Part 6 in a series of 11 articles, all about headaches in Victorian America.
Today’s article takes a look at various “doctoring at home” remedies published in newspapers and books, all from the final decades of the 19th century, United States of America. Each newspaper or book snippet contains complete citations. Some remedies make sense, some seem like wild guesses, and others are simply ODD.
At the outset of Unmistakably Yours, Hank Murphy, proprietor of a fine new grocery emporium, is desperate to ensure adequate supplies to see his community through winter have arrived safely in Mountain Home. Much like Aesop’s fables about ants and grasshoppers, the American-Victorian era is ripe with moral-rich stories urging hard work during the summer to secure safety and comfort in the winter. This vintage newspaper article from 1880 showcases an example of the era’s “stories with a moral”.
Our inventive and problem-solving Victorian American ancestors patented some amazing stuff. One of those things were workable “snow tires” for their 19th century farm wagons and buggies. Not everyone owned a sleigh, and even if they did, the wagon bed was often needed. See Victorian America’s solution!
As an amateur historian, I’m thrilled to share my five-star Goodreads Review of author Mary Cable’s The Blizzard of 88. This nonfiction account of how and why this great blizzard impacted life in 1888 from Maine to Washington, crippling New York City. Can’t recommend this title enough!
Harvest Celebrations from the mid- to latter-half of the 19th century, as reported in newspapers in the United States, show the different types of “Harvest Customs” celebrated. Some customs and words were borrowed from various German immigrants, others were simple gatherings after the work of the harvest with time for thanksgiving and gratitude for adequate (or abundant) food to last until next harvest season.
