Carroll County Farm Museum 2017 Reenactment

We had so much fun at the Carroll County Farm Museum Reenactment I think we should add it to our yearly schedule.

The Ancona Tiara

The Ancona Tiara

"The Ancona Tiara is a pearl and diamond tiara with Italian heritage. The body of the tiara includes groups of three round pearls in diamond trefoil surrounds on a pearl and gold base. The tiara is topped with pearls in two rows, a lower row of round pearls and a top row of upright drop pearls which are slightly irregular in shape - clearly old, baroque pearls. And old this tiara is indeed: it was made for Princess Maria Anna Carolina of Saxony (1799-1832) sometime around her 1817 marriage to Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany."

 

 

From one of my favorite royal jewelry blogs: http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com/

Lady's Mother of Pearl Belt Buckle

I have been collecting old things that have to do with woman's work and sewing for some time now. Two years ago I bid a few dollars, at a friends auction, for an old tin full of needles, fabric scraps, an old leather glove and small things like that. I purchased it to start my younger daughters collection of sewing items.

She brought it out yesterday, for what reason I'm not sure, and sitting right on top was this little Mother of Pearl buckle.

 

She has been so kind as to allow me the use of her buckle until she has need of it.

Royal Jewelry - Norway and Sweeden

Queen Josephine of Sweden and Norway (1807–1876)

Queen Josephine's crown worn by Queen Sonja of Norway.

Perambulator

CHILD'S CARRIAGE OR PERAMBULATOR

Guild'S Patent

 This Carriage is superior to every thing of the kind now in use both for safety ease comfort and elegance There is no doubt but that they will supersede all other kinds as they have done in Europe where none who have children would be without them The great advantages are that you have always the children before you They are so easily managed that they can be safely trusted to the care of a child In crossing streets where there are high curbstones or wide or deep gutters they pass over with equal ease and safety They are so built that they cannot possibly turn over can be used in the nursery as well as in the streets or parks They are recommended by all physicians as being conducive to children's health and comfort Ladies giving their children an airing in this carriage will find it an elegant and pleasing recreation as they do in London and Paris. (1857) 

 

 

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Patent from the Journal of the Society of Arts 1859

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PERAMBULATOR One of the most useful inventions of the day and a great improvement on the clumsy four wheeled vehicle in which children were formerly drawn These carriages are made of a variety of forms and at all sorts of prices sometimes however serious defects exist in tbeir construction and this should be attended to previous to purchasing It is necessary that both the hind wheels and that in front should be attached by springs or the jolting on rough roads will be too great for young children If these springs are badly attached they are constantly breaking but by a slight improvement on the common construction this is easily remedied This contrivance consists in attaching the hind axle to the body by a leathern strap so as to prevent a strain upon the spring which the opposition of a large stone or other impediment frequently occasions The adaptation to the cheapest kind of spring used is shown in the engraving The propelling of the perambulator is extremely simple the chief things to be attended to are to depress the handle slightly when going over rough roads so as to raise the front wheel from the ground and lessen the jolting motion and to observe the same precaution when turning the vehicle otherwise the front wheel will be soon worn out The great advantage of the perambulator is that it permits children to be out in the open air and constantly on the move without subjecting the nurse to any fatigue It is as well however to lift the children out occasionally and allow them to exercise their limbs until they feel tired when they can be placed in the perambulator again In cold weather this is especially necessary as children being subjected to the exposure of the keen air in a state of inactivity are liable to be attacked with cramp rheumatism and other painful affections It is a common practice with nursemaids to wheel their young charges to a certain spot and to leave them sitting in their perambulators by the hour together so that they may be spared the trouble of looking after them and enjoy their gossip uninterruptedly Mothers should put a stop to this cruel practice by accompanying the children themselves as frequently as they can or by making unexpected visits to the place where the children are usually taken

 

From The Dictionary of Daily Wants 1861

 

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And lastly comes into notice the little vehicle so well known to all the perambulator it is a somewhat recent innovation probably even since the exhibition of 1851 From the immense number that have been made and continue to be made they have evidently filled a gap that had long waited to be suitably filled Not only were the children's carriages of former times ade on four wheels and to be drawn instead of pushed hateful to most servants that had to draw them but they were the cause of occasional ill feeling between children's nurses and their employers The perambulator fortunately was invented and restored harmony they not only are light and convenient little carriages and if well made durable but with ordinary precautions almost indispensable to the parents nurses and children of the rising generation

 

From the Report on International Exhibition of Industry and Art, London, 1862

 

 

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Patent Folding Perambulator T Trotman This contrivance is constructed upon the principle as the folding chair but with additional strength It economises space as it will stand in the hall or may hang upon a nail oat of the way The arms are jointed by raising op the fore part of the arms and pressing the footboards mid back together It is folded in a moment This is all that is required for general use but if close packing is de ired by removing the thumb serew the handle folds close to the back of the carriage and on unbuckling the strap the front wheel folds closely down By this arrangement the perambulator takes but little room though it is not taken to pieces The patent also extends to various other carriages

 

From the Royal Society of Arts Journal 1856

 

 

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Quilting

A painted scene from an 1830s quiting bee. The frame is leaning against the china cabinet in the back.

A old style of quiting frame. The quilt is attached to the long bars and rolled. The gears and stops keep the quilt from unrolling.

An applique quilt from the Wisconsin Historical Society online collection, circa 1858




Threads from The Sewing Academy:
What does one wear to a quilting bee?

Water Goblets

Setting a nice table is very important. Being able to purchase tableware from before 1860 can be very prohibitive. Thankfully, we have companies that appreciate the styles of the past and offer us some nice, cost saving alternatives.

Here for example is a piece of flint glass, made in the 1860s by New England Glass Co.:

 

and here is a pressed glass water goblet from the Dollar Tree of all places:

 

http://www.dollartree.com/kitchen-tableware/drinkware/Drinkware/Famous-Maker-Cut-Glass-Water-Goblets-10-oz-/213c264c377p327255/index.pro?method=search

 

I will admit that there are a lot of differences between these glasses. The main difference that counts to me is that the Dollar Tree glass is always available, low cost and I have no anxiety about them being broken. I can get as many more as I need.