Dear Subscriber,

Brrr!  Is it cold enough for you?  We're having the coldest winter we've experienced thus far in our many years in Maryland and Virginia; this weekend the low is supposed to hit "2."  (I realize that if you are reading this from Vermont, you're probably envying us our heat wave, but for us, that's cold.)

The bitter temperatures make me identify with those Victorian pictures of kindly Victorian ladies and children feeding the birds on a wintry day.  It takes some true dedication for me to feed the birds, because I must bring the bird feeder in each night and take it out again in the morning or I also end up feeding the raccoons.  Which means "suiting up" to face the blustering winds and crunch across the snowy deck twice a day - it wasn't a LOT of snow but it hasn't thawed in a week!  Ah, well, I'm sure our feathered friends (and the squirrels) appreciate it. 

I suppose I need hardly say that it's hard to believe another year has passed and a new one has begun.  I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season, and that 2018 brings you blessings, joys and the RIGHT kind of excitement.  And, of course, a regular dose of Victoriana to brighten your day with a peek at yesterday!

This month, we're starting a delightful new series from Godey's Lady's Book - Aunt Mehitabel's Winter in Washington.  This is a bit of charming Victorian nonfiction thinly disguised as fiction in the form of "Aunt Mehitabel's" letters home from her visit to the nation's capitol.  Our author takes us on a tour of Washington's monuments (including the unfinished Washington monument), as well as its ballrooms, homes and restaurants.  It's a delightful look at what DC was like in the 1870's, in the aftermath of the Civil War.  We also begin a series on "Home Management" month by month, and continue with Grant Allen's marvelous accounts of life on the moors.  Here's what we have for January:

• Cats (The Strand, 1891) In 1891, it was considered "extraordinary" that a person might love cats!
• The Chiffoniers of Paris at Home (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1881) The hard life of Paris's rag-pickers and dustmen.
• Life in Old Virginia (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1884) An Englishwoman finds Virginia pleasant, except for the very non-English weather!
• Embroideries New and Easy (The Girl's Own Paper, 1898) A look at some lovely Norwegian embroidery techniques.
• Practical Etiquette: On Making Introductions (Demorest, 1888) "Since the rise and alarming spread of Anglomania in [America], there has been a strong effort made... to introduce English manners here, and especially those English customs which favor exclusiveness... Those of the old school... argue... that we do not need to slavishly imitate the customs of another nation whose conditions differ so essentially from ours."
• Flowing or Short Hair for Ladies (Godey's, 1860) The author of this letter wonders if short hair will truly become the style - but also makes a fine argument for letting long hair flow instead of binding it up in knots and buns.
• Gallicized English (Century, 1898) From "rostbif" to the "ha-i-la-i-fe," a look at how Victorian French publications adopt and adapt the popular English phrases of the day.
• Detective Day at Holloway (Windsor, 1897) Of the many methods used to identify law-breakers, for "it frequently happens that a man or woman who has been arrested for some small offence, is very much 'wanted' for another, infinitely more heinous."
• Crochet Jacket for a Greyhound (Godey's, 1873) Too cute to pass up!
• The Life of a Private Soldier in Times of Peace (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1882) "The first thing to do is to show how a lad can most easily join the army, with least trouble to himself, and with the least danger of becoming mixed up with bad characters and making bad friends at the start of his military career."
• How to Spend Sunday (English Illustrated Magazine, 1890) A remarkably balanced look at the meaning of the Sabbath, addressing some of the issues involved in keeping museums and other attractions open on Sunday.
• Moorland Idylls 6: The Gnarled Pine Tree (English Illustrated Magazine, 1895) The difficult life of a tree on the moors.
• Aunt Mehitabel's Winter in Washington (Godey's, 1873) This wonderful eight-part series of "letters" written by "Aunt Mehitabel" to her loved ones back in Virginia provide a wonderful look at Washington (DC) life and society in 1873. The Washington monument has not yet been built, and in one letter "Aunt Mehitabel" urges women across the country to send $1 toward its completion. The series looks at the notable figures of the day, describes fashions and homes in detail, and paints a brilliant picture of life on Capitol Hill.
• Home Management, Month by Month (The Girl's Own Paper, 1901) Household management tips for the month.

Visit http://www.victorianvoices.net/VT/issues/VT-1801.shtml to download  this issue!

Or download it directly from DropBox:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qf239l3zw2s0ifq/VT-1801.pdf?dl=0

VICTORIAN TIMES QUARTERLY #14
 
Victorian Times Quarterly #14 is now available!

Victorian Times Quarterly #14 is available from Amazon.  Our 14th volume includes the contents of our October, November and December issues - including all the glorious Christmas articles that you'll find in this month's Victorian Times.  As I mentioned last month, you can also order this volume directly from us for a 33% discount - but if you do that, PLEASE be aware that shipping takes a bit longer.  We order the volume from CreateSpace, and they've been remarkably slow in shipping out books. (If you order directly from Amazon there is no such delay.)   Find out more at http://www.victorianvoices.net/VT/VTQ/VTQ14.shtml

Available from: Amazon.com,  Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.ca.

Adieu until February! Stay warm!

Your Intrepid Editor,
Moira Allen

editors@writing-world.com