwartalk.com

I remember visiting my great-grandmother when I was young. She had an old coffee can on her porch for spitting into. I had no idea about tobacco so I just assumed all elderly people spit dark brown liquid!

 

[Rhea Cole]

I remember visiting my great-grandmother when I was young. She had an old coffee can on her porch for spitting into. I had no idea about tobacco so I just assumed all elderly people spit dark brown liquid!

As part of a living history program my wife & little grandgirls simulated dipping with Tootsie Rolls… it worked as planned, but was so disgusting that it was a one off.