February 1, 1844: Happy birthday Eduard Strasburger, one of the most famous botanists of the 19th-century! Strasburger developed the principles of mitosis and coined the terms "cytoplasm" and "nucleoplasm". His 1898 textbook: <https://tinyurl.com/ya52wbk7>
Image courtesy www.britannica.com/biography/Eduard-Adolf-Strasburger
February 1, 1845: Baylor University founded in Texas.
February 1, 1865: 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (abolishing slavery) is approved by President Lincoln. It had been passed by the House of Representatives the previous day, and would be ratified on December 6th of that year. More information and a scan of the document can be seen at: <https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=40>
People interested in human rights history will enjoy this piece by the BBC, comparing modern slavery with the historic variety:
"Slave Labor and Consumer Power: The Long View" http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06sgxg5
February 2, 1882: A baby elephant is born at the winter quarters of Barnum's Circus in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The baby is two feet, six inches high, weighs forty-five pounds, and is covered with shaggy black hair an inch long. More details: <https://tinyurl.com/y8ts5azl>
Images from St. Nicholas Magazine, 1879.
February 2, 1887: The ancient holiday of Groundhog Day is officially celebrated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, USA, for the first time. (The Punxsutawney groundhog would become the official representative of the holiday in the U.S.) Read more here: <https://tinyurl.com/y873z757>
February 5, 1883: The Southern Pacific Railroad completes its "Sunset Route": http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/southern-pacific-railroad-completes-sunset-route
February 7, 1867: Happy birthday, author Laura Ingalls Wilder! (Gabriel recently finished reading a new biography of Wilder, Prairie Fires, by Caroline Fraser, and he quite enjoyed it!)
February 10, 1840: Queen Victoria marries Prince Albert.
Image courtesy http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/tom-thumb/
February 10, 1853: Charles Stratton (a.k.a. General Tom Thumb) marries Lavinia Warren. An article about the wedding appeared in the New York Times the next day: http://www.nytimes.com/1863/02/11/news/loving-lilliputians-warren-thumbiana-marriage-general-tom-thumb-queen-beauty-who.html?pagewanted=all
A piece of the couple's wedding cake is now kept in the Library of Congress' collection: <https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2015/12/lcm-going-to-extremes-the-greatest-wedding-cake-on-earth/>
February 11, 1861: Happy birthday, Elizabeth Bisland! Miss Bisland is now perhaps most famous for her 1889-90 race around the world against fellow journalist Nelly Bly. However, Miss Bisland was a sweet, fascinating woman in her own right —and a very skilled writer as well. Her own account of the famous voyage, "A Flying Trip Around the World" makes for absolutely charming reading. For hyperlinks to Elizabeth's book about her famous trip, look under "Travel Books" on http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/favorite-books-etc.html
Elizabeth's sister Mary was also a writer; to read a piece by her on women and bicycling, go to http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/womans-cycle.html
 Image courtesy https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Darwin |  Image courtesy https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/abraham-lincoln/ |
February 12, 1809: Happy birthday, Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln!
They were born on the same day!
February 13, 1857: Happy birthday Almonzo Wilder! Almonzo was author Laura Ingalls Wilder's husband and the subject of her charming story, Farmer Boy.
February 14: Happy birthday, Frederick Douglass! The writer and orater was born a slave and the exact date of his birth around 1818 was not recorded, but he chose to celebrate it on Valentine's Day. More information: <https://www.biography.com/people/frederick-douglass-9278324>
"The past is our wisest and best instructor. In its dim and shadowy outlines we may, if we will, discern in some measure those elements of wisdom which should guide the present and secure the welfare of the future." —Frederick Douglass, 1889.
February 14, 1859: Oregon becomes a state.
February 16, 1883: Ladies' Home Journal begins publishing.
For links to digitized copies, check out the "Magazines" portion of our "Favorite Books, Etc." page (about 2/3 of the way down the page —after the books) : http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/favorite-books-etc.html
Other historical magazine articles: 19th c. Articles Index
Victorian images scanned from books and magazines in our collection: 19th c. images
February 18, 1836: A system of gas lighting installed on the public streets in Philadelphia. For details, see "Street Lighting in Philadelphia: A Retrospect." The Record of Growth: A Monthly Journal of Material Progress. February, 1882, pp. 34—36. A digital copy of this publication is available at <https://tinyurl.com/yc5mt9tt>
February 24, 1871: Charles Darwin's The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex published. A free digital copy of the book: http://tinyurl.com/y83jmcye
February 25, 1874: Happy birthday, Ida Lewis, the lady the Society of the American Cross of Honor called "The Bravest Woman in America" for her valiant achievements in saving the lives. Her father had been a lighthouse keeper but he was disabled by a stroke of paralysis when Ida was a young adolescent. Ida and her mother took over his lighthouse keeping duties, and Ida became known for her fearless willingness to risk her own life to save others. She would venture out into stormy seas —often alone— to rescue people from drowning, and in 1874 the U.S. government awarded her a gold medal in recognition of the many lives she had saved.
Her story, written in 1883: https://tinyurl.com/yaw95wn8
Another article about her, from 1877: https://tinyurl.com/y9xb749f
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Special days in February
February 13, 2018: Mardi Gras.
A description of New Orleans Mardi Gras celebrations, written in 1885: <https://tinyurl.com/yce749va>
February 13, 2018: Hindu holiday of Maha Shivaratri.
A description of the holiday from 1882: <https://tinyurl.com/ycyejkyk>
February 14, 2018: Ash Wednesday. Lent begins.
Artwork by Charles Dana Gibson, "Lenten Confessions."
February 14: Happy Valentine's Day!
Romantic images from our collection:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/romantic-images.html
Victorian flowers:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/flowers.html
The Language and Sentiment of Flowers:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/language-and-sentiment-of-flowers-1891.html
Historic corset advertisements:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/corset-advertisements.html
Victorian romance stories:
A Cycle of the Seasons: A Bicycle Romance in Four Meets (Fiction—1883)
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/a-cycle-of-the-seasons-a-bicycle-romance-in-four-meets.html
A Floral Flirtation (Poem—1889)
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/a-floral-flirtation-poemmdash1889.html
A Header (?) (Poem—1883)
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/a-header--poem-1883.html
Aunt Nancy's Romance (Poem —1889)
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/aunt-nancys-romance-poemmdash1889.html
A Modern Love Sung in Ancient Fashion (Poem—1884)
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/a-modern-love-sung-in-ancient-fashion.html
'Neath the Magnolias (Poem—1883) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/neath-the-magnolias-poemmdash1883.html
On Wings of Love (Poem—1884)
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/on-wings-of-love.html
Victorian escort cards, scanned from our personal collection.
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/victorian-escort-cards.html
For more on the phenomenon of escort cards in general, see this article: http://www.messynessychic.com/2015/04/21/the-19th-century-escort-cards-with-pick-up-lines-you-definitely-havent-heard-before/
A story on the BBC discussing the parallels between online dating and the lonely hearts classified advertisements of the Victorians and Edwardian eras: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06vkcf2
Enjoy!
February 16, 2018: Chinese New Year
An article from 1888 about Chinese New Year: <https://tinyurl.com/y7eb23vj>
February 19, 2018: Presidents' Day
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From "Good Housekeeping," March 2, 1889, p. 214.
My first is in Flour but not in Rye,
My second is in Wet but not in Dry,
My third is in Bellow but not in Cry;
My fourth is in Rod but never in Whip,
My fifth is in Running but never in Skip,
My sixth is in Yawl but never in Ship;
My seventh is in Error but not in Miss
My eight in ecstasy not in Bliss,--
My whole, alas, for its cold, cold kiss!
Answer: February
***
February 16, 2018: Chinese New Year
An article from 1888 about Chinese New Year: <https://tinyurl.com/y7eb23vj>
February 19, 2018: Presidents' Day
PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN FEBRUARY
From Isabella Beeton's The Book of Household Management, 1893 edition.
Vegetables - Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus (forced), beetroot, broccoli, (purple and white), Brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, celery, chervil, cresses, cucumbers (forced), endive, kidney beans, lettuces, parsnips, potatoes, savoys, spinach, turnips - various herbs.
Fruit - Apples (golden and Dutch pippins), grapes, medlars, foreign and forced rhubarb, nuts, oranges, pears (Bon Chrétien), walnuts, dried fruits (foreign), as almonds and raisins, French and Spanish plums, prunes, figs, dates, crystallized preserves.
February fun fact: Conversation hearts are a Victorian invention! Sweethearts have been sharing these sweet treats since 1866. For more about conversation hearts, go to: http://www.necco.com/Candy/Sweethearts/History.aspx
More Victorian foods: Foods
In your heart of hearts, wouldn't you like to have a conversation around my books?
***
In a seaport town in the late 19th-century Pacific Northwest, a group of friends find themselves drawn together —by chance, by love, and by the marvelous changes their world is undergoing. In the process, they learn that the family we choose can be just as important as the ones we're born into. Join their adventures in
The Tales of Chetzemoka
First Wheel in Town
In the summer of 1881, a Pacific Northwest town is buzzing with curiosity over a mysterious package received by handsome young Dr. Brown. Kitty Butler, the town dressmaker, is as curious as anyone else. She only knows one thing about that crate in the post office: everyone else's guesses about its contents are all wrong.
When Dr. Brown unpacks the crate and reveals the first bicycle the town has ever seen, he wants to share his enthusiasm for this revolutionary new piece of technology —but encounters overwhelming hostility instead of the excitement he'd expected. The only one who seems positively interested is the pretty young widow Kitty Butler, and Dr. Brown soon realizes how much he needs her support…
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Love Will Find A Wheel
"I'm sure he'll be glad you're here —once he gets used to it."
When Jacob Simmons arrives in Washington Territory in the summer of 1882 and receives a glacial reception from his uncle Silas, he appreciates Dr. Brown's encouraging prediction but doesn't have much faith in it. Jacob's not even sure Silas will have time to get used to his presence, let alone consider him welcome. If the young man can't meet the draconian requirements of a contract with his business investors, he'll face exile and financial ruin, thus fulfilling old Silas' prediction that he would be just as dismal a failure as his father. His whole future rests on finding a market for a remarkable new machine —and he'll need help selling them.
***
Addie Kellam is an incredibly lonely young woman. She's more comfortable with books than with other people, yet she longs for the sort of romance she reads about in stories. It's something she fears she'll never experience herself, since even friendship seems elusive. She envies the cameraderie her brother finds in his cycling club, but the only bicycles in the town of Chetzemoka are specifically designed for men. There aren't any wheels for women anywhere —are there?
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A Rapping At The Door
When the delivery of a mysterious letter to Silas Hayes' mansion is followed by the arrival of a beautiful young woman who claims she can communicate with the dead, Nurse McCoy sniffs trouble in the wind. It's obvious to her that the newcomer is after Silas' fortune, but he is helplessly in awe of the medium's eerily intimate knowledge of his past and her seemingly supernatural abilities. Meanwhile, Kitty Brown's yearning to reach out to the departed spirit of her first love is making her push away her new husband, just when she needs him the most. The whole situation is a dreadful mess, and McCoy's got to straighten it all out before Silas' nephew and his bride come back from their honeymoon. Honestly, she doesn't know how any of the fools in this world would get along without her…
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Delivery Delayed
It's obvious to everyone in the Chetzemoka cycling club that Lizzie and Isaac could make each other very happy —but does anyone really listen to their friends about affairs of the heart? A prim schoolmarm and a stoic steamship captain are hardly the people to discuss their sentiments, especially with each other. The smallest challenges seem like huge obstacles, even with everyone else trying their best to bring them together. When progress finally seems possible, a well-intentioned little girl steps in with the kind of help they'd be better off without. Will the situation be resolved in time, or will Isaac ship out for good?
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***
***
Anthologies
Love's Messenger
A Choice Collection of
Victorian Love Poetry
The verses embraced within these pages have been kissed awake after a long slumber. Copied from the fragile pages of nineteenth-century books and magazines, they are the whispers of lovers long entranced. In this beautifully diverse collection of Victorian love poetry high-born ladies and their eloquent beaux keep company with simple maids whose sweethearts pledge their love in simpler —and often much funnier— terms. Prepare for your happy sighs to be joined by occasional giggles while you hold this book close to your heart. Compiled, edited and introduced by Sarah A. Chrisman, author of the charming Tales of Chetzemoka historical fiction series, This Victorian Life, Victorian Secrets, and others.
The Wheelman's Joy
Victorian Cycling Poetry and Words About Wheels
There is something inherently romantic about cycling, and there has been since the first riders set their wheels to the road. This collection of nineteenth-century poetry, prose quotes and bon-mots about cycling reflects both the ardent passion and the innocent affection cycling inspires. From the glory days of high-wheel cycling through the boom of the safety bicycle, riders were falling in love with their wheels, with new-found freedoms, and above all with each other. This delightful little collection tells of those days in their own words, and evokes sentiments which every cyclist will find timeless. Compiled edited and introduced by Sarah A. Chrisman, author of the charming Tales of Chetzemoka cycling club series, This Victorian Life, Victorian Secrets, and others.
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