Madam, is that a duck on your hat? by Kristin Holt

 

Madam, is that a duck on your hat?

: Or, Victorian Hats (1880s) decorated with feathers

 

Feathers for Decoration

Hat styles changed and developed throughout the nineteenth century, incorporating all sorts of materials and methods of design. Feathers became a particularly popular decoration for ladies' hats in the 1880s.

Sometimes entire wings were used to spruce up a hat. Other times, a single plume, or a very large assortment weighed down a delightful confection. Heavy hats were blamed for headaches back in the day.

Apparently some really liked to adorn their costumes with feathers.

NYhistory.org image of Seagull scarf(?) and muff. A fine example of Creepy Victorian Styles.

This creepy seagull wrap and muff aren't the only "feathers with a face"... look at this vintage hat on display from Victoriana.

Victorians and Artificial Feathers

Yes, artificial feathers. Victorian-American inventors worked hard on this problem, for the demand for feathers was steep!

"Artificial Feathers" are not quite what you think with today's manufacturing miracles. Read on! This article appeared in the great Old West newspaper the Reno Gazette-Journal of Reno, Nevada back on May 8, 1899, when the social world sort of had its tail in a twist over the use of feathers (and the sheer quantity of avian lives, too).

Beautiful, aren't they?

Do you have the knack to paint a plain hen's feather into a magical and almost-perfect fabrication of a peacock? I don't. It's probably a good thing I'm not trying to remain stylish in the 1880s on a meager income.

A few related articles:

Invitation

Have you thoughts you'd like to share?

Would you wear a hat with a bouncing bird on it?

I had a good deal of fun writing silly and highly decorated late-Victorian-era hats for my characters. You'll find hats like these in The Menace Takes a Bride and in Isabella's Calico Groom. Have you read either, and noticed the hats-- or read another title by any author, where hats were an interesting connection?

Please scroll down and share your thoughts! "Conversation" is the best part. =)

Copyright © 2020 Kristin Holt LC 

Towns in the Old West. The Old and the New ...

Don't you just love an old west town? There are places out there that have changed over the years but still hold their old west charm. Hi, I'm Kit Morgan and today I want to share just a few. If you ever get a chance to visit these, please do!

First up we have Virginia City, Nevada. I've visited this fun little town, that back in the day, wasn't so little. Back in the day, it was a boomtown and home to the single richest deposit of gold and silver ever strick in the continental united states. Folks came from all over to make their fortune here and often did! Of course, they also lost their money to the many gambling houses, or got shot, or -- no surprise here -- got killed in a mine! I've visited Virginia City and today it's a tourist attraction with many old buildings and homes still in good condition. It's definitely worth a visit!

Here are some photos of the town then and now. 

Next up we have Deadwood, South Dakota. I'll be attending Wild Deadwood Reads this year in June. It will coincide with Wild Bill Hickock days and should be a lot of fun! I've always wanted to visit this fun, old west town. Back in the day, it was a shoot 'em up, bang, bang, sort of place. Visiting it now will be much safer!

And though I've never visited our next town, I want to. I've been in multi-author group projects where the setting took place not far from Cripple Creek, Colorado. It was also a boomtown and a great place to strike it rich for a time.

And since we're comparing, one of the biggest changes from then to now is San Francisco, California. I've been to San Francisco quite a few times having lived in the San Joaquin Valley for a few years. It's a fun place. I would have loved to have seen it back in the day!

Wow, what a progression! This summer if you have the chance, visit an old west town! They're fun and have so much history to discover! I'm looking forward to Deadwood. Join me there if you can!

Until next time!

Kit

Old Time Medical Advancements - Part One - Cleanliness Practices and Stethoscopes

Thanks to Melnick Medical Museum for the surgical room image

Part One - Cleanliness Practices and Stethoscopes

The eighteen hundreds saw many advances in the healing arts.

One practice that has affected so many generations since came from England. Influenced by the Frenchman Louis Pasteur’s work, Doctor Joseph Lister began looking for a means to sterilize wounds. A common belief of the time was that exposure to ‘bad air’ caused infections in wounds. 

Dr. Lister didn’t believe that. After seeing that fields irrigated with sewage waste then sprayed with phenol (also known as carbolic acid) had no ill effect on the livestock that grazed it later, he began experimenting with the solution.

In August 1865, the doctor applied a piece of lint dipped in carbolic acid solution onto the wound of a boy who had a compound fracture at Glasgow Infirmary. No infection developed, and the child recovered. Lister advanced the movement toward modern surgical cleanliness practices by publishing six articles from March to July in 1867 in The Lancet, a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal still in publication today.

In addition to cleaning wounds, he pioneered sterilizing instruments and having assistants spray carbolic acid over the operating room. He instituted that surgeons wash their hands before and after performing any procedure, always wearing new gloves for each operation.

Modesty brought about a tool that no doctor nurse or paramedic is ever without today.

In 1816 French doctor, Rene Laennec at the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital in Paris invented the stethoscope. Uncomfortable with putting his ear on the chests of the female patients in order to heart their heartbeat----the practice of the day----he used a rolled up a piece of paper instead. 

Like an old ear trumpet used by the hard of hearing in those days, the paper turned into a wooden tube Dr. Laennec called a stethoscope. (Stetho + scope “chest-scope”)

Several advances by other doctors of his invention came over the years, including a single flexible tube attached to better earpieces, standard by mid-century.

Then in 1852, George Philip Cammann perfected the design that uses two tubes that fit in both ears that is now the modern standard.

I've been having so much fun researching medical practices and advancements in equipment for my upcoming book A Bride for Jacob in the Nursing the Hearts collection series and was sure you'd find it as interesting! 

My next release is Bitter Honey, book 22 of the awesome, ongoing Lockets and Lace Collection series and my third contribution in as many years! Don't miss the Lockets and Lace COVER REVEAL CELEBRATION on February 24th at our Facebook group, the Sweet Americana Book Club!  

BLESSINGS Y'ALL!

Bio: Praying her story gives God glory, hybrid author Caryl McAdoo writes in several genres, including Biblical fiction, contemporary Christian romance, young adults and mid-grade, and her most popular historical Christian romance----her family saga series are readers' favorites. Caryl's next book launching in March will be her fiftieth title published.

She and Ron, husband of fifty-plus years share four children and eighteen grandsugars, life's biggest blessings according to Caryl. The McAdoos live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County, in the far northeast corner of Texas with five dogs and a plethora of barn cats.

Caryl loves hearing from readers! Contact her through any of these (following, subscribing, and liking):  website   Amazon   BookBub   Facebook   

February...A Time to Garden?

Awww... it's February, and spring is in the air, as cold as that air might be. Here in the Deep South where I live, I have seen the first bluebirds and a robin or two. And that means time to pull out seed catalogs and begin planning the garden.

Gardening is one of my favorite hobbies, and by gardening, I mean the growing of vegetables and fruits. We have fig trees, apple trees, peach trees, pecan trees, and a few other fruit trees. We grow turnips, collards, tomatoes, okra, peas, butterbeans, peppers, and my favorite, squash. It's too early for many of those, although around the middle of the month, we will be planting our turnip seeds. My collard plants look as if they have survived the winter, and I don't anticipate having to buy more.

Another activity my husband and I will engage in this month, if the Lord and we are willing, is to prune our fruit trees, and perhaps invest in a few more. What does this have to do with historical life? Not so long ago, most families had their own kitchen garden. We forget that fruits and vegetables were not always so abundant in the stores, even if you were lucky enough to live near one that sold perishable goods. Most goods in the general stores were staples, such as flour, and cornmeal, perhaps meat that had been cured, salt, and perhaps a few more common spices.

And thus the need for a kitchen garden and the need to take the month of February to prepare the soil and prune the trees.

Most planted fruit trees near their cabin for convenience.

In my last Lockets & Lace book, Joy, Unending Joy finds a job as an apple picker in Lonely Grove, Texas. She goes on to learn to can apple jams and jellies and is the best apple pie maker in Lonely Grove. So good is she that the local restaurant asks her to supply them with desserts, mostly made with those delicious apples from the Lonely Grove Orchard.

Apple pie is my favorite!

So, in February, what would the Lonely Grove Orchard workers be doing? Pruning the apple trees, of course. Pruning opens up the canopy to sunlight and proper air circulation. The very first rule of pruning is to remove any dead or damaged branches. The second rule is to prune so that branches are not crossing. If the branches rub against each other because of the crossing, it can lead to damaged branches and may introduce diseases into the tree. The apple tree should only have one leader branch, otherwise the tree will become weak. Any competing leader branches should also be pruned. And that's a few basics of pruning.

An apple tree, ready to be pruned.

The apple tree was and still is the most popular fruit tree grown in gardens.  Much of the popularity of the apple tree is due to John Chapman (September 26, 1774 – March 18, 1845) who traveled to several states and helped farmers establish nurseries for the propagation of apple trees, contrary to the image we usually have of him of throwing seeds wherever he went. Yes, his nickname was Johnny Appleseed.

Perhaps due to Johnny Appleseed's influence, apple orchards became common across America, such as Lonely Grove Orchard. I am in the process of creating a new series set near that very orchard.  In Joy, Unending, the story ends with Tristan planning to build a school. Joy will continue creating her jellies and jams and her apple desserts for the school children. I can't wait to share some upcoming news with you about that soon. Stay tuned!

If you garden, please tell us about it in the comments. In the meantime, happy reading!

Law and Order in the Old West

Looking back into the history of the wild west, lawmen didn't really exist much before the 1850s. This was a lawless period, where justice was served accordingly. What happened to change all that? Where did the lawmen come from?


 After the Civil War, there were many men without homes or loved ones to go back to. Lands were destroyed, jobs were not available, and many men didn't want to return to the devastation of a ruined city or town. There was one thing they did know how to do, and that was to use a gun. Some men left their homes and traveled to the west, looking for a new start.

Moving west was not easy, but many of these men already suffered terribly from the war. They went to find a new life where they could survive and start over. Some men had the means to start their own business, while others signed on to ranches to become cowboys, the lure of open fields satisfying to them.

Some men, who were skilled with a gun, became gunfighters. Without laws to hold them back, and since the government wasn't in the business of law and order in desolate places yet, criminals escaped to the west to keep from being imprisoned. Many famous towns attracted these types of criminals, especially the mining cities that sprung up overnight.

There were lawful men and women who were moving westward and bringing with them the determination to make these towns law-abiding towns where families could be raised. Getting the riff-raff out was a necessary task, and they needed someone who was good with a gun.

Even in towns with lawmen, a sheriff or deputy may be less than honest. For instance, in my book, A Bride for Abel, the town's sheriff is so dirty he has the whole town scared to go against anything he says or does. With fear instilled in each man and woman, the sheriff did as he pleased.

Until the women of Pistol Ridge had enough. They convinced one man to defy the odds and help them save the town. It's an interesting story of how good versus evil and good always wins.

Here is the blurb:

 A man wrongly accused of murder - A woman out of options - Can a marriage by proxy save them both?

Abel Roosevelt finds himself behind bars in Pistol Ridge for simply defending himself in a game of cards. He is given the ultimatum; marry the bride by proxy who was meant for the man that was killed.

Or, hang.

Kate Eisenhours only choice is to marry by proxy, so she sets off to a new life in Montana Territory where her Uncle is the sheriff. Can Kate survive a marriage by proxy to a man she never met?

What about Abel? Can he convince Kate her uncle is not the person she thinks he is?

This story is available now on Amazon. 

GOING FOR THE GOLD by Marisa Masterson

Gold in the Dakotas! Treasure in the Black Hills! In 1874, a gold rush started. This time, different from the rush to California in 1849, a train was available to take would-be miners across country. Still, the tracks didn't take a man all the way.

Freighting in Buffalo Country

Enter C. W. Drake, a man who recognized an opportunity.

A waiting stage

During the winter of 1876, Drake founded a stage line from Kearney, Nebraska to the Black Hills. Along with his partner, Downing, they received the contract to carry mail from Kearney to Deadwood. The previous summer, they laid out the route and established supply areas along the way, gaining. This let the people they dealt who know the two meant business.


So, in 1877, Kearney was considered the spot to leave the train if you wanted to go to the Black Hills. With four days of almost continual travel, the stage could cover the 330 miles to Deadwood. Quite a feat at that time!

Deadwood, SD, 1877

Too bad, after all that planning, that it was only popular for the one season. By 1878, Sidney was believed to be the best spot for travel from the train to the Black Hills. Poor Drake and Downing.
My next super-secret project is set in Kearney in the summer of 1877, during the exciting time of growth in the town. Stay tuned for more details next month...

For more information on the stage out of Kearney, check out https://history.nebraska.gov/publications/kearney-and-black-hills-stage.

Available for pre-order now at https://www.amazon.com/Teachers-Star-Belles-Wyoming-Book-ebook/dp/B0845TVC4T.

Rustlers and a forced engagement. A treasure map and a missing child. How much can a lady stand?

Forced into the role of a U. S. marshal, Delia Perkins keeps that a secret and goes on with her life as a teacher in the small town of Belle. After all, she's only a courrier, waiting for someone to contact her. So why does she not trust the man who claims to be her contact? Instead, she's drawn to the man she's sure is a part of a gang of rustlers. Will any of this change when someone threatens to reveal her background?

Roland Anderson juggles training both his horses and his daughter. The bad thing is that the horses are better behaved than his little girl. He has a job to do and now he's sure the new teacher knows his true identity. Will she give him away before he can find and arrest the leader of the gang of thieves? Getting close to the gorgeous teacher to find out doesn't seem like a hardship to this widower. Keeping his mind--and hands--off of her is becoming more difficult each day.

When the two are forced into an engagement, will Roland be able to catch the thieves without losing the girl? This is one Valentine's Day that neither Delia nor Roland will soon forget.

Cowboy Sayings - Need to See a Man about a Horse

In the west, horse races were fairly common. It was typically used as a time of celebration, maybe held during a festival or fair. A town might sponsor a race, set it up and then collect an entry fee from each racer to put into a pot for the winner.

But the winner wasn't the only one who received money in their winnings. Betting on races back in those days was considered a fun expression of support for their favorite horse or rider. Gambling wouldn't have been as much of a problem because horse racing wasn't a daily or multi-daily occurrence.

Regardless, in order to join the race or place a bet on one, you had to do so in a timely manner. The race had a start time and you needed to be at the start line or finished with your bet before the race started. So, if you needed to see a man about a horse before a race, you needed to excuse yourself from a conversation quickly because time was of the essence.

Today, when you "need to see a man about a horse," you are saying that you have something expedient that you must take care of, if you could be excused. Normally, that expedient thing now is the need to use the restroom. And the expression is considered a funny idiom, since most people have nothing to do with horses or racing.

How often do you see this expression used in daily life? Did you know the meaning of it before? Leave a comment and let me know!

On average, P. Creeden releases 2-3 stories each month. Interested in learning more? 

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