Past Events
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This Victorian Life at the Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville, Tennessee
Gabriel & Sarah Chrisman discussing
“This Victorian Life: Historical Living in the Modern World”
Thursday March 22, 2018
Belle Meade Plantation Carriage House
Gabriel and Sarah Chrisman are a married couple whose whole-life approach to studying the late Victorian era has earned international acclaim. They live in a house built in 1888, wear Victorian fashions every day, and incorporate as much Victorian technology into their daily lives as humanly possible. Sarah is a popular author and drafts all her manuscripts by hand; her works include the charming Tales of Chetzemoka historical fiction series, the non-fiction This Victorian Life, and others. Gabriel is a librarian and archivist, specializing in bicycle history and in helping people dig deep into primary source research materials.
Read about our trip to Tennessee by clicking here
A series of events at the University of Minnesota:
The Past Is A Foreign Country: Understanding Historical Diversity Through Cultural Studies Techniques
at The University of Minnesota, Crookston
March, 2016
at The University of Minnesota, Crookston
March, 2016
Roundtable discussion: Victorian Ventures: Flip Your Paradigm
As part of our visit to the University of Minnesota, we led a roundtable discussion with their business school on how we integrate the passion which drives our life with the work that makes it all possible
This Victorian Life: Historical Living in the Modern World
Community presentation at the University of Minnesota, Crookston
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Interview with a class on Contemporary Issues Through Videoconferencing
in Little Falls, New Jersey
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Slideshow: An elementary school in Auburn, WA, where we gave a presentation on the history of cycling in June, 2016.
Thank you cards from the students:
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This Victorian Life: Historical Living in the Modern World
at the W.W. Seymour Conservatory in Tacoma, WA
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Book events on Whidbey Island, WA
Image courtesy of the Coupeville Library.
Image courtesy of the Freeland Library.
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Cycling, past and present
In early October, 2015, Gabriel gave a class on bicycle maintenance and the history of cycling to a troop of American Heritage Girls. The girls especially enjoyed watching him ride his high wheel bicycle! Afterwards they sent some very sweet thank you letters. (Last names have been covered for privacy reasons.)
Appearance at Bainbridge Island's "Grand Old Fourth," July 4th, 2015
Photo courtesy Don Willot.
Photo courtesy Bruce Pritchard
Book events at Village Books, in Bellingham, June 7, 2014
In late Spring of 2014, Sarah was invited to Village Books in Bellingham, WA (near the Canadian border) to read from her book, Victorian Secrets: What A Corset Taught Me About the Past, the Present, and Myself.
We traveled from Port Townsend to Bellingham (over 120 miles, roundtrip) on our bicycles - Sarah on her Gazelle, and Gabriel on his 1887 Singer Challenge. It was a wonderful opportunity for outreach, and we certainly turned a lot of heads!
In addition to the book reading, discussion and signing, we also gave our presentation, "An Ordinary Bicycle: The Fascinating Way In Which the Wheelmen Changed Our World."
We traveled from Port Townsend to Bellingham (over 120 miles, roundtrip) on our bicycles - Sarah on her Gazelle, and Gabriel on his 1887 Singer Challenge. It was a wonderful opportunity for outreach, and we certainly turned a lot of heads!
In addition to the book reading, discussion and signing, we also gave our presentation, "An Ordinary Bicycle: The Fascinating Way In Which the Wheelmen Changed Our World."
En route to Bellingham: Catching the ferry from Port Townsend to Coupeville, WA
En route to Bellingham: Just after crossing the bridge at Deception Pass.
"Travel + Leisure" lists this as one of the "World's Scariest Bridges": http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-scariest-bridges/15
Victorian Secrets reading
"An Ordinary Bicycle: The Fascinating Way in Which the Wheelmen Changed Our World."
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In front of The Bureau for Historical Investigation, an organization which, along with Village Books, helped to sponsor our Bellingham events. Photo courtesy Marissa McGrath
In Fairhaven, with Bellingham's historic city hall in the background.
Photo courtesy Marissa McGrath
Readings from Sarah's Book, Victorian Secrets: What A Corset Taught Me About the Past, the Present, and Myself, at various bookstores
The University Bookstore, Seattle, WA
Elliot Bay Books, Seattle, WA
"An Ordinary Bicyle: The Fascinating Way In Which the Wheelmen Changed Our World," March, 2013, Port Townsend, WA
High-Wheel Bicycle Race
Fort Warden (Port Townsend)
Port Townsend Victorian Festival, March 25th, 2012
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Temperance Meeting
Port Townsend Victorian Festival, March 24th, 2012
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A Victorian Lady's Daily Life:
A High Tea Fundraiser for the West Sound Wildlife Shelter, Bainbridge Island, Washington
On October 16, 2011, we had the honor of being the entertainment at a high tea fundraiser for local wildlife on Bainbridge Island. Before the show, we were allowed to meet the other special guest: Athena the barred owl! We learned that the natural diet of a barred owl includes smaller birds: Athena seemed to think that Sarah's hat had her lunch on it!
Sarah: "You're the most beautiful bird I've ever seen."
Athena: "I could eat that hat."
Sarah: "You are so gorgeous!"
Athena The Owl: "Give me the hat. Now, please."
Sarah: "It's such a privilege to be in the presence of such a glorious creature!"
Athena: "If you're not going to let me eat the hat, please go away."
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Want to know more? Be sure to check out Sarah's books!
This Victorian Life:
Modern Adventures in Nineteenth-Century Culture,
Cooking, Fashion, and Technologies
Modern Adventures in Nineteenth-Century Culture,
Cooking, Fashion, and Technologies
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YouTube.com/@Victorianlady
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