July 2010
A Cambridge University Secret: Stacks of Victorian...
”[For decades of generations,] Cambridge undergraduates have fantasised about a secret stash of Victorian pornography in the university’s library tower. Many have tried to gain access to the chamber to uncover its illicit secrets. So intrigued was Stephen Fry by the collection that he wrote about it in his first novel, The Liar.
Despite the brilliant scientists, spies and...
Historical Humor: Combining Art with Witty...
I highly recommend that you all pay a visit to the Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre, founded by artist Wilhelm Staehle, who describes himself as a “horribly disfigured gentleman who often frightens small children.” Staehle crafts his own hand-cut silhouettes, combining them with historic paintings and illustrations. Here are a few samples of his work:
For more information on...
Ancient Greek Advice: A Happiness Tip From...
The question: If you could live 10 years of your life in total bliss - with NO pain - but in the end, not remember any of it - would you do it?
“According to Aristotle - the answer should be NO.
My favorite philosopher buddy Aristotle says true happiness comes from gaining insight and growing into your best possible self. Otherwise all you’re having is immediate gratification pleasure -...
A Special Thank You
I would like to thank those that sent out their support to me for my post that I wrote last night. I’m still having a difficult time, but I’m trying to find a way out and find support where I can. You are all such sweet individuals. Thank you so much.
Yours until the ice cream melts,
alyssalerner asked: I just saw your post. I'm sorry to hear that. I thought I would share a quote that always helps me out.
"Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies harmony." - Albert Einstein
I sincerely hope things look up for you soon.
much love!
"Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies harmony." - Albert Einstein
I sincerely hope things look up for you soon.
much love!
A Gentleman or a Boy? Differences Between Modern &...
“For those of you thinking about texting a very brief note to the one you are wooing, let’s take a look back at how things were done back in the 1880s, waaaay before all this technology hit. I was going to quote something from the “Love Letters” section, but this one from “Letters of Excuse” struck me as a bit more entertaining, and more appropriate for the...
Feeling Miserable About Men? A 1930's View of...
“The plight of the girls who have a natural feminine yearning for the attentions of men and love and romance and marriage but who are denied these is truly a sad one. What makes this situation still more pathetic is that they exaggerate their value and the happiness they would bring them. The girl who has no dates pictures every party as a wild orgy of joy. She imagines every man is a Prince...
Are you polite everywhere you go? The art of...
“Real politeness is being kind and considerate. It may be shown in many different ways: by the tone of your voice, the facial expression, or the behavior. We are also expected to know the vocabulary of politeness and when to use it. The terms “Thank you,” “Please,” “Pardon me,” “I am sorry,” never seem to become worn out or over-used,...
“But the beginning of things, of a world especially, is necessarily vague,...”
– Kate Chopin (1850-1904)
Vintage Advice: There Is Beauty in Play
“To find the best kind of play for yourself, you must be sure not to be too serious. You must explore the land of play with your sense of humor to the fore, realizing that it is a wonderland of make-believe where there is laugter but where the word ‘ought’ is unknown. In this voyage of discovery let your motto be: ‘You can never tell.’ Keep your mind open as well as...
Why Can't I Find A Man? Vintage Advice For Shy,...
“Another defect girls often have which drives desirable men away is shyness, and very few people stop to analyze its cause. Shyness, when we have got down to the bedrock of it, is pure personal egotism. People are shy because they fancy others are observing them. If they were not so conscious of themselves they would not be obsessed with this idea; they would realize that they are probably...
“You can tell the strength of a nation by the women behind its men.”
– Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)
A Love For Beautiful Things ("Beautiful Girlhood,"...
“…Another fault is an inordinate love for pretty things. I say “inordinate,” for there is a proper appreciation for those things that are beautiful that is allowable in every one. But she who has too great a love for these things sets great value upon their possession. Pride and vanity follow close in the wake of a love for personal adornment. Money that should go for more...
Announcements & Tumblr Tuesday Recommendations
First off, I would like to thank all of my followers, new and old, for their interest in Historiful. Historiful now has over 700 followers! You guys inspire and motivate me in so many ways. I cannot believe that Historiful has been so successful having only been opened four months ago. Homemade chocolate chip cookies and tea all around!
I would also like to acknowledge...
“You are in a melancholy humour and fancy that anyone unlike yourself must be...”
– Excerpt from “Sense and Sensibility,” written by Jane Austen (1775-1817), 1811.
The Art of Being a Woman: Sweetness and Kindness...
“Every real woman must be sweet, and she must express her sweetness in kindness.
The real sweetness that is the essence distilled from a lovely soul is not the cloying, sticky, kittenish sweetness that all too inadequately conceals its owner’s claws, but the deep, real loveliness that shines from the depths of the lovely soul, and often produces an effect of actual physical...
“The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day...”
– Excerpt from “Pride and Prejudice,” written by Jane Austen (1775-1817), 1813.
Attention Miss Vanity: A 1930's Perspective of...
“What is associated with make-up as inevitably as night with day? What, indeed, by mirrors! In fact, mirrors and beauty in general are inseparable, and I strongly urge the woman who cultivates beauty to surround herself with them. How can she possibly do without them? That pastoral period of antiquity, however lyrically praised and sung, must have been very dreary when women had only the...
“If you have anything really valuable to contribute to the world it will come...”
– Bruce Barton (1886-1867)
The Ethics of Friendship ("The New Book of...
“It is not enough to make friends; you must know how to keep them. When you make a new friend whose friendship you value and wish to keep, learn his idiosyncracies and respect them. Learn his little peculiarities of manner and bear with him. Force yourself to be conscious always of the fact that while he has faults of which you are aware, you have faults of which he is aware. The ideal...
“Everytime a child says ‘I don’t believe in fairies,’ there is...”
– J.M. Barrie (1860-1937)
A Girl's Best Friend ("How to Be Happy While...
“A young single woman in an ‘island’ period in her life is prone to become morose over her lot and is self-pity’s easiest pushover. Her whole life, she decides, had been one of frustration, disappointment, and sacrifice, though just where sacrifice fits in she might not be able to say specifically. Over the whole pitiful picture hangs the brooding conviction that if she...
If you could travel back in time, would you rather...
“The value of silence in art is its stimulation to the imagination, and the...”
– James R. Quirk (via eachdayaflower)
Bat Your Eyelashes and Wave Your Fan: Victorian...
Fans were not only a fashion accessory, but a means of flirtatious communication. Wherever young men and women intermingled, the click of a fan sent a message. The Young Ladies Journal of 1872 reported on the significance of each charming gesture:
Fan fast - I am independent
Fan slow - I am engaged
Fan with right hand in front of face - Come on
Fan with left hand in front of face - Leave...
