The Library Ghost

Website at https://the-library-ghost.blogspot.com/

[thelibraryghost]

A Brief Overview of Life in 18th-C. North America

This post is also available in extended form on my blog, here.

Architecture and engineering     Colonial Williamsburg. "Raising a Drying Shed." YouTube. Posted January 17, 2023.     Colonial Williamsburg. "Tour the Governor’s Palace with Hannah." YouTube. Posted April 24, 2024.     Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia. "Virtual Tour: 1700s German Farm." YouTube. Posted April 20, 2020.     Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia. "Virtual Tour: 1700s Irish Farm." YouTube. Posted April 29, 2020.     JYF Museums. "JYF Cribs | A Revolutionary Era Middling Farm House Tour." YouTube. Posted May 29, 2021.     JYF Museums. "JYF Cribs | Layout of Continental Army Encampments." YouTube. Posted October 16, 2021.

Economy and trade     Bill of Rights Institute. "Mercantilism & The Colonial American Economy." YouTube. Posted September 1, 2020.     NBC News Learn. "The Stamp Act." YouTube. Posted May 1, 2020.     Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. "Philadelphia's Non-Violent Resistance to the 1773 Tea Tax." YouTube. Posted December 16, 2023.     Townsend, Jon. "Do You Know the Difference? Shilling, Sixpence, Halfpenny?" YouTube. Posted July 27, 2021.     Townsend, Jon. "Trading With Native Americans." YouTube. Posted June 28, 2021.

Food and drink     Townsend, Jon. "Baked Beans - 18th Century Cooking." YouTube. Posted January 30, 2012.     Townsend, Jon. "Cornbread: 18th Century Breads, Part 3. S2E14." YouTube. Posted May 29, 2012.     Townsend, Jon. "Soup, Stew and Hash - 18th Century Soldier Cooking." YouTube. Posted November 28, 2011.     Townsend, Jon. "We Still Eat This All The Time - Scallop Potatoes." YouTube. Posted June 23, 2024.

Games and entertainment     Colonial Williamsburg. "18th-Century Acting." YouTube. Posted September 2, 2015.     Colonial Williamsburg. "African Drums." YouTube. Posted February 22, 2016.     Colonial Williamsburg. "'German Toys in America' at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg." YouTube. Posted November 7, 2016.     FYS Museums. "Children's Toys in the 18th-Century." YouTube. Posted December 30, 2021.     Townsend, Jon. "Bowling Then VS Now." YouTube. Posted November 12, 2023.

Health and medicine     Colonial Williamsburg. "Exploring Colonial Healthcare: The Apothecary." YouTube. Posted May 25, 2023.     George Washington's Mount Vernon. "Dentistry in the 18th Century." YouTube. Posted August 2, 2019.     JYF Museums. "Making Soap on a Revolution-era Farm." YouTube. Posted January 4, 2023.     Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. "The Instruments Used to Bleed Patients." YouTube. Posted April 22, 2020.     Townsend, Jon. "Did They Have Germs Back Then? - Spanish Military Hospital 1784." YouTube. Posted April 5, 2021.

Painting and sculpture     Colonial Williamsburg. "Making a Turned Table Leg." YouTube. Posted November 1, 2022.     Colonial Williamsburg. "The Geddy Foundry." YouTube. Posted June 20, 2023.     Jaffee, David. "Art and Identity in the British North American Colonies, 1700–1776." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004.     Liebster, Amy. "Eagles After the American Revolution." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012. Travel and transportation     Colonial Williamsburg. "Black Coachmen & Horsemen of the 18th Century." YouTube. Posted February 14, 2023.     Townsend, Jon. "From Tree To Canoe: Full Length Anniversary Edition - Dugout Canoe Build." YouTube. October 1, 2022.

Warfare     American Battlefield Trust. "The Revolutionary War: Animated Battle Map." YouTube. Posted June 27, 2019.     NBC News Learn. "The French and Indian War." YouTube. Posted May 1, 2020.     Townsend, Jon. "The Forgotten Soldiers of the Revolutionary War." YouTube. Posted January 25, 2018.

[northwest-by-a-train]

Average British Fantasy Author of the 20th Century: Born in Hong Kong, raised in Singapore, Kingston and Oxford, he kissed his first girl at the tender age of 38. He spent 23 years obsessively writing notes for his epic masterwork, the Sword of Gormenlia series, with elements drawn from Indian mysticism, Arthurian mythos, Surrealist poetry, Victorian racism and Radical beliefs[?]. He died in Cyprus where he owned the world's most beautiful houseboat.

Average American Fantasy Author of the 20th Century: Born on the border between Ohio and Montana, Wizjeremiah VanderMcDercken, better known by his pseudonym John "Wizard" Whiteman, was raised in a ghost town and was the only citizen of his county who could read. At the age of 14, he stole a car and drove 30 hours straight to New York City to send his first story "The Alien was Really a Man" to Astounding Stories, for which he was paid a whopping 12$. A string of successes followed, including "The Man was Really a Robot" "The Alien was Really a Wizard" and "The Wizard is Really a Man When You Think About It". He harassed Samuel R. Delany for twelve years over a mild criticism of one of his now out-of-print novels. Died in Yonkers where he had a condo.

Average Canadian Fantasy Author of the 20th Century: Born just outside of Toronto

Average French Fantasy Author of the 20th Century: Despite publishing over 170 novels over a period of fifty years, no one outside of France, or indeed within France, knows who Jean Messac is. Left on the steps of a convent in the south of France, he soon learned to hate the nuns, the books in the local library, Parisians, Americans, specifically the citizens of Syria, the Dominican Republic and Bulgaria, the French literary establishment, Regionalist writers, Sartre, De Gaulle, Casimir, anyone who appeared on TV, Radio, Newspapers and Photographs. He lived in a shoebox gifted to him as a joke from André Breton. He was a high school teacher and wrote for a variety of magazines and publishers, was institutionalized three times and was a Majdanek survivor. His books have all been translated in Russia and Japan following a popular JRPG adapting his saga "Pox-Children of the Kamchadals". He died in the same city where he spent his entire life at the age of 64.

[prokopetz]

What do you mean that Forgotten Realms is a romantic fantasy setting masquerading as high fantasy?

(With reference to this post there.)

Exactly what it says on the tin – the Forgotten Realms is clearly principally inspired by romantic fantasy, not high fantasy.

In this context, when I say "romantic fantasy", I'm referring to a specific, relatively short-lived genre of fantasy literature that was wildly popular in the 1980s and 1990s, but abruptly fell almost entirely off the map after about 1998, due to a variety of economic and cultural factors which are way too complicated to go into in a Tumblr post. This is distinct from the more contemporary usage of "romance novels with fantasy settings", though there's definitely a lot of overlap.

If you're looking for a romantic fantasy reading list, Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series – especially the early stuff – is probably the easiest to get your hands on these days; it's practically the only example that still has any real name recognition in 2025, for all that Lackey was a latecomer to the genre. Other names worth checking out include Margaret Ball, Carole Nelson Douglas, Tanya Huff, Holly Lisle, Jennifer Roberson, and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, off the top of my head, though not all of them worked exclusively within the genre.

(Elizabeth Moon is an interesting edge case, in that her stuff is principally military science fiction, but very much adheres to the forms of romantic fantasy. Her Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy, one of her few pure fantasy works, is a fun snapshot of an era because it was written explicitly in response to what Moon perceived as the shortcomings of the fantasy worldbuilding on display in then-contemporary Dungeons & Dragons settings, and hit the shelves at just about exactly the same time as the earliest Forgotten Realms material.)

[transcyer]

Question, what exactly is the difference? Google just wants to show me Romantasy.

[prokopetz]

Well, the trick is that genres are creative conversations, not checklists of tropes, so the real answer to that question is "it's the type of fantasy that was being written by this specific group of popular fantasy authors, most of whom personally knew and frequently collaborated with each other, during this specific period of time".

That said, there are a few recurring features that can be identified. Not all of these will be present in every example of the genre, of course, and whether they add up to a distinct strand of fantasy or a subgenre of high fantasy or what-have-you is a debate I'd prefer to leave to those who have more time on their hands, but to hit some high points:

Romantic fantasy typically features a strong focus on political worldbuilding – not in the lists-of-kings sense, but in terms of the nitty-gritty details of hierarchies and power relations. What explicit hierarchies are in play? What unspoken hierarchies are in play, and how do they undermine the explicit hierarchies? Who's really in charge, and how does that differ from who's officially in charge? Often there's an emphasis on interrogating gendered divisions within the political sphere. What kinds of political power are typically wielded by men? What kinds of political power are typically wielded by women? How do these spheres interact?

As an extension of the preceding point, romantic fantasy often features lengthy sequences of the protagonist and their allies engaging in complex political discussion and manoeuvres, with the same sort of narrative weight and focus that scenes of battle are given in more conventional fantasy. This isn't to say that romantic fantasy doesn't also feature scenes of battle – it usually does – but they tend to be addressed in a just-the-high-points fashion, rather than the meticulous, blow-by-blow fashion of the politicking leading up to them. (Folks who aren't fans of the genre often report finding this difference in focus dreadfully dull!)

There's often a secret or semi-secret do-gooder organisation – a sort of conspiracy of heroes – which the protagonist either joins early on, or is already part of when the story begins. (This is most common in ongoing serials, and may be absent in stand-alone works.) Valdemar's Herald-Mages and the Forgotten Realms' Harpers are two examples of the type. Contra the expectations of grittier fantasy, the righteousness of this organisation usually is not questioned; stories may concern rooting out corruption or error in individual branches, and members may temporarily fall from grace, but overall they're on the side of the angels.

While specific applications of magic may be secret knowledge, magic in general is something anyone can do. This may be carried to the point of every (adult) person in the setting sporting a unique magical talent, or of people being sortable by their affinities for particular spheres of magic. The protagonist discovering, exploring, and/or mastering their magical affinity is often central to their arc. The lack of such an affinity will usually be framed as a kind of disability, with all the awkwardness and unfortunateness you'd expect of 1980s popular media.

Magical companions aren't necessarily common in the setting overall, but they're common for protagonists, to the extent that being bonded with such a companion is often positioned as a diegetic marker of heroism. Snarky talking cats and wise telepathic horses are both popular choices, though there have been many variations on the basic idea – I recall one example where the protagonist wears a sapient enchanted bracelet which later turns out to be a dragon who's transformed himself into an inanimate object for initially mysterious reasons.

The settings tended to be explicitly egalitarian and gay-friendly, with sexist and homophobic attitudes functioning as cultural markers of the obligatory Evil Empire Over There. This is kind of a nothing distinction in 2025, but in the 1980s it was noteworthy. It wasn't without its problems, of course; homosexuality was usually treated as a kind of gender variance, with gay men being framed as in some sense "womanly" in their fundamental essence, and lesbians as in some sense "manly". Oddly, this idea of homosexuality-as-gender-variance almost never extended to any sort of trans representation. Having a special made-up word for gay people – always printed in italics – was so common in the genre that it became the subject of frequent parody.

[a-book-of-creatures]

Have you seen this post?

You probably have. It currently has over 120,000 notes, largely because of this addition.

Of course it's going to get reblogged, this kind of unsourced factoid does numbers on here. But something about it wasn't quite right.

A bit of searching turned up the origin of the "fact".

Alright, so it's someone who posted this on reddit 4 years ago and somehow ended up in the search hits. And the post confuses the electric eel (from South America) with the electric catfish (from the Nile, which the Egyptians would have known about).

Reminder: this is an electric eel (Electrophorus electricus). It is from South America. (image from Wikipedia)

And this is an electric catfish (Malapterurus electricus). It is from the Nile and would have been familiar to the ancient Egyptians. (image from Wikipedia)

And then of course people were speculating in the notes to that post about trade routes between South America and Egypt. Excellent scholarship everyone.

At this point I was ready to call it another made-up internet fact that gets reified by people repeating it. But something was still bothering me.

An ancient Egyptian slab from 3100 BC. What could that be...

Oh.

The Narmer palette. It's the goddamn Narmer palette. (image, once again, from Wikipedia)

So where is this "angry catfish"?

It's not the Egyptian name for the electric catfish.

It's... Narmer. It's Narmer himself.

Narmer's name is written as above (detail of top middle of the palette), using the catfish (n`r) and the chisel (mr), giving N'r-mr. The chisel is associated with pain, so this reads as "painful catfish", "striking catfish", or, yes, "angry catfish" or other similar variants, although some authors have suggested that it means "Beloved of [the catfish god] Nar".

So.

Where does this leave us?

It would appear that this redditor not only confused electric eels with electric catfish, but also confused a Pharaoh's name with the name of a fish. And then it got pushed to the top search hits by a crappy search engine and shared uncritically on tumblr.

In short, "the electric eel is called angry catfish" factoid actually literacy error. Angry Catfish, who ruled upper Egypt and smote his enemies, is an outlier adn should not have been counted.

Also the Arabic name for the electric catfish is raad (thunder) or raada (thunderer).

References

Afsaruddin, A., & Zahniser, A. H. M. (1997). Humanism, culture, and language in the Near East: studies in honor of Georg Krotkoff. Eisenbrauns.

Clayton, P. A. (2001). Chronicle of the Pharaohs. Thames & Hudson.

Godron, G. (1949). A propos du nom royal. Annales du Service des antiquités de l'Egypte, 49, 217-221.

Sperveslage, G., & Heagy, T. C. (2023). A tail's tale: Narmer, the catfish, and bovine symbolism. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 109(1), 3-319.

[bunjywunjy]

there are several pre-columbian indigenous names for the electric eel. the Tamanac name was Arimna, meaning "denier/stopper of motion", and the Tupi and Guarani name was Porake, meaning "makes you sleep".

early Jesuit colonizers called it the numbfish.

[thelibraryghost]

And this is how factoids become "common knowledge"! Check your sources, folks!

[bunjywunjy]

Hey sorry if this isn't....really your thing? I mean it kinda is tangentially!

The National Park Service is looking for people who can read English Cursive, to help them transcribe old records from the Revolutionary War!

You can also help them by tagging old pictures and articles (I know a lot of people here would be really good at that!) to help with searches

They have instructions and even short little videos you can watch to learn how best to help them! Idk seemed like a fun thing some people might wanna help with! There's apparently close to 8 million (iirc) records and they say some of them are really fascinating!

Here's the link to the announcement:

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/01/can-you-read-cursive-national-park-service-wants-hear-you

thank you! I fully cannot read writing from that era, but maybe someone else can

[thelibraryghost]

Very exciting!

[thelibraryghost]

An Overview of Life in Tudor England

The 1500s in England saw Henry Tudor die; his second son take the throne as Henry VIII; and his daughter Margaret Tudor wed to James IV of Scotland. Catherine of Aragon, a Spanish princess, married Arthur, Prince of Wales; upon his death, she married then-prince Henry and bore his first daughter, Mary Tudor. After Henry VIII established the Anglican Church and annulled his marriage to Catherine, he married Anne Boleyn, who bore the future Elizabeth I before being executed in 1536. Henry would go on to have four more marriages, only one of which produced a son: Edward.

More information below the cut and here.

General information     Banijay History. "Norwich: Wool Trade and Revolution - Britain's Most Historic Towns." YouTube. Posted October 11, 2024.     BBC Select. "Catherine of Aragon's 7-Year Wait To Marry Henry VIII | The Six Queens of Henry VIII | BBC Select." YouTube. Posted January 12, 2022.     History Hit. "Ray Mears discovers 400-Year-Old perfectly preserved Warbows Salvaged From a Sunken Tudor Warships." YouTube. Posted December 5, 2022.     Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. "Enter a rabble of plebeians! Social disorder in Shakespeare's England." YouTube. Posted September 28, 2015.     Ridgway, Claire. "Henry VIII’s ONLY Acknowledged Illegitimate Son - The Rise of Henry Fitzroy." YouTube. Posted September 12, 2024.     YaleCourses. "2. 'The Tree of Commonwealth': The Social Order in the Sixteenth Century." YouTube. Posted March 9, 2011.

Arts and architecture     Historic Royal Palaces. "Conservation of a Tudor ceiling at Hampton Court." YouTube. Posted March 10, 2020.     Historic Royal Palaces. "Henry VIII's Astronomical Clock at Hampton Court Palace." YouTube. Posted September 23, 2011.     Historic Royal Palaces. "The lost Tudor wall of Henry VIII's Hampton Court Palace." YouTube. Posted March 21, 2019.     Marchant, Katrina. "Hans Holbein's Portrait Drawings: A View of the Tudor Court." YouTube. Posted May 8, 2020.

Economy and trade     Marchant, Katrina. "Dr Kat and 'The Great Debasement'." YouTube. Posted December 13, 2019.     Marchant, Katrina. "Foundations of Empire: The Origins of the East India Company." YouTube. Posted November 19, 2021.     Marchant, Katrina. "Masters of 'Mystery': Apprentices in History." YouTube. Posted February 24, 2023.     Teysko, Heather. "Renaissance English History Podcast Episode 156: Medieval and Tudor Wool Trade." YouTube. Posted March 19, 2021.     The Exploress Podcast. "A Lady's Life in Tudor England, Chapter VIII: Women of Business." YouTube. Posted October 4, 2021.

Food and drink     History Hit. "We Cooked an Authentic Tudor Feast!" YouTube. Posted December 21, 2022.     Historic Royal Palaces. "Henry VIII's Kitchens at Hampton Court Palace." YouTube. Posted March 23, 2009.     Historic Royal Palaces. "King's Confectionary." YouTube. Posted June 24, 2009.     Historic Royal Palaces. "Lighting a Tudor fire without matches!" YouTube. Posted June 24, 2009.     Historic Royal Palaces. "Show and tell with spices." YouTube. Posted June 24, 2009.     Historic Royal Palaces. "Tudor Christmas Cookalong: Sauge." YouTube. Posted December 15, 2016.     Historic Royal Palaces. "Turning the spit." YouTube. Posted June 24, 2009.     Historic Royal Palaces. "What the cooks wore and why." YouTube. Posted June 24, 2009.     The Landmark Trust. "The Tudor Christmas kitchen." YouTube. Posted December 4, 2020.

Games and entertainment     History Hit. "The History Of 'Real Tennis' At Henry VIII's Royal Court | Tudor Tennis Challenge." YouTube. Posted April 6, 2022.     Marchant, Katrina. "Renaissance Prince: Henry VIII and His Music." YouTube. Posted January 4, 2025.     Marchant, Katrina. "Richard Burbage: Shakespeare's Star?" YouTube. Posted August 19, 2022.     Moriarty, Colm. "A hoard of 16th and 17th century children’s toys." Irish Archaeology. Posted February 16, 2013.     Pittaway, Ian. "Greensleeves: Mythology, History and Music. Part 2 of 3: History." Early Music Muse. Posted .     The National Archives UK. "Filling in the Blankes: The Life of a Black Tudor." YouTube. Posted April 25, 2023.

Health and medicine     Historic Royal Palaces. "Henry VIII: medicine in Tudor England." YouTube. Posted May 22, 2009.     Marchant, Katrina. "Dr Kat and Our Filthy Ancestors?" YouTube. Posted March 20, 2020.     Marchant, Katrina. "French Pox, Bloody Flux and Other Historical Illnesses." YouTube. Posted February 23, 2024.     Marchant, Katrina. "Pregnancy in the Past: 'The Birth of Mankind'." YouTube. Posted September 6, 2024.

Literature and education     FolgerLibrary. "Inside the Collection: A best-selling book and a 16th-century woodblock." YouTube. Posted April 18, 2018.     History West Midlands. "The Chained Library." YouTube. Posted September 9, 2019.     Marchant, Katrina. "What Was Literacy?: Perceptions of Intellect in History." YouTube. Posted December 10, 2021. Travel and transportation     AFP News Agency. "Treasures from England's Mary Rose ship resurface." YouTube. Posted May 30, 2013.     Historic Royal Palaces. "Meet the Shire horses of Hampton Court Palace." YouTube. Posted October 23, 2019.     Marchant, Katrina. "Dr Kat and the Spanish Armada." YouTube. Posted August 23, 2019.

[thelibraryghost]

Creeps and Crawlies

there's a theme here...

Deep sea life BBC. "Alien like colossal squid - Museum of Life - BBC Two." YouTube. April 16, 2010. Real Science. "The Insane Biology of: The Cuttlefish." YouTube. November 11, 2023. Real Science. "The Insane Biology of: The Octopus." YouTube. November 14, 2020. Real Science. "Why Animals Get Creepier the Deeper You Go." YouTube. June 10, 2023. Real Science. "Why Do Deep Sea Creatures Evolve Into Giants?" YouTube. July 16, 2022. Ze Frank. "True Facts About The Angler Fish." YouTube. December 27, 2012. Ze Frank. "True Facts About The CuttleFish." YouTube. October 30, 2013. Ze Frank. "True Facts About The Octopus." YouTube. April 1, 2014. Fungi National Geographic. "Glow-in-the-Dark Mushrooms: Nature’s Night Lights | National Geographic." YouTube. February 18, 2015. National Geographic. "What's in a Lichen? How Scientists Got It Wrong for 150 Years | Short Film Showcase." YouTube. January 25, 2018. National Geographic. "You Didn’t Know Mushrooms Could Do All This | National Geographic." YouTube. July 13, 2016. PBS. "How Trees Talk to Other Trees with the Help of Fungi | The Green Planet | PBS." YouTube. July 26, 2022. PBS Eons. "When Giant Fungi Ruled." YouTube. December 18, 2017. Ze Frank. "True Facts: Fungi That Control The Insects They Eat." YouTube. April 28, 2023. Ze Frank. "True Facts: Stinkhorns." YouTube. November 20, 2019. Slime molds BBC. "Mould Time-lapse - The Great British Year: Episode 4 Preview - BBC One." YouTube. October 18, 2013. BBC Earth Science. "Can Slime Mould Solve Mazes? | Earth Science." YouTube. December 5, 2018. Oregon Public Broadcasting. "Slime molds are gorgeous (you just never knew it!) | Oregon Field Guide." YouTube. January 3, 2022. Real Science. "The Insane Biology of: Slime Mold." YouTube. May 13, 2023. Ze Frank. "True Facts: The Self-Sacrificing Amoeba." YouTube. August 4, 2022. Ze Frank. "True Facts: The Smartest Slime." YouTube. January 31, 2023. Spiders National Geographic. "Deadly Cousin: The Redback Spider | National Geographic." YouTube. December 2, 2011. National Geographic. "How Spiders Use Electricity to Fly | Decoder." YouTube. April 25, 2019. Nature on PBS. "Social Spiders Spin Massive Nest." YouTube. April 14, 2015. Real Science. "Why Spider Silk is Stronger Than Steel." YouTube. January 15, 2022. Smithsonian Channel. "Incredible: This Underwater Spider Has an Actual Scuba Tank." YouTube. January 13, 2017. Smithsonian Channel. "This Terrifying Spider Hunts Fish Underwater." YouTube. May 26, 2017. Ze Frank. "True Facts: Mating Dance of The Peacock Spider (feat. Quinta Brunson)." YouTube. February 20, 2020. Ze Frank. "True Facts: Tarantulas." YouTube. November 19, 2022. Ze Frank. "True Facts: The Bolas Spider." YouTube. March 15, 2019. Ze Frank. "True Facts: The Ogre Faced Spider." YouTube. September 26, 2019. Worms ABC Science. "Blood-sucking leeches changed Cole’s life." YouTube. May 29, 2023. BBC. "The Amazing World Of Earthworms In The UK - Springwatch - BBC Two." YouTube. June 6, 2012. National Geographic. "Ice Worms | National Geographic." YouTube. September 17, 2007. National Geographic. "This Creepy Worm Pulls Its Prey Deep Under the Ocean Floor | National Geographic." YouTube. January 31, 2017. National Geographic. "Weird Worms Live Near Pacific Ocean’s Deepest High-Temp Vent | National Geographic." YouTube. June 11, 2015. Ze Frank. "True Facts: Bobbit Worm and Polychaete Pals." YouTube. August 17, 2018.

[thelibraryghost]

1831 Fashion Plates

More 1830s fashion plate links can be found on my blog: here.

1831     —. "Dinner Dress. Evening Dress." La Belle Assemblée, no. 77 (May 1831).     —. "Evening and Morning Dresses." The World of Fashion and Continental Feuilletons, vol. 8, no. 87 (Jul. 1831).     —. "Evening Dress. Opera Dress." La Belle Assemblée, no. 75 (Mar. 1831).     —. "Evening Dresses." The World of Fashion and Continental Feuilletons, vol. 8, no. 84 (Apr. 1831).     —. "Fancy Costume Scotch. Marchioness of Londonderry." The World of Fashion and Continental Feuilletons, vol. 8, no. 92 (Dec. 1831).     —. "Fashionable Head Dresses." The World of Fashion and Continental Feuilletons, vol. 7, no. 81 (Jan. 1831).     —. "Fashionable Head Dresses." The World of Fashion and Continental Feuilletons, vol. 7, no. 86 (Jun. 1831).     —. "Italian. Spanish. Turkish. German." La Belle Assemblée, no. 76 (Apr. 1831).     —. "Morning Dresses." The World of Fashion and Continental Feuilletons, vol. 8, no. 90 (Oct. 1831).     —. "Morning Dresses." The World of Fashion and Continental Feuilletons, vol. 8, no. 91 (Nov. 1831).     —. "Morning Visiting Dress. Dinner Dress." La Belle Assemblée, no. 73 (Jan. 1831).     —. "Morning Visiting Dress. Dinner Dress." La Belle Assemblée, no. 78 (Jun. 1831).     —. "Riding and Morning Dresses." The World of Fashion and Continental Feuilletons, vol. 8, no. 85 (May 1831).     —. "Spanish Costume and Morning Dresses." The World of Fashion and Continental Feuilletons, vol. 8, no. 88 (Aug. 1831).     —. "The Peeresses' Robes." The World of Fashion and Continental Feuilletons, vol. 8, no. 88 (Sept. 1831).     —. "Walking Dress. Ball Dress." La Belle Assemblée, no. 74 (Feb. 1831).

[uwmspeccoll]

Transit Posters from Research: Design in Nature

Today we are featuring poster designs from Research: Design in Nature, edited by John Gilbert Wilkins, published by the Field Museum of Natural History and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1926. The portfolio features over 200 leaves of plates that were printed in the Field Museum pressroom and the Regensteiner Corporation of Chicago. The posters we are presenting today are from a poster competition for students at the School of the Art Institute in 1925.

John Gilbert Wilkins writes:

“Late in the school year of 1925, Mr. D. C. Davies, Director of the Field Museum, decided to offer a second Poster Prize. The contest was open to the second year class in Research of the School of the Art Institute. The director immediately began to cast about to find some available source for securing the necessary prize money to cover the various awards. Mr. Stanley Field, President of the Field Museum, saw the advantage of such a plan and expressed a desire to furnish the required funds. Thus one hundred dollars was set aside for this purpose.

The students were given the necessary data and required to select their own material from anywhere within the Museum, and make preliminary pencil sketches direct from the object. From these sketches poster designs were laid out, also in pencil, criticized and approved by the instructor, then finished in color.”

View more posts about Research: Design in Nature.

View more posts about decorative arts and pattern books.

–Sarah, Special Collections Graduate Intern

[thelibraryghost]

1920s Fashion Plates

Here are links to fashion plates from the 1920s, mostly from The Delineator with a few from McCall's Magazine. More 1920s fashion content can be found at my blog.

1920     —. "Frocks for Warm Afternoons." The Delineator, vol. 97, no. 1 (Jul. 1920), p. 99.     —. "Paris Centers Her Interest on Her Hipline." The Delineator, vol. 96, no. 4 (Apr. 1920), p. 151.     —. "The Long Body Reaches Far in Popularity and There Are New Ways of Emphasizing the Hip." The Delineator, vol. 97, no. 2 (Sept. 1920), p. 95.     —. "The Spring Frock." The Delineator, vol. 96, no. 3 (Mar. 1920), p. 135.

1921     —. "Paris Has an Extremely Easy Way of Treating the Straight Silhouette." The Delineator, vol. 99, no. 5 (Dec. 1921), p. 28.     —. "The Newest Lines Are Accentuated with Charming Embroideries." The Delineator, vol. 97, no. 6 (Jan. 1921), p. 67.

1922     —. "The Smart Box-Coat and Cape, Also the New Fabric Trimming and Appliqué for the Younger Set." The Delineator, vol. 100, no. 3 (Apr. 1922), p. 34.     —. "To Blouse or Not Is the Problem of the Low Waistline." The Delineator, vol. 100, no. 2 (Mar. 1922), p. 27.

1923     —. "Coat Dresses Rank with Three-Piece Costumes Composed of a Blouse Coat or Boat-Coat Worn with a Dress or Blouse and Skirt." The Delineator, vol. 102, no. 3 (Mar. 1922), p. 25.

1924     —. "August Sees the Triumph of Lingerie Frocks, a Coat Dress for the Street and Picturesque Voiles." The Delineator, vol. 105, no. 2 (Aug. 1924), p. 30.     —. "Capes and Shoulder Capettes, Unbelted and Tailored Lines Appear for Spring." The Delineator, vol. 104, no. 3 (Mar. 1924), p. 30.     —. "Fashions in a Holiday Spirit for the Younger Generation." The Delineator, vol. 105, no. 1 (Jul. 1924), p. 28.     —. "Hat and Scarf Sets, Capes and Drawn-Work Are Smart." The Delineator, vol. 104, no. 5 (May 1924), p. 30.     —. "June Brides Set the Stage for Weddings with a Lace Gown and Picturesque Attire for Attendants." The Delineator, vol. 104, no. 6 (Jun. 1924), p. 28.     —. "The Evening Panoply Offers a Wide Choice in Colors, in Fabrics and Styles." The Delineator, vol. 105, no. 6 (Dec. 1924), p. 27.

1925     —. "Flowing Lines Distinguish the Evening Mode." McCall's Magazine, vol. 53, no. 2 (Nov. 1925), p. 71.     —. "Frocks for the New Borders Half-and-Half Materials and Prints." The Delineator, vol. 106, no. 6 (Jun. 1925), p. 27.     —. "Inverted Plaits, Flounces, Circular Pieces, Loose Panels and Bordered Effects Appear Below the Hipline." The Delineator, vol. 106, no. 4 (Apr. 1925), p. 27.     —. "Swinging Flares, Flying Panels, Restless Plaits Are the Outward and Visible Signs of Fashion's Penchant for Motion in Frocks." The Delineator, vol. 107, no. 6 (Dec. 1925), pp. 28–29.     —. "The Fashionable Young Girl Chooses New Ensembles for General and Better Wear." The Delineator, vol. 107, no. 4 (Oct. 1925), p. 27.     —. "The Flared Silhouette Is Flounced or Aproned and Partial to the Jabot." The Delineator, vol. 107, no. 3 (Sept. 1925), p. 28.     —. "The Jabot and Tie Collars, Flares and Aprons Are Smart." The Delineator, vol. 107, no. 1 (Jul. 1925), p. 27.     —. "The Reversible Coat of the Ensemble Wardrobe Turns Itself Inside Out to Suit Its Companion-Frocks." The Delineator, vol. 106, no. 3 (Mar. 1925), p. 29.     —. "The Summer Mode Favors Prints, the Straight Plaits, the Soft Godets." The Delineator, vol. 107, no. 2 (Aug. 1925), p. 28.

1926     Rittenhouse, Anne. "Matching Accessories for Smartness." McCall's Magazine, vol. 53, no. 11 (Aug. 1926), p. 69.

1927     Rittenhouse, Anne. "Gay Frocks for Afternoon." McCall's Magazine, vol. 54, no. 8 (May 1927), p. 109.     Rittenhouse, Anne. "Graceful Dance Frocks." McCall's Magazine, vol. 54, no. 10 (Jul. 1927), p. 83.

[thelibraryghost]

1920 Embroidery Designs

    These are all advertisements for and previews of transfer patterns, which can be enlarged and copied for normal use.  Designs from after 1920 can be found on my blog.

Ashley, Marie. "Appliqué Work Appears Among the New Embroideries." The Delineator, vol. 97, no. 2 (Sept. 1920), p. 108.     Ashley, Marie. "Beading with Embroidery and Various Stitches Are Combined." The Delineator, vol. 97, no. 2 (Sept. 1920), p. 109.     Ashley, Marie. "Combined Stitches for Blouse and Cut-Work for Linen." The Delineator, vol. 96, no. 3 (Mar. 1920), p. 149.     Ashley, Marie. "Embroideries for New Frock and Blouse." The Delineator, vol. 96, no. 1 (Jan. 1920), p. 87.     Ashley, Marie. "Embroidery Captures the Costume in a Bold, Effective Manner." The Delineator, vol. 96, no. 5 (May 1920), pp. 164–165.     Ashley, Marie. "Embroidery for the Bride and Her Kinswomen." The Delineator, vol. 96, no. 6 (Jun. 1920), p. 127.     Ashley, Marie. "Embroidery Touches on a Variety of Subjects." The Delineator, vol. 96, no. 4 (Apr. 1920), p. 165.     Ashley, Marie. "New Embroideries for the Costume, Lingerie and Household Linens." The Delineator, vol. 97, no. 1 (Jul. 1920), pp. 110–111.     Ashley, Marie. "Roman and Italian Cut-Work." The Delineator, vol. 96, no. 1 (Jan. 1920), p. 86.     Ashley, Marie. "Simple Embroideries Gain More Ground on the New Costume and Cover It Effectively." The Delineator, vol. 97, no. 4 (Nov. 1920), pp. 132–133.     Ashley, Marie. "Stitches that Pick up One's Leisure Summer Hours." The Delineator, vol. 97, no. 1 (Jul. 1920), p. 109.     Blondel, Elisabeth May. "Gay Needlework for the Bungalow." McCall's Magazine, vol. 47, no. 9 (Jun. 1920), p. 65.     Blondel, Elisabeth May. "New Effects in Summer Embroideries." McCall's Magazine, vol. 47, no. 8 (May 1920), p. 71.     Blondel, Elisabeth May. "New Effects with Old Stitches." McCall's Magazine, vol. 47, no. 10 (Jul. 1920), p. 52.     Blondel, Elisabeth May. "New Embroideries for Fall Garments." McCall's Magazine, vol. 47, no. 12 (Sept. 1920), p. 60.     Blondel, Elisabeth May. "Quaint Motifs and Correct Initials." McCall's Magazine, vol. 47, no. 11 (Aug. 1920), p. 54.     Thomas, Helen. "Old Stitches Employed in New Ways." McCall's Magazine, vol. 47, no. 6 (Mar. 1920), p. 77.     Wheeler, Harriet C. "Embroideries for the Little Folks." The American Woman, vol. 29, no. 8 (Jan. 1920), p. 6.     —. "Embroideries That Meet the Christmas Gift Order of the Women and Children First." The Delineator, vol. 97, no. 5 (Dec. 1920), pp. 104–105.     —. "Hand Trimming a Necessity for the Parisienne's New Costume." The Delineator, vol. 96, no. 3 (Mar. 1920), p. 146.     —. "The Embroidery Needle Makes Short and Effective Work of Trimming the New Costume." The Delineator, vol. 97, no. 3 (Oct. 1920), p. 144.     —. "The New Season's Smartest Trimmings." The Delineator, vol. 96, no. 2 (Feb. 1920), p. 134.

[thelibraryghost]

1910s Cookery Books

Here is a sample of World War One-era cookbooks; more can be found at my blog.

Wartime cookery     Haskin, Frederic Jennings, comp. War Cook Book for American Women. Washington, DC: United States Food Administration, 1917.     Hill, Janet McKenzie. Economical War-Time Cook Book. New York, NY: George Cully & Company, 1918.     Hill, McKenzie Janet. War Time Recipes. Cincinnati, OH: The Proctor & Gamble Co., 1918.     Oldmeadow, Ernest. Home Cookery in War-Time. London: Grant Richards Ltd., 1915.     Snyder, Mrs. Sherwood P. Food Conservation and the Art of Home Canning. Binghamton, NY: Health Publishing Co., 1917.     Webber, Carolyn Putnam. Two Hundred and Seventy-Five War-Time Recipes. Bedford, MA: The Bedford Print Shop, 1918.     —. How to Save Eggs by Using Dr. Price's Cream Baking Powder. Chicago, IL: Royal Baking Powder Co., 1917.     —. United States Food Leaflet No. 5: Make a Little Meat Go a Long Way. Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture, 1917.     —. War Bread and Bread Crumb Recipes. Denton, TX: State College for Women, 1918.     —. Wheatless Recipes. New York, NY: Royal Baking Powder Co., 1918.

[thelibraryghost]

1890s Needlework Books

More links can be found at my Blogspot.

de Dillmont, Thérèse. Encyclopedia of Needlework. Mulhouse: Brustlein & Co., 1890.     Dombach, Paul. Das Posamentier-Kunstgewerbe: Gründliche Anleitung zur Herstellung sämmtlicher Möbelposamenten. Dresden: E. Tretbar, 1894.     Hapgood, Olive C. School Needlework: A Course of Study in Sewing designed for use in Schools. Boston, MA: Ginn & Company, 1893.     Heron, Addie E. Ladies' Work for Pleasure and Profit. Chicago, IL: The Home Manual Company, 1894.     Perkins, George C., comp. A Treatise on Embroidery, Crochet and Knitting. New York, NY: M. Heminway & Sons Silk Co., 1899.     —. Art Needlework. Philadelphia, PA: The Brainerd & Armstrong Company, 1893.     —. Dainty Work for Pleasure and Profit. [Unknown], 1893.     —. Florence Home Needle-Work, Vol. 5. Florence, MA: Nonotuck Silk Company, 1891.     —. Florence Home Needle-Work, Vol. 6. Florence, MA: Nonotuck Silk Company, 1892.     —. Florence Home Needle-Work, Vol. 7. Florence, MA: Nonotuck Silk Company, 1893.     —. Florence Home Needle-Work, Vol. 8. Florence, MA: Nonotuck Silk Company, 1894.     —. Florence Home Needle-Work, Vol. 9. Florence, MA: Nonotuck Silk Company, 1895.     —. Florence Home Needle-Work, Vol. 10. Florence, MA: Nonotuck Silk Company, 1896.

[vintageeveryday]

In June 1947, Popular Science featured an early book vending machine called the Book-O-Mat, which featured a selection of 50 books any one of which could be purchased for a quarter.

Two years later the Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corporation introduced an upgraded version also named the Book-O-Mat. Rock-Ola, which is known for making slot machines and jukeboxes, decided at some point that books might also make a buck as demonstrated by their advertising for the device:

“Here for the first time is a coin operated automatic merchandiser which permits the operator to share in the profits of the multi-million dollar paperback book business.”

[thelibraryghost]

It's a shame the whole thing is framed as a capitalist gimmick, but my first reaction on seeing the top photo was delight. (I am easily swayed by pictures of books.)

[decembersoul]

Libraries with a sense of humour.

[thelibraryghost]

Lovely ☺️

[thelibraryghost]

A Young Person's Introduction to Fungi

Fungi: they're like plants made of meat. Also posted to Blogspot.

General information     National Geographic. "You Didn’t Know Mushrooms Could Do All This | National Geographic." YouTube. July 13, 2016.     PBS Eons. "When Giant Fungi Ruled." YouTube. December 18, 2017. Dyestuffs     Oregon Public Broadcasting. "Fiber artist Julie Beeler uses mushrooms for natural dyes | Mushroom Color Atlas | Oregon Art Beat." YouTube. July 27, 2023.     Sandia Mountain Natural History Center. "Lichen Dye." YouTube. Feb 4, 2021. Food and drink     Discovery UK. "MUSHROOMS | How Do They Do It?" YouTube. October 14, 2020.     National Geographic. "The Magic Ingredient | Ultimate Factories." YouTube. February 17, 2012.     Smithsonian Channel. "The Microscopic Activity That Produces the World’s Great Cheeses | Smithsonian Channel." YouTube. May 15, 2023.     Townsends. "The Food Nobody Wanted: Sourdough Bread." YouTube. February 11, 2024.     University of Vermont. "Agroforestry Cultivation of Shiitake Mushrooms." YouTube. October 30, 2013. Medicine     British Pharmacological Society. "Penicillin - How do drugs work?" YouTube. April 12, 2018.     University of Missouri System. "Ergot Poisoning (MU CAFNR)." YouTube. July 17, 2013. Symbiosis     National Geographic. "What's in a Lichen? How Scientists Got It Wrong for 150 Years | Short Film Showcase." YouTube. January 25, 2018.     PBS. "How Trees Talk to Other Trees with the Help of Fungi | The Green Planet | PBS." YouTube. July 26, 2022.     Ze Frank. "True Facts: Fungi That Control The Insects They Eat." YouTube. April 28, 2023. World records     Daley, Jason. "This Humongous Fungus Is as Massive as Three Blue Whales." Smithsonian Magazine. October 15, 2018.     Patton, Vince. "Oregon Humongous Fungus Sets Record As Largest Single Living Organism On Earth." Oregon Public Broadcasting. February 12, 2015.     Thompson, Jon. "Puffball mushroom could be world record largest." Tbnewswatch. October 14, 2016.

[thelibraryghost]

Early 1880s Name Embroidery Patterns

more 1880s embroidery patterns at my blog

Weaver, Jane. "Alphabet for Handkerchief." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 81, no. 6 (Jun. 1882), p. 486. Weaver, Jane. "Small Table-Cloth [Marguerite, Maria]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 82, no. 4 (Oct. 1882), p. 316. —. "Alphabet and Numerals for Marking." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 81, no. 2 (Feb. 1882), p. 164. —. "Alphabet for Marking." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 79, no. 2 (Feb. 1881), p. 163. —. "Initials [W, B]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 80, no. 4 (Oct. 1881). —. "Name for Marking [Emilie]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 79, no. 2 (Feb. 1881). —. "Name for Marking [Jeanne]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 79, no. 3 (Mar. 1881). —. "Name for Marking [Agnes]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 80, no. 2 (Aug. 1881). —. "Name for Marking [Edith]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 80, no. 2 (Aug. 1881). —. "Name for Marking [Anna]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 80, no. 3 (Sept. 1881), p. 233. —. "Name for Marking [Mary]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 80, no. 3 (Sept. 1881), p. 235. —. "Name for Marking [Adéle]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 80, no. 6 (Dec. 1881). —. "Name for Marking [Marie]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 81, no. 1 (Jan. 1882), p. 83. —. "Name for Marking [Mariha]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 81, no. 5 (May 1882). —. "Name for Marking [Marianne]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 81, no. 6 (Jun. 1882). —. "Name for Marking [Clara]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 81, no. 6 (Jun. 1882), p. 489. —. "Names for Marking [Fannie, Sadie]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 79, no. 1 (Jan. 1881). —. "Names for Marking [Marie, Matilda, Jeanne]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 79, no. 4 (Apr. 1881). —. "Names for Marking [Mariha, Kate, Nellie]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 79, no. 6 (Jun. 1881), p. 475. —. "Names for Marking [Jenny, Elisabeth]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 80, no. 6 (Dec. 1881). —. "Names for Marking [Caroline, Ellen]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 81, no. 2 (Feb. 1882), p. 169. —. "Names for Marking [Lucy, Martha]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 82, no. 3 (Sept. 1882). —. "Names for Marking [Fanny, Jane]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 82, no. 3 (Sept. 1882). —. "Names for Marking [Marie, Louise]." Peterson's Magazine, vol. 82, no. 5 (Nov. 1882). —. "The Name 'Mary' in Cuneiform Letters for Marking Handkerchiefs." Godey's Lady's Book, vol. 100, no. 4 (Apr. 1880), p. 368.