Writing historical fiction is tricky, particularly if the story is based on or inspired by real people. I’m currently writing the second book in my Salem Stories series based on the 18th century Crowninshield and Derby families of Salem, Massachusetts. The story is about real people in the context of their material culture. Both aspects
Articles Categorized History
Fraumünster Church in Zurich
Among the sites visitors to Zurich are most likely to visit, Fraumünster, with its clock, tower stands tall. Many sightseers are church tourists who take a moment to visit churches famous for their architecture, stained glass, or as the site of famous historical events. Others come to Fraumünster specifically to view the painted glass windows
Tales from Heidelberg
The history of Heidelberg, a charming city on the Necker River in Southwest Germany, may date back as far is the 5th century BCE. But its reputation today rests in part on Heidelberg University founded in 1386. The university is the oldest university in Germany, and romanticized stories of student life are better known than
The Lion Monument: A Living Sculpture of Despair & Regret
Mark Twain called the Lion Monument “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.” And while it is not the only moving piece of sculpture I’ve seen, [The Pietà comes to my mind.], the lion’s face conveys unquenchable grief and despair. But for what? The loss of Swiss Guards at the Tuileries
LOUIS XVI, SWISS GUARDS, & A SCULPTURED LION
I’m just back from a cruise on the Rhine River. The route started in Amsterdam. We passed at or near Leiden and Cologne with its world famous cathedral before taking a short detour on the Moselle to visit Chochen and then returning to the Rhine to pass near Koblentz, Heidelberg, Strasbourg, and Lucerne. The weather
Lessons from an Antarctica Cruise: Endurance
After our first expeditions ashore on West Falkland, Le Lyrial began a journey of two days across the Scotia Sea to South Georgia. Scotia Sea, which covers the waters between Drake Passage, Tierra del Fuego, South Georgia, the South Sandwich Island, the South Orkney Islands, and Antarctica, was our first experience in choppy ocean water.
WASSAIL!
Wassail,( pronounced WAA – sl), comes from Old Norse ves heill, “Be Well”, and is a custom of long-standing. In the 14th century, the term referred to a warm beverage [recipe below] that included alcoholic spirits. The term also described the resulting raucous behavior in which wassailers called upon members of higher classes to wish
Christmas Carols, or, Boar’s Heads, Angels, & Partridges
With Thanksgiving behind us, we are on the cusp of Christmas Carol season. Retailers started playing the melodies weeks ago, but soon there will be a full roster of community, church, and school programs featuring traditional carols. On the left, is a sedate picture of a mother and her daughters singing in the dignified repose
Lady Mount-Edgcumbe, Faro’s Daughter
Have you ever taken a rapid, probably shallow breath, and said, “I feel like my hair is on fire.”? It isn’t, of course. It’s the same hair you’ve always had. It still sits on your head, and the flames that seem real to you are entirely invisible. You might be interested to find out that
Yule Tide Festivals
Winter Solstice on December 21 in the Northern Hemisphere is both the shortest day of the year, and the first day of Winter. The word solstice finds its root in the Latin words sol for sun and sistere, meaning “to stand.” The term also refers to new birth, as a new year rises from the
The Miraculous Gifts of St. Nicholas
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. These often over-looked lines from Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem about the night before Christmas raise at least two pertinent questions: Who was St. Nicholas? And, why does he need stockings? The Real St. Nicholas St. Nicholas
Time to “Deck the Halls”
With December almost upon us, it’s time to think about decorating for the festive season — a custom with long roots in our cultural history. Among the songs of the season, Deck the Halls seems to be about decorating dwellings and shops for Christmas, but, like many customs, the song and its meaning has changed
The Rehabilitation of Victoria Woodhull
Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to address a Congressional Committee and the first woman to run for president. She and her sister were known as spiritualists as well as being the first women to own a newspaper and a stock brokerage. But Victoria Woodhull’s most notorious reputation was her advocacy for free love. Thomas
The Sewing Machine Revolutionized Stitchery
The sewing machine, beloved by stitching hobbyists and home fashionistas, was invented by French tailor Barthelemy Thimonnier. In 1830 he patented a mechanical device that could produce a simple chain stitch that would allow uniforms for the French army to be mass produced, rather than sewn by hand. Thimonnier’s innovation was not well-received. Realizing mechanized
Aphra Behn: Restoration Playwright
In 1929 Virginia Woolf published A Room of One’s Own in which she argued that if a woman is going to write fiction, she must have money and a room of her own. Woolf developed her theme by looking at female writers in history, many of whom did not publish their writings. In her observations
Lady Mary Wroth & the English Renaissance
When we think of women novelists writing in the English language, Jane Austin is usually the first name that comes to mind. It’s fair to say the Jane Austin was the first to have a popular impact, but the first female author writing in English was Mary Wroth (1587-1653). Jane Austin’s work came out 200