New Feature! Recipe Tests

Today we are starting a new monthly feature by VSA member Marian Gibbard.

Recipe Tests
Trying out period recipes and seeing what they are like.
For this inaugural post Marian is giving us a look at a recipe for Apple Lemon Pie from 1905.

Mmmmmm... 😋

Enjoy
The Victorian Society of Alberta

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Recipe Test: Apple Lemon Pie

From: The North End Club Cookbook: A collection of choice and tested recipes.
Compiled and arranged by the Ladies of the Club. Chicago, Illinois, 1905.

Link: https://archive.org/details/northendclubcook01nort/page/78/mode/2up

In celebration of Pi Day (March 14), I decided to combine a couple of interests - cooking from old recipes and pie.  Not having a suitable cookbook already in my collection, I turned to the internet, and discovered the North End Club Cookbook, published in 1905 in Chicago, Illinois.

 

 At 166 pages long, the book covers Appetizers, Soups, Bread (includes biscuits, waffles, muffins, etc.), Sandwiches, Vegetables, Eggs and Cheese, Fish, Meats (includes poultry), Salads, Pastry, Puddings, Pudding Sauces, Cake, Small Cakes (includes cookies and doughnuts), Ices and Ice Cream, Preserves, Pickles, Candy, Things Worth Knowing, Chafing Dish, and Beverages. The final section  - twenty or so pages - consists of advertisements for the local businesses whose purchased ad space would have financed the publication of the book.  The foreword of the book makes it clear that these are practical, well-tested recipes. 

The precision and clarity of instructions for preparation of the recipes varies somewhat - clearly there is an assumption of underlying cooking knowledge. This may present a few small stumbling blocks for modern cooks, but for the most part Google is a capable stand in for an experienced cook of an older generation.

 

 Knowing there were some substandard apples languishing in the back of the produce drawer, and wishing to celebrate Pi Day, I immediately focused on the ‘Pastry’ section. Midway through the section, on page 78, the recipe for ‘Apple Lemon Pie’ submitted by Mrs. Almet Powell caught my eye:

Apple Lemon Pie

Grate the yellow rind of 1 lemon, add the juice, 1 egg, 1 cup of sugar. Beat well together, then stir in 2 medium sized apples grated. Bake between two crusts.

 

 A simple and straightforward recipe, this went together quickly. I quickly removed the zest from a medium sized lemon using a modern Microplane zester (a fantastic tool that I’d highly recommend)and juiced it with and old fashioned wooden reamer (make sure to strain out the seeds). I then used a fork to combine the zest and juice with a scant 3/4 cup of white sugar (less sugar than Mrs Powell called for, but we like things on the less sweet side)  and then beat in an extra large egg (because that is what I had, but a medium egg would probably be more like the size Mrs. Powell used).  The Ambrosia apples (a modern variety, and these were past their prime) were peeled, quartered, cored, coarsely grated and mixed into the egg mixture. I used 3 apples rather than two to fill my 9’ pie plate. Because I was in a hurry I used store-bought pastry rather than making my own.  I then baked the pie at 375F for about 40 minutes, until the pastry was nicely golden and the juices bubbling up around the edges. It smelled marvellously lemon-y.

That evening, the pie was served at room temperature. Initial reactions were slight puzzlement - the pie neither smelled nor looked quite like conventional apple pie due to the apples being grated rather than chopped, and the lemon zest lending it a bright and sunny yellow colour.  Overall tasting reaction was favourable. The first bite was somewhat suggestive of pineapple - perhaps due to the texture and slight acidity - but the final verdict that it was ‘almost like lemon pie except for the texture’. 

This is definitely a recipe that I would make again, and I would recommend it as great way to use up apples that have lost their crisp texture or are rather flat tasting.

 

Final conclusions:

Use zest from half a lemon, rather than the whole lemon.

Adjust sugar to taste - 3/4 cup was about right for us, but may be too tart for others.

Experiment with apple varieties to find the texture you like best.

If you want a more apple-y tasting pie, add typical apple pie spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, and use only half a lemon’s worth of juice.

This would likely make a great tart filling - leave off the top crust and top with some whipped cream or maybe even a bit of merengue.

 

 

More early 1900’s community cookbook links from the Library of Congress here: https://guides.loc.gov/community-cookbooks/chronological/1900-1909

More next month.
Marian

Family Day at Military Museums "After Action Report"

The snowy Family Day event at the Military Museums on Feb 20, 2023 was excellent.
According to the main organizer that your Editor chatted with, this was a record crowd for their Family Day event.

The VSA had a great spot, right by the entrance to the theatre.

A varied and fascinating crowd came by to ask questions and listen to our spiel. Interestingly most of them were new Canadians, Ukrainians, Africans (I didn't ask which country they were from), Koreans and Filipinos. The questions were different than we usually get and they were always happy to hear about the history of Western Canada.

Your editor's "Victorian Internet" display attracted lots of interest and it click/clacked away all day.

Our tables were shared with the 10th Battalion WWI group.

A fun event with lots of interesting people to chat with about the telegraph and Western Canadian history.

I hope everyone had a good Family day as well.

The Victoria Society of Alberta

March Book Tuesday

 This month we have an excerpt from:

THE GENTLEMEN’S BOOK OF ETIQUETTE, AND MANUAL OF POLITENESS;
by Cecil B. Hartley, published in 1860 in Boston.

This book has tons of interesting information on how a "Gentleman" should behave. Everything from dress and wedding etiquette to letter writing and how to behave at public "amusements".  While much of this seems quaint in today's free and easy world, I think we would do well to remember that many of these rules were necessary in the crowded pedestrian cities of the 19th century.

The One Hundred Hints below have some insights into what it means to be a Gentlemen regardless of what one's station in society was.

Here are the first few to give you a feel for the content.

Enjoy
The Victorian Society of Alberta

ONE HUNDRED HINTS FOR GENTLEMANLY DEPORTMENT.

1. Always avoid any rude or boisterous action, especially when in the presence of ladies. It is not necessary to be stiff, indolent, or sullenly silent, neither is perfect gravity always required, but if you jest let it be with quiet, gentlemanly wit, never depending upon clownish gestures for the effect of a story. Nothing marks the gentleman so soon and so decidedly as quiet, refined ease of manner.

2. Never allow a lady to get a chair for herself, ring a bell, pick up a handkerchief or glove she may have dropped, or, in short, perform any service for herself which you can perform for her, when you are in the room. By extending such courtesies to your mother, sisters, or other members of your family, they become habitual, and are thus more gracefully performed when abroad.

3. Never perform any little service for another with a formal bow or manner as if conferring a favour, but with a quiet gentlemanly ease as if it were, not a ceremonious, unaccustomed performance, but a matter of course, for you to be courteous.

4. It is not necessary to tell all that you know; that were mere folly; but what a man says must be what he believes himself, else he violates the first rule for a gentleman’s speech—Truth.

5. Avoid gambling as you would poison. Every bet made, even in the most finished circles of society, is a species of gambling, and this ruinous crime comes on by slow degrees. Whilst a man is minding his business, he is playing the best game, and he is sure to win. You will be tempted to the vice by those whom the world calls gentlemen, but you will find that loss makes you angry, and an angry man is never a courteous one; gain excites you to continue the pursuit of the vice; and, in the end you will lose money, good name, health, good conscience, light heart, and honesty; while you gain evil associates, irregular hours and habits, a suspicious, fretful temper, and a remorseful, tormenting conscience. Some one must lose in the game; and, if you win it, it is at the risk of driving a fellow creature to despair.

6. Cultivate tact! In society it will be an invaluable aid. Talent is something, but tact is everything. Talent is serious, sober, grave, and respectable; tact is all that and more too. It is not a sixth sense, but it is the life of all the five. It is the open eye, the quick ear, the judging taste, the keen smell, and the lively touch; it is the interpreter of all riddles—the surmounter of all difficulties—the remover of all obstacles. It is useful in all places, and at all times; it is useful in solitude, for it shows a man his way into the world; it is useful in society, for it shows him his way through the world. Talent is power—tact is skill; talent is weight—tact is momentum; talent knows what to do—tact knows how to do it; talent makes a man respectable—tact will make him respected; talent is wealth—tact is ready money. For all the practical purposes of society tact carries against talent ten to one.

7. Nature has left every man a capacity of being agreeable, though all cannot shine in company; but there are many men sufficiently qualified for both, who, by a very few faults, that a little attention would soon correct, are not so much as tolerable. Watch, avoid such faults.

8. Habits of self-possession and self-control acquired early in life, are the best foundation for the formation of gentlemanly manners. If you unite with this the constant intercourse with ladies and gentlemen of refinement and education, you will add to the dignity of perfect self command, the polished ease of polite society.

9. Avoid a conceited manner. It is exceedingly ill-bred to assume a manner as if you were superior to those around you, and it is, too, a proof, not of superiority but of vulgarity. And to avoid this manner, avoid the foundation of it, and cultivate humility. The praises of others should be of use to you, in teaching, not what you are, perhaps, but in pointing out what you ought to be.

10. Avoid pride, too; it often miscalculates, and more often misconceives. The proud man places himself at a distance from other men; seen through that distance, others, perhaps, appear little to him; but he forgets that this very distance causes him also to appear little to others.

11. A gentleman’s title suggests to him humility and affability; to be easy of access, to pass by neglects and offences, especially from inferiors; neither to despise any for their bad fortune or misery, nor to be afraid to own those who are unjustly oppressed; not to domineer over inferiors, nor to be either disrespectful or cringing to superiors; not standing upon his family name, or wealth, but making these secondary to his attainments in civility, industry, gentleness, and discretion.

 

 

 

Happy Family Day

 I hope everyone is enjoying this gorgeous long weekend.

In honour of Family Day the Victorian Society of Alberta will have a display booth at the Military Museums here in Calgary.

We will be onsite between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm Monday Feb 20th.

I will have my Victorian Internet display setup and of course we will be dressed for the occasion.
Rumour has it we may be visited by some Boer War gentlemen as well.

Come by and say hi!

Enjoy
The Victorian Society of Alberta

Family Day at the Military Museums

 

February Fashion Friday

This month's fashion Friday post is by Victorian Society member Marian Gibbard.
Enjoy

The Victorian Society of Alberta

Antique-Gown

Perhaps you want to find a new item for your collection of vintage clothing or maybe you just wish to browse and explore the details of mostly Victorian clothing and accessories.  If so, it is absolutely worth spending some time exploring the Antique-Gown website 

https://www.antique-gown.com/en/

The site’s home page is deceptively modest but a quick glance at the New Listings will start to hint at the quality content within.  On the day I visited, there were more than 30 new items added in the past few weeks, and many, many older items. If you prefer to browse by item type, simply click the appropriate tab at the top of the page, and then follow through the sub menus on the left side of the category page.  

The majority of pieces are women’s clothing, but there are also men’s and children’s garments and a smattering of accessories. 

The real fun begins once you have found an item you would like to see up close. Clothing items generally include a date attribution, a general identification, the country of origin of the item if known, and photos of the whole object.  What really makes this site stand out to me, though, are the detailed descriptions and the variety and quality of the numerous close-up photos that are included. Invaluable for those people wishing to construct their own period appropriate garments, the high quality, crisp images of construction details, fabrics, and trims allow for an almost in-person inspection experience.  The photos on this site easily rival or exceed the quality of images on various museum sites, and in most cases showcase many more of the small details that are so important for fully understanding historical objects.

 

Here is an example of the quality of images included on this site from the first link below:

Non-clothing item entries tend to be somewhat shorter, and for some of the more obscure items the description is not available in English, but the quality of the photos and level of detail shown is still impressive. There are also quite a few uncommon but fascinating objects, ranging from graphoscopes to mannequins.

The next time you have some leisure hours to fill, why not browse Antique-Gown? It will definitely be both enjoyable and educational.

Here’s some links to some of my favourite items on the site

Winter Coat, ca. 1908
https://www.antique-gown.com/en/1900-1919/winter-coat-ca-1908.html

(So much passementerie work!) 

Winter Sleigh Ensemble, America, ca. 1880
https://www.antique-gown.com/en/early/winter-sleigh-ensemble-america-ca-1880.html
(So warm and cozy looking!)

 Dressing Gown, ca. 1865
https://www.antique-gown.com/en/men-s-clothing/man-s-dressing-gown,-ca-1865.html

(Sad that these are no longer in style)

Hat Pin Pillow ca. 1900-1905

https://www.antique-gown.com/en/hat-pins/gold-sequin-embroidery-cloche,-1920s-2.html

(Inspired to make one similar to this)

Handbags/Bags

https://www.antique-gown.com/en/bags.html

(How can you choose just one?)

 Graphoscope, ca. 1890

https://www.antique-gown.com/en/graphoscopes/graphoscope,-ca-1890.html

(Didn’t know what these were, but now I want one)

February Book Tuesday

Well...
It seems in all the "fun" of the festive season I missed not one but TWO book Tuesdays!
I suppose it is a bit late for a New Years resolution to do better but I'll give it a shot 😀

This month I have a link to a source of fantastic historical books online and an example of one such as an example.

Looking for old books is easier now than it was because many used book sellers are online so a Google search for a title usually leads to someone with one to sell.

Private collections, Google, and others like Project Gutenberg have been madly scanning old books for years now and these are available in many different formats, OCR'd text, PDF, and Ebooks. One of the best places to go hunting is the INTERNET ARCHIVE a non-profit organization that collects information in many forms including electronic copies of books.

Internet Archive

From the About page:

The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, people with print disabilities, and the general public. Our mission is to provide Universal Access to All Knowledge.

We began in 1996 by archiving the Internet itself, a medium that was just beginning to grow in use. Like newspapers, the content published on the web was ephemeral - but unlike newspapers, no one was saving it. Today we have 26+ years of web history accessible through the Wayback Machine and we work with 1,000+ library and other partners through our Archive-It program to identify important web pages.

As our web archive grew, so did our commitment to providing digital versions of other published works. Today our archive contains:

• 735 billion web pages
• 41 million books and texts
• 14.7 million audio recordings (including 240,000 live concerts)
• 8.4 million videos (including 2.4 million Television News programs)
• 4.4 million images
• 890,000 software programs

Anyone with a free account can upload media to the Internet Archive. We work with thousands of partners globally to save copies of their work into special collections.

Note that "41 million books and texts", that is where most of the Google scanned, Project Gutenberg, and other privately scanned books are collected.  

Just enter a search term, author, title, date, or sometimes even a quote and you will have a world of possible texts available to you!

Definitely worth bookmarking.

So to "whet yer whistle" check this gem out!

The PDF is available directly from this link:

https://archive.org/download/cutterspractical00vinc/cutterspractical00vinc.pdf
 

A couple of reviews.

Reviewer: AncientAxim -December 23, 2020
Subject: Wow....

I wish I were more erudite as to be able to describe what I'm seeing here- this is incredible. If only our clothes makers went by this book (about all of them USED to, in olden days.. if not this one, a book like it) can you imagine wearing outfits cut to precision like this? The file itself is simply perfect and like the other review, high resolution & scanned wonderfully (THANK you... ) what a blessed relief from the miserable "google books" trash- don't let google get hold of files like this- they'll destroy them. 

 

Reviewer: Ratspeed - October 20, 2012
Subject: Holy Macaroni! I certainly hope to see more of WDF Vincent's works scanned in and OCRed as this one is! It's a veritable treasure trove of information never before released, afaik, to the public, in a high-resolution, professional format, in a copy that looks very well preserved. From what it looks like this is at least the 1898 edition, judging by the illustrations and layouts. Here's hoping that the men's editions are also made available. The copies that have existed for years on Costumer's Manifesto have been helpful but alas have always been in low resolution, scanned in by flatbed scanners and are also omitting several pages.

Have fun book hunting!
 

Enjoy
The Victorian Society of Alberta

January Fashion Friday

 This month a video of three people who wear historical fashion all the time.

Well worth checking out.

Enjoy
The Victorian Society of Alberta