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In the Swan's Shadow
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Focusing mainly on topics of interest to American Civil War living historians, reenactors, or history buffs in general, this also has a habit of wandering onto seemingly random topics such as my jewelry business and anything else that crosses my mind
Recent Posts Tagged With 'civil war'
Going Home
This is just beautiful.After 147 long years, he's finally home. The video is done by Antietam park ranger Mannie Gentile. His blog post gives more detail. Thanks for an incredibly wonderful video, Mannie. ...
Period Receipts: To Brandy Fruit (and to fruit brandy)
From The National Cook Book By Hannah Mary Bouvier Peterson and Martha Read, 1856.BRANDY GRAPES.444. Put some close bunches, when ripe, into a jar, first pricking each grape with a needle; strew over them half their weight in pounded loa...
Video: Gettysburg 75th Anniversary
Watching this really makes me ponder what we do as historians and living historians. Are we doing right by them? Are we truly doing them justice for all that they faced, experienced and sacrificed? Just something to chew on. ...
Period Receipts: Tomato Catchup, 1851
This didn't show the way I'd planned on it. Just click on the photo to go to the recipes in their entirety on Google books. *grumble* ...
2009 PCN Gettysburg Batlle Walk Schedule
PCN will air special programming blocks of Gettysburg Battlewalks throughout the Labor Day weekend. Civil War enthusiasts can catch the premiere of the 2009 programs beginning Saturday, September 5 at 2:00 p.m. The Gettysburg Battlewalks serie...
Have you seen Victorian Times lately?
Sarahanne has been busy! She has recently completed a gown that is based off the velvet dress belonging to Mary Todd Lincoln, currently on display at the Smithsonian. I had posted photographs of the dress (and other parts of the exhibit) earlier in...
Period Pattern - All you beadworkers and seamstresses pay attention!
Peterson's Magazine December 1864. From the NYPL Digital Gallery.Now, is the trim laid down then beaded, or the other way around? You decide. Personally, I'm of the opinion that if they showed you the pattern on the ribbon, then it's applied to th...
Look what I found!
The Lincoln Assassination papers collection in its entirety is free on Footnote.com. All you have to do is make an account and go to town...that's it!I'll leave you to your squealing inner geek now....
Seventh Annual Reunion of the Sixteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry
Tipton photo, ca. 1890s. This is the article from which I got the previous post's excerpt. To get a little background, you may look up their entry in Bates.The survivors of this gallant regiment met on the farm of Ephraim Deardorf, two and a half mi...
More on Daughters of the Regiment
I found this while looking for something completely different, but it's a very interesting piece. What I found was an article pertaining to the seventh (annual) reunion of the Sixteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry. I'll put the whole article up as a separ...
New project!
Well, all right. Old project. But I'm taking it in a slightly different direction.I've been asked a couple of times a very interesting question, and I haven't had the real time necessary to pursue it any further. How much *actual* nutrition - i.e....
Quickie: Godey's Lady's Book December 1863
Are they not gorgeous? This is an illustration of fashions, but not a fashion plate proper. No ladies are drawn modeling the clothing, and these are not colored. So while in the descriptions that would probably be on the facing page tells you what...
I told you we were insane, redux.
These two videos are of the night firings of our artillery during the Twin Lakes Arts & Heritage Festival. Obviously, these were after hours. It's a tradition with our groups to do this at least once, usually the night of the 4th of July. Ther...
Quickie: Harper's Magazine 1860
Now, maybe it's just me, but I think I'd leave the bird at home. This ballgown has some very interesting lines in the bodice however, and the classical style sleeves I'll confess I've never seen on a gown like this before. Also, get a look at her h...
Civil War Letters: William H. Risk, Co. G, 11th PVI
(This is the transcript of one of the letters in the collection of myself and my research partner. William H. Risk was in Company G of the 11th. At the beginning of the war, the 11th was in a three month term of enlistment. Camp Wayne was a traini...
Quickie: Godey's Lady's Book Fashion Plate, 1862
Well, ok. Technically this is half a plate. But NYPL does date it to 1862, and from the looks of things it's for the summer months. I must say that I adore the hats the second and third ladies are wearing, but the only dress I can see myself weari...
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From The Housekeeper's Encyclopedia. Mrs. E. F. Haskell, new edition edited by R. L. Shep. Originally printed New York; D. Appleton and Company, 1861.The Care of Flowers in a DroughtUnless a plant is efficiently and regularly watered, it had better...
Quickie: Godey's Lady's Book Fashion Plate, May 1860
Source: NYPL Digital Gallery...
Remember the Ladies: Photos in my stash
cOne of the most thoroughly frustrating things about research is trying to get some kind of provenance of a photograph...who were these ladies? Where were they from? Who were their family? How did the war affect them and their lives? So much more...
Now featuring: Victorian Times
For those of you in the market for Civil War period clothing, an excellent choice is Victorian Times, who has a shop on Etsy.com. Not only does she offer beautiful clothing that is excellently researched and constructed, but she also occasionally o...
Smithsonian continued: Lincoln's assasination redux
Somewhat continuing my previous posts about Mary Suratt and Lincoln's assasination, I found these to be particularly fascinating - the hoods worn by the conspirators in prison during their incarceration and trials. The earlier posts telling the stor...
Guess who was at the Smithsonian?
So my daughter's 5th grade field trip was to Washington DC this weekend. It was a day trip kind of deal, which frankly is a recipe for disaster unless you live within an hour or two of the city.Which we don't.So anyway, we left at oh-god-30 in the m...
Gettysburg & Stories of Valor
I haven't had a chance to look through all of the parts of this video series, but what I've seen isn't bad. It's nothing approaching research material, but good for human interest stories. The first video touches on the death of David Acheson, who ...
Quickie: Godey's Lady's Book Fashion Plate, 1861
Fashion plate from Godey's Lady's Book, 1861. Date undetermined. From NYPL Digital Gallery. I'm taking a wild stab at the time of the year here, but I'm going to say autumn because of the colors of the dresses and the preponderance of heavier fash...
11th PVI monument dedication at Gettysburg
11th PVI monument, Gettysburg. Photo courtesy of fauxto_digit.From Pennsylvania at Gettysburg, pages 165-168DEDICATION OF MONUMENT11™ REGIMENT INFANTRYSeptember 3, 1890ADDRESS OF CAPTAIN H. B. PIPERMY Comrades:—To have taken part on the side of ...
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Lincoln's Legacy
Villanova University had a conference in February highlighting Lincoln to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth. Happily, many of the presentations given are available on YouTube. These are pretty lengthy, so have a cup (or pot) of coffee wi...
Quickie: Godey's Lady's Book Fashion Plate, March 1862
Godey's Lady's Book, March 1862. From NYPL Digital Gallery. While attending, of all things, a class on medieval calligraphy and illumination, I found out something very interesting that puts these fashion plates in a somewhat different light. Accor...
So what's in the markets? March edition
All together now!Excerpted from: The Practical Housekeeper; A Cyclopædia Of Domestic Economy... Comprising Five Thousand Practical Receipts And Maxims. Illustrated With Five Hundred Wood Engravings. Edited by Mrs. Ellet.This ...
Interpreting Interpretation: The R word
This has happened to me more than twice in my years as a reenactor/interpreter:In some setting outside of a historical event you meet someone with a keen interest in history. Perhaps they are a scholar, or a teacher, or just someone who studies hist...
Keep me from the gallow's pole...Mary Surratt and the assassination of Lincoln
Mary Surratt has been lamented as a martyr and vilified as a traitorous conspirator by turns since the day Lincoln was assassinated and her name emerged as one of the guilty. She became the first woman executed in the United States for her part in th...
