Street Etiquette

I cannot remember exactly where I found this, perhaps Godey's Lady's Book, but I thought I would share some notes on the proper etiquette that was suggested for gentlemen and ladies in the 19th century. Many of these rules have gone by the wayside, but I find it a fascinating study on 19th century culture.

Street Etiquette for Gentlemen:

1. Avoid spitting.
2. Smoking in public suggests low breeding in England; it is accepted in streets of America, but never while with a lady.
3. Do not loaf around corners and gaze impertinently at passersby.
4. Do no pick your teeth or nose in public.
5. When walking with a lady, place her on your side away from the street and danger. Always offer your arm.
6. If a strange lady stops you for directions, tip your hat or touch its brim while answering.
7. When walking with a lady and a stranger greets her, respond for her.
8. If you see a lady on the street that you know, offer a tip of your hat and greeting to her.
9. Never "buttonhole" a man while speaking with him.
10. Insist on carrying any parcels a lady is carrying if she is walking with you.
11. Never step in front of a lady without first saying "pardon me" or "with your permission".
12. Always take off your glove to shake a man's hand. Never shake a lady's hand in public.
13. Never walk away from someone or a conversation without first saying "excuse me" or "I beg your pardon".

Street Etiquette for Ladies:

1. Do not scratch, pick your nose, yawn, or laugh loudly in public.
2. Do not recognize someone on the street by their Christian name.
3. Do not offer your hand to shake a man in public.
4. When walking on a street, avoid eye contact with a strange man.
5. If a man offers his arm or to carry your parcels, this is acceptable. Say thank you afterwards.
6. When crossing a muddy or wet street, a lady should lift her skirt and fold it into her right hand. Never lift your skirt above your ankles.
7. When attending public amusements, wear a bonnet.
8. If you require directions, you can approach a gentleman for information. Thank him for his help.
9. Never talk loudly or excessively. Sit with your ankles crossed but never your legs.
10. If a man tips his hat or bows, you should respond unless he is impertinent.
11. If leaving an activity or home late at night, arrange an escort in advance. A married lady may go home unchaperoned if necessary, but a single woman should never.

Rules for Spelling and the Use of Capitals

Another fun find from the 1880's business textbook in the one room schoolhouse at the museum! The transcribed  text is as follows:

Five Rules for Spelling

[There is a great variety of rules for spelling, but most of them have so many exceptions as to be a hindrance rather than a help. The following rules have few or no exceptions, and may therefore aid the learner.]

Rule I. Verbs of one syllable, ending with a single consonant, preceded by a single vowel, and verbs of two or more syllables, ending in the same manner, and having the accent on the last syllable, double the final consonant whenever another syllable is added; as, get, get' ting; o mit, o mit' ted.

Rule II. The plural of nouns ending in y, when y is preceded by a consonant, is formed by changing y into i and adding es; as, lil' y, lil' ies. When y final is preceded by a vowel the plural is formed by adding s; as, val' ley, val' leys.

Rule III. Nouns ending in o preceded by another vowel form their plurals regularly by adding s to the singular; as, cam' e o, cam' e os.

Rule IV. Words formed by prefixing one or more syllables to words ending in a double consonant retain both consonants; as, be fall', re buff'. The exceptions are, with al', an nul', dis til', in stil', ful fil', un til'.

Rule V. The word full, used an an affix, always drops one l; and its compounds, thus formed, make their plurals regularly by adding s to the singular; as, hand' ful, hand' fuls; spoon' ful, spoon' fuls.

__________

The Use of Capitals

1. Every entire sentence should begin with a capital.
2. Proper names, and adjectives derived from these, should begin with a capital.
3. All appellations of the Deity should begin with a capital.
4. Official and Honorary Titles begin with a capital.
5. Every line of poetry should begin with a capital.
6. Titles of books and the heads of their chapters and divisions are printed in capitals.
7. The pronoun, I, and the exclamation, O, are always capitals.
8. The days of the week, and the months of the year, begin with capitals.
9. Every quotation should begin with a capital letter.
10. Names of religious denominations should begin with a capital.
11. Any word of special importance may begin with a capital.

Sometimes I think the Victorians were far more intellectual than those of us in the 21st century. You would be hard pressed to find a majority of college students today that could comprehend this, much less follow these rules. Am I wrong to think that?

DIY Wedding Planning Book

My favorite (and only biological) sister is getting married. :) She expressed to me that she has no idea what she is doing when it comes to planning a wedding. Unlike some brides who have their entire weddings planned out by the age of 12, I also had no idea what I was doing when it came to planning my wedding. My biggest help was a wedding planning book I had purchased in addition to an e-book I had downloaded. Some of it was very useful to me, and some of it was stuff I did not use. Since I was not working full-time hours when I started my wedding planning, I ended up creating documents on the computer for my own use.

Thank you, Target! This binder seemed sturdy enough to hold all of my sister's wedding planning sheets.

I just finished putting together a wedding planning book for my sister similar to what I used for all of my wedding plans. Hopefully, it will be of use to her as my wedding planning book was of use to me. I ended up changing the font and format slightly to better suit her personality, and I told her she could use as much or as little of the pages she desired. If it helps her at all in her wedding planning process, all of the work put into the book will have been worth it. Chalk one up for the Matron of Honor!

I separated the pages into different sections with pocket dividers. The pockets will most likely come in handy for my sister once the vendor literature starts to accumulate. Some of those pamphlets are worth holding on to.

Everything was organized into a sturdy 3-ring binder. The one I purchased for my sister had a clasp for holding a paper notepad on the inside of the front cover. Having paper to take notes on during wedding planning is a must. I divided the different planning sheets into eight sections since I had purchased an 8-pack of sturdy pocket dividers. If there are any tiny pamphlets she acquires, which there most likely will be, I figured my sister could keep them in the pockets of the dividers. The papers were slid into sheet protectors. While possibly cumbersome to have to pull out the paper to write on, I thought it best to do it this way to protect the paper from the numerous times one goes through the pages in a wedding planning book.

I used sheet protectors because of how frequently I flipped through the pages of my own wedding
planning book.

If anyone else is seeking assistance in planning a wedding, feel free to download as many or as few of the pages I included in the book I made for my sister as you want. Every bride creates a wedding that is her own, and there really is no correct or incorrect way to plan.

My Tenacious Relationship With Farm Animals

Life has certainly been busy. Each fall the museum has to decide what to do with the farm animals over the winter. If you have ever been to Minnesota in the middle of January, you are well aware the weather can be rough on people. Animals dislike the cold as much as humans; they just complain about it a lot less.

The first summer at the museum Will and Fred had to share space with the sheep.

Our Guernsey cattle survived two winters, and they had a reality shock the first winter they stayed with us. They were my favorite animals on site, though. While quite large and intimidating (especially when one is loose in the yard and galloping towards you - yes, that happened to me), these two steers were pretty much equivalent to giant puppy-dogs. Will and Fred had quite the personalities. Will was usually less moody than Fred which made him more approachable, but Fred was usually jealous of all the attention Will received. I think Fred became more laid back as he got older. Named after Wilhem die Erste & Friedrich der Grosse these two boys honored their Prussian namesakes by responding to German commands. I think that is why I liked them so much. I could speak German to them.

Most of their days were spent laying in the grass, preferably in a sunny spot.

The Lost Art of Penmanship

There is a fabulous textbook, The Business Guide; or, Safe Methods of Business, published in 1886, in the one room schoolhouse which I have perused through from time to time. In the beginning part of the book, the topic of penmanship is discussed. For someone entering the fields of business during the 19th century, or education for that matter, neat, legible handwriting was of the utmost importance. If you had terrible penmanship, you might not be hired for a job, unlike this century. The English style of script taught in schools from the 1840's until near the end of the century was Spencerian script. While I have seen a few variations on some of the capital letters, there are quite a few differences compared to the Palmer method script, which was introduced to pupils in the 1890's and remained the predominant style of handwriting taught in schools until the mid-20th century. Because of the uniform methodology of the Palmer script, many teachers during this time forced left-handed pupils to write with their right hands. While still a rather decorative script compared to modern styles of handwriting, there was significantly less flourish in the Palmer method than in the Spencerian script.

Spencerian script alphabet, capital letters. While many of the letters are quite similar to modern styles, there are some unique differences. The lower case letters also have a few anomalies from modern script.

Spencerian script, ornamental writing. Many surviving documents from the 19th century are written in a style similar to what is seen here. The Victorians sure had a flair for the ornate!

Ornamental flourishes to penmanship were much more common in the 19th century. I think I could have had some fun with this if my 20th century teacher would have taught it.

Another example of ornamental penmanship, or calligraphic writing by modern standards.

Exercises in ornamental penmanship. There are many options to choose from when adding decoration to your penmanship. It is recommended to hold restraint when adding flourishes.

A less flourished version of Spencerian style script for business use. It would be important for a customer to be able to read any correspondence, and if your writing had a lot of flourish, chances are it would be difficult for a customer to decipher.

While business writing was tamed, a person's signature would never lose its flourish. Even if your penmanship was atrocious, your signature would not suffer the same fate. When writing your own signature, think of our 18th century founding father, John Hancock.

When shipping packages, many businesses used an alphabet similar to this style. I do believe we have a few artifacts at the museum which exemplify this style of script.

Contrary to popular belief, manuscript printing was a style of writing taught in the 19th century. While was is not as prevalent, there were occasions to print instead of write the alphabet.

German script in the 19th century was called Kurrentschrift or Alte Deutsche Schrift. It was based on a medieval Gothic script, and it was amended a bit in the early 20th century to the slightly simplified script of Sütterlin. This style of writing went out of fashion in the 1940s. This is my favorite script to use in my German Lutheran one room schoolhouse simply for the fact that few can read it, even if many recognize it from old family letters.

Later 20th century handwriting consisted of teaching pupils to write manuscript style, block printing, and then transition into cursive style. In a complete about face from the Palmer method's tendency to assimilate left-handed writers, modern handwriting books gave instruction for both the left-handed and right-handed child. (Phew, thank goodness for me since I am a lefty! I have heard many stories from my mother about her teacher forcing her to write with her right hand.) For those who began attending elementary school in the 1980's like me, one might be familiar with a third style of writing called D'Nealian. The script was meant to show the beginning of a curve in letters so as to make the transition to cursive easier. Some schools still use this style of instruction today.

The Palmer method replaced Spencerian style in the very late 19th century and dominated school classrooms until the mid-20th century. While still rather ornate, it is a much simpler form of writing than Spencerian script. It is during this period many teachers forced left-handed writers to switch hands.

Zaner-Bloser developed a block printing style to teach the youngest of students in the later 20th century. This is a style still used in many classrooms today in which students first trace the letters then write the letters independently. There are still proper strokes to be followed when writing.

The transition to cursive writing in the Zaner-Bloser method was meant for the third grade and utilizes the same technique as printing. The student first traces the letters then writes the letters independently. If you were in elementary school during the 1970's or later, chances are you learned this style of script.

The transitional method sometimes taught in the late 20th century was D'Nealian. Like Zaner-Bloser, many schools still use this style of script when teaching children how to write. Some have altogether replaced cursive writing with this technique.

Heading into the 21st century, I am astonished to hear how many schools have dropped handwriting from their curriculum. For some reason, many educators making these decisions consider penmanship to be obsolete in a world of technology and computers. I joke that one day the Declaration of Independence is going to look like hieroglyphics to future generations of Americans, but sadly, it could possibly become a reality. When I portray a 19th century schoolmistress, there are many visitors my age and younger who cannot read my handwriting on the blackboard. It should be noted, when writing in English, I use Spencerian script with as little flourish as possible while writing on the blackboards.

A little humor. Is penmanship really obsolete? Have computers really taken the place of handwriting? Or do some just consider it to be no longer necessary because of the patience good handwriting requires It is not something to be learned overnight but to be perfected with much practice over many years.

I do not mean to give teachers a bad reputation for decisions often made beyond their control. Many 21st century teachers continue to teach penmanship to their students. Handwriting Without Tears is a penmanship curriculum I frequently hear mentioned by today's teachers, and there is a variety of published curriculum available for use, thankfully. There are also parents of children who are taking the initiative to teach penmanship to their children after the schools their children attended remove it from the classroom. This exercise in fine motor skills is still relevant and important in 21st century education, and kudos should be given to those still trying to keep it alive. I have seen second grade boys rush through assignments and turn in papers with printed script written backwards yet cursive script written correctly. There is some logic in keeping penmanship in the classroom.

Printed manuscript for Handwriting Without Tears. It seems simple and straightforward. Added bonus: its name suggests a promise of zero crying children. ;)

Cursive script for Handwriting Without Tears. It uses a vertical letter instead of incorporating any slant. Personally, it is an ugly script, but if a child is learning cursive one should not complain.

So, the next time you sit down to hand write something, keep in mind the Victorian advice to scholars of business for practicing and perfecting the eloquent art of penmanship:

How to write.

A complete set of rule for position and practice.

1. Sit in an upright and easy position. It will add to the ease and beauty of your writing. Keep both feet on the floor.
2. Hold the pen firmly, but not so tightly as to cramp the fingers.
3. Place the hand on the paper so the top of the holder will always point over the right shoulder. This will cause the points of the [steel] pen to press equally on the paper.
4. Keep the wrist from touching the paper or desk, and keep the thumb from bending while writing. Avoid the finger movement. It's not practical.
5. Let every downward stroke of the pen be drawn towards the center of the body, and the writing will have the correct slant.
6. Never practice carelessly. Always practice with a free and quick stroke. Let the movement be bold, free, offhand, resting the pen so lightly that the arm, hand and fingers can move freely together.
7. In making the shades, press on the pen with a gentle, springing movement. It will avoid heavy and irregular strokes.
8. Heavy shading, or shading every downward stroke, never adds beauty nor grace to the writing.
9. The thoughtful student in penmanship, as in other studies, will win. Think and write. Practice with perseverance, and your success will be certain.
10. To make the greatest improvement in the shortest time, practice upon the letters separately until you can make them all correctly.
11. Flourishes, too heavy shading, too large or too small letters, should be carefully avoided.
12. Practice writing by copying business letters, notes, drafts, receipts, etc., and you will improve your knowledge of business as well as your penmanship.

The Coolest Job in the World

I gave a tour today to a group of senior citizens. It was a family reunion apparently, and there were people from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, and Washington. Quite often this particular program is given to a group of students with no absolutely no recollection of life before the Internet. That can be an enjoyable time showing young people how different life used to be and how easy life is now compared to not too long ago. However, giving a tour to people who have actual memories of things on the tour is a whole different experience.

We started in the town hall of our little historical village, which according to a picture caption I saw recently, used to be a one room school. Every person in the group had attended a one room schoolhouse as a child. One gentleman mentioned how there were 11 kids in his school, while another said he was the only 5th grader in his school. Yet another gentleman talked about how there were five kids at the one room school when his family moved to a new town and a woman joked about how the school population doubled after his family started attending it.

I shared with the group that my mother's family attended a two room country school located on the edge of my grandfather's farm. I grew up listening to stories about what school was like for them. My uncle in particular was not the best of students. Their teacher always bent over at the waist to help a child at his or her desk, and she happened to be assisting the student sitting in front of my uncle one day after he sharpened his pencil to a very fine point. Being the focused student that he was, my uncle sat in his desk holding his pencil out just behind the teacher's derriere as she helped his classmate. When the teacher backed up, her backside ran right into the pencil. She told me uncle to get up, but he would not listen. After some frustration, she tried to pull him out of his seat. My uncle was wise enough to grab onto the desk and wrap his legs around the legs of his chair as she tried to force him out of his seat. The one problem the teacher did not consider was that if you tug at a child grasping for dear life onto a desk which is part of a row of desks attached to runner-boards, there is going to be some resistance. Well, she pulled on him hard enough that she tipped the whole row of kids over that day. I do not remember what happened to my uncle after the fact nor what happened when he arrived home from school that day, but I love that story. My group of senior citizens found it just as amusing.

Making jokes about using an outhouse in the middle of winter in the upper Midwest is something that appealed to this group because they lived it for so many years of their lives. At first I described it sarcastically as fond memories for them, but one of the gentlemen corrected me while laughing that there is never a fond memory about an outhouse. Considering my grandmother did not install indoor plumbing in her farmhouse until the mid 1990's, I can certainly agree, but I always cheated at grandma and grandpa's house and used the indoor toilet grandpa had rigged up so as to save myself the walk outside near the end of December.

The familiarity many had with the wood burning cook stoves manufactured in the 1880's in a few of the houses was unique to their generation. A gentleman talked about how the warming ovens were a perfect place to store a pair of mittens, especially wet ones, to warm. Another mentioned the hot water reservoir on the side of the stove in the house he grew up in. One of the ladies in the group talked about how handy it was to take water from the side of the stove on bath night. Using the wet sink, which would pump collected rain water from a cistern into the kitchen, for washing and bathing was not unfamiliar to this group. Bath night was on Saturdays in the nineteenth century just as it was for this group throughout their childhoods, and everyone shared the same bath water. The only thing that differed, it sounded like, was the bath order. In one family, the ladies bathed first. In the nineteenth century oftentimes, it went oldest to youngest. The baby went last, hence the phrase "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water".

The fact that this group could recognize the washing "machine" and the cider press in one of the houses showed they really lived in much of the history we were reliving on the tour. The ladies and gentlemen could tell of how their families' wringer washers were similar or different to that of the laundry items sitting before them. Or the fact that many recognized the antiquated irons displayed the deep memories the ladies had for sad irons with removable wooden handles as well as the early steam irons, used with kerosene in the nineteenth century but with gasoline in the twentieth century when these ladies were younger. As one lady described it, "Very dangerous!" The green Ball canning jars brought smiles of recognition, and the Singer sewing machine led to a few family stories. They played with stereoscopes as children. The root cellar was a place to joke about how when some of the men were in trouble as boys, they had to sit on the top step of the cellar as punishment. In the doctor's office at the end of town, a gentleman laughed when he saw the hearing device which looked identical to one he remembers his great-uncle using.

I joked during a bathroom break that someone should take over the rest of the tour. When it comes to historical knowledge taught at the museum, their hands on, lived through it experience tops anything I can ever read about. I made sure to thank them for sharing their stories with me because I can use it in my interpretation for future groups. Even though they grew up in the early to mid twentieth century, their childhoods resembled more of a nineteenth century life than a twenty-first century life.

There were a few things the group was less familiar with such as nineteenth century clothing styles, ladies' undergarments, the misconceptions about corsets, and the potent effects of late nineteenth century prescription medicine. I get to teach history, but I almost enjoy listening to the stories people have to tell more. Ask any senior citizen who grew up in the rural Midwest what year they got electricity and I guarantee they will have an answer for you. This group did, and being they grew up in Iowa, they even had electricity before both sets of my grandparents did. Ask someone from that generation about a party line and you will see the eyes light up. Now, party lines are a twentieth century thing, but we were reliving their childhoods as we walked to their vehicles at the end of the tour.

The aging generation has many memories to be shared, and if it is not written down, much of that becomes lost to history. I get to retell these memories on a regular basis, and I get to help a little bit of someone live on through a story. This is the reason why my job is the coolest job in the world.

Old Quilts

There are many fascinating things to see at my job. For visitors, it can range from the old buildings which sit on site, to the stuff inside the old buildings, to the farm animals living in some of the old buildings. For staff, it is often the stuff that lurks in the upstairs rooms of the very old buildings. Hopefully, the lurking is of inanimate objects and not living creatures which have become house squatters. Although, that can also be fascinating if you like seeing random mice run across the floor or if you like hearing bats squeak in the back room of a house.

Quilt made from wool fabric scraps

"1943 Roy Johnson" embroidery

One of the most difficult items to preserve for future generations is any kind of textile. The natural fibers of the 19th century tend to deteriorate over time if not properly taken care of. When exposed to heat, sunlight, dust, insects, rodents, etc., the life of the textile can be diminished tremendously. Every once in a while, someone on staff finds an item in an attic which probably should not have been stored there but was put there for some reason at one point in time years ago. It is sort of like a treasure hunt for history nerds when someone has a reason to go upstairs to find something.

Scrap quilt

According to the Textile Museum, fabrics should be stored between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit with a relative humidity between 50-55%. Attics and basements are not ideal places to store these items since the temperatures in these areas of a house tend to not hold the recommended temperatures. So when a coworker found these quilts upstairs exposed to the elements in the upstairs of a building, it was proof that fabrics cannot last long in an environment such as that.

All of these items were an interesting find, though, not because they were examples of perfectly stitched, every corner shall meet, blue ribbon quilting, but because they were scraps of fabric pieced together in order to serve a purpose quilting. All of the items had embroidery to add decorative flair as well, some more intricate than others. They were neat to examine, but it was saddening to see the wear on the textiles, most likely from lack of proper storage more so than regular use. Hopefully, the items will find a more suitable home now that they have been found.

Detailed embroidery in the center of a pillow cover

For reference on the proper suggested care of textiles, please visit Guidelines for the Care of Textiles developed by The Textile Museum of Washington, D.C.