Posted in Uncategorized on Feb 20th, 2013 1 Comment »
The health and hygiene movement in the early part of the 20th century was due in part to better education, public health and welfare programs, and a handful of persuasive innovative leaders. One such leader was May Dickinson Kimball, whose commitment to the health and well-being of girls and women, particularly for motherhood concerns, was […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Jan 17th, 2013 Comments Off on Crimes, confessions, culprits, and convicts – 19th century tales of murder
Sensationalized courtroom cases, ruthless murderers, shocking crimes, gruesome details, and the coverage of other lurid activities did not begin with mass media. Public fascination with criminal activities, especially murder, was all the rage in the 19th century. The public closely followed these violent cases and trials through whatever means possible, attendance at court, town conversations, […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Dec 14th, 2012 Comments Off on A Voyage to Australia and Kangaroo Island
Originally occupied by Aborigines, Kangaroo Island was resettled in the early 19th century by roaming sealers and whalers from all over the world looking for trade and profit. The English made the island an official colonial settlement in 1836, promoting it as a place of opportunity. W. H. Leigh, an artist, surgeon, and author boarded […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Nov 12th, 2012 1 Comment »
Roald Amundsen’s expedition was the first to reach the South Pole in December of 1911, mere weeks before the arrival of the ill-fated party led by Captain Robert Scott. Though he is recognized as the first, Amundsen’s victory is often overshadowed by the heroic and tragic deaths of Scott and the British expedition. In part, […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Oct 6th, 2012 Comments Off on The 1860 Campaign and the “Black Republican President”
With political strife almost palpable, the landmark 1860 US Presidential campaign moved through a series of pivotal moments where the direction and fate of the union vacillated between unity and conflict, meanwhile an atmosphere of distrust and apprehension loomed over the populations of the North and South. Opposing views on slavery, economics, and state rights were […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Sep 24th, 2012 3 Comments »
Considered perfectly legitimate scientific disciplines during the first half of the 19th century, phrenology and physiognomy eventually became recognized as “pseudosciences” by the end of the century. But during its Victorian Age heyday, the popularity of phrenology was widespread from the scientific community to the general public. Phrenology was so popular and sensationalized that phrenology […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Aug 30th, 2012 2 Comments »
Well before Jack Kerouac was bit by the wanderlust bug and became an American icon and legend, there was another American road warrior who epitomized the drifter lifestyle and the “rambling man” persona. Leon Ray Livingston (aka “A-No.1”) (1872–1944) was the most notable rambler of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, taking to the trains and […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Aug 8th, 2012 Comments Off on The latest crime prevention methods in the 19th Century
In the 1880’s, M. Alphonse Bertillon, French policeman and researcher, developed his own scientific system of criminal classification, named anthropometry, or simply known as Bertillon System. The Bertillon system revolved around the careful measurements of physical attributes, such as head length and width, or the length of the middle finger, or the distance of the […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Jul 6th, 2012 Comments Off on Saleman’s Samples for Dummies
Dating back to the mid-nineteenth century, publishers produces what has been commonly known as “salesman samples” or “dummies”. Booksellers used these samples in their door-to-door sales to entice customers and create interest in soon-to-be published titles. These sample books promoted the virtues of the publisher’s offerings, such as elaborate illustrations, or the use of high […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Jun 5th, 2012 Comments Off on The Victorian Cyclist
The growing popularity of cycling in the late 19th century encouraged the publication of a number of guides for the enthusiast and novice alike. Victorian England, in particular, took to the new sport with vim and vigor. The book, Cycling, published under the Badminton Library of Sports and Pastimes series, offers a unique glimpse into various […]