Children’s Silk Handkerchiefs
Children + silk = a recipe for disaster, or at the very least, an opportunity for Oxyclean. These tissue-thin gossamer gems, depicting fanciful characters and nursery rhymes, reflect a different time in history, and a different way of life – a Downton Abbey life. A life with an upstairs maid, downstairs maid, ladies maid, butler, footman, driver, cook, scullery maid, laundress, gardener, nanny, governess, and more. TV critics who have tried to analyze why the series took off like a rocket with U.S. audiences say it’s because we all fantasize about living the type of life which is...
Read MoreThe Prairie
The Prairie “… a region so quiet and pristine that we have the sense of being the first human beings ever to set foot in it. We fall silent ourselves in its midst, as if conversation in a place of such primeval solitude would be like talking in church.” Jim Fergus, The Wild Girl We began our cross country junket in Kansas, and as we trek across the prairie, we soon encounter cowboys for this is their terrain, filled with long dusty days and cool starlit nights. Often filled with songs around the campfire… “Where the leather is scarred, there is a great story to tell.” Jimmy Tart...
Read MoreKansas & Missouri – America’s Heartland
In this land of plenty we have extoled the beauty of the “fruited plain” and now turn our attention to the grandeur of the “amber waves of grain”. Note the golden wheat featured on the prairie in this souvenir hankie, along with pioneers traveling the Santa Fe Trail, a miniscule oil well (gushing, no less!) and domed state capitol. Also note the American Flag at 12 o’clock marking the geographic center of the U.S. We are indeed in the “heartland” of America. As discussed in our New York blog, these delicately embroidered hankies were never utilitarian, but strictly for collecting and were...
Read MoreA New Year is a Gamble
This sophisticated, celebratory hankie sends cheer and good wishes to the recipient in a multitude of languages. What a lovely gift to start off the New Year. “Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.” Oprah Winfrey Sparkling and effervescent, champagne epitomizes jubilation and revelry. The list of “best years” ends at 1949, which helps us date this charming accessory. This hankie is a hoot. Although the dice spell “Good Luck” this gentleman’s roll may have sentenced him to buying a Mathusalem or (gasp) a Nabuchodonosor for the celebration. Yikes! Seeing these...
Read MoreCinderella Redux
Cinderella is a timeless tale of good vs. evil, kindness vs. oppression. The origin of the story is ambiguous, although many claim authorship. Attributions range from Roman historian Strabo in the first century BC, to Sheh Hsien in China, to French author Charles Perrault in 1697…and on infinitum. According to SurLaLune, there are anywhere from 345 to 1,500 versions of the tale! The site opines “Most…tales include an epiphany sparked by an article of clothing (usually a shoe) that causes the heroine to be recognized for her true worth. With Carrie Bradshaw leading the charge, we’ll embrace...
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