Tag Archives: edwardian

30 Historical Recipes With Apricot Kernels, Peach Kernels & Cherry Pits

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Noyaux, marzipan, amaretto, kirschwasser, cherry jam – there are a lot of recipes that are made with apricot kernels, peach kernels or cherry pits!

30 Historical Recipes With Apricot Kernels, Peach Leaves & Cherry Pits

Just recently I found out that apricot kernels, cherry pits, peach kernels and peach leaves can be used as natural bitter almond flavoring. ‘Families should always save their peach-kernels, as they can be used in cakes, puddings and custards.’ (Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes and Sweetmeats, 1836, p. 56) And even if the kernels contain amygdalin, which turns into cyanide in the body, it’s safe to consume food prepared with kernels if it’s cooked or baked before eating (more about it here).

Continue reading 30 Historical Recipes With Apricot Kernels, Peach Kernels & Cherry Pits →

Keep Your Home Cool In The Summer Heat – Edwardian Decor Ideas

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Keep cool and beat the heat – how Edwardians kept their home cool in the summer!

Keep Your Home Cool In The Summer Heat - Edwardian Decor Ideas
Edwardian summer room decor, 1910

‘The woman who must stay in the city all summer, or can leave town for a bare two weeks when her husband gets his vacation, should put her wits to work to make her house or her apartment look as cool as possible – for the appearance of coolness leads us to imagine that the thermometer is really lower than it is.’ (Chicago Tribune, July 1909) Continue reading Keep Your Home Cool In The Summer Heat – Edwardian Decor Ideas →

Edwardian Pinless Pompadour Hairstyle Tutorial

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The most popular hairstyle in the Edwardian era was the pompadour.  But not all Edwardian pompadour hairstyles require teasing, hair combs and hairpins. These Edwardian instructions from 1907 show you how to create an Edwardian pinless pompadour with only a ribbon! The Edwardian pompadour hairstyle is easy and fast to make and can still be worn today!

Edwardian Pinless Pompadour Hairstyle Tutorial
Edwardian pinless pompadour with figure “8” bun

‘Dressing the hair without a hair pin […] an innovation which every woman will appreciate […] To be able to dress one’s hair without the aid of hairpins sounds too good to be true. To know that one’s coiffure can be neatly and becomingly arranged and fastened securely without a single wire or shell pin being required brings joy to the heart of womankind. […] Continue reading Edwardian Pinless Pompadour Hairstyle Tutorial →

3 Edwardian Marble Cake Recipes

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Three delicious and easy Edwardian marble cake recipes from 1902 – two classic marble cake recipes with chocolate and one flavored with just spices: cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.

Edwardian Marble Cake Recipe

In the Victorian and Edwardian era, marble cakes were usually flavored with spices – cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg – instead of with chocolate or cocoa powder. While the light part of the marble cake was usually made with just egg whites, the dark part was colored with brown sugar, molasses and egg yolks – no chocolate or cocoa powder! Continue reading 3 Edwardian Marble Cake Recipes →

Candied Watermelon Rind

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Candied watermelon rind makes a refreshing, lemony treat! Yes, watermelon rind that you’d usually throw away is edible! 😉 It takes some time to make candied watermelon rind – you first have to soak the watermelon rind in salted water, boil it until tender and then candy it – but the end result is totally worth it!

I adapted an Edwardian recipe for candied watermelon rind – below is the original and the adapted recipe.

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Edwardian Tailored Wool Skirt & Linen Shirtwaist

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Edwardian Tailored Skirt And Linen Shirtwaist

That’s my other Edwardian shirtwaist costume. It’s a late Edwardian outfit with tailored plaid wool skirt and apricot-colored linen blouse with crochet lace.

‘Woolens or mixed weaves are much more difficult to cut out, join and finish than cotton materials, consequently a different method is used in working with them. This method is called tailoring, and includes moderate styles with straight lines and perfect curves and an exactness that is not necessary when draping or constructing gowns for fancy effects.’ (Text-Book On Domestic Art, 1911) Continue reading Edwardian Tailored Wool Skirt & Linen Shirtwaist →

Victorian & Edwardian Travel Accessories

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Victorian & Edwardian Travel Accessories
‘It is a delightful experience to sit in a comfortable, two-horse victoria at the door of the Hotel Toblach, while the driver gathers up the reins preparatory to starting either for Cortina or for the charming intermediate halting-places – Schluderbach and Landro. […] Huge domes and spires, really miles away, seemed close at hand; and like the desert air in purity was the breeze which now and then swept downward from them to refresh us as we drove along.’ (The Dolomites, 1901)

Victorians and Edwardians were fond of traveling. ‘The Grand Tour’ – a travel through European countries – was a popular travel to finish the education of wealthy young adults. Italy and Greece were the most popular travel destinations, and some even traveled to the Far East! The advent of the railroad and steamships in the Victorian era made traveling much easier. In the Victorian era, there were already unchaperoned traveling women, such as Ida Pfeiffer – the travel blogger of the Victorian era! 😉 Continue reading Victorian & Edwardian Travel Accessories →

Edwardian Easter Gifts

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Edwardian Easter Gifts

‘Freshness and daintiness are the chief characteristics of attractive Easter gifts, and there is never an occasion when the expenditure of a large amount of money is so unnessary in order to procure a suitable gift. A very little money, the exercise of some taste and the bearing in mind of what the spring festival really means in the sense of the fresh blossoming of nature are the elements needed in the selection of Easter gifts.’ (Los Angeles Herald, 1909) Continue reading Edwardian Easter Gifts →

History Of The Easter Egg & Easter Bunny

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History Of The Easter Eggs And Easter Bunny
Easter Greetings, 1907

 

The Edwardian Easter Bunny

‘In Germany, it is the timid hare who is supposed to be responsible for the plentiful supply of brightly coloured Easter eggs so eagerly sought for by the children in all manner of hiding-places. The hare, therefore, plays a very important part in German Easter observances, and representations of the gentle, long-eared little creature are immensely popular. Indeed, they are fast acquiring a firm footing in this country also, and threaten to outrival the charms of the hens, chickens, frogs, and fish that never fail to put in an appearance whenever the glad spring festival is at hand.’ (Every Woman’s Encyclopaedia, 1910-2) Continue reading History Of The Easter Egg & Easter Bunny →