children
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The Festival of Grime Collection #5
Another collection of pre-carnival floats. Notice how, alongside various insects, they also celebrated the pig. At risk of sounding condescending to our dear readers, it is no coincidence that they also chose a pig to represent their struggle for survival in an age when making it past the age of five was a miracle. At…
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The Festival of Grime Collection #4
We return to the festival which celebrates northern pride, grit and determination. This time we are archiving photographs of the carnival floats which took a huge amount of time to construct and involved numerous people in the communities coming together. These photographs were taken in and around the Lancashire towns circa 1880 several days before…
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Victorian Parents Using Their Children for Pranks Collection #2
Among the huge amount of photographs we have received this month, we have been lucky enough to find another rare example of Victorian parents using their children for pranks. This time the subject was toddlers. Our expert in this particular area tells us that back in the early to mid-nineteenth century, families tended to be…
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The Chess People of Bishops’ Island Collection #2
Today we return to Bishops’ Island. You can see from these photographs that some members of the tribe are quite short (photographs #4 and #7). The summer of 1892 researchers first wondered if they were children as most islanders wore masks and helmets so weren’t immediately recognisable. However, as the visit went on, they met…
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The Most Popular Children’s Toy in 1899 Collection #2
Today we archive more ‘knights on hogback’. We discussed in the last post how this phenomenon became the hobby of the parents. If you were to visit rural communities in the north on any given Sunday, you would find children bashing each other and adults doing the same but much more vehemently. Before long the…
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The Most Popular Children’s Toy in 1899 Collection #1
We should clarify right away that the title of this collection is a little bit misleading. The toys were actually the most popular for parents who would goad their children into playing with them. Regular visitors to our blog may recall previous collections where parents use their children for their own amusement. So what on…
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The Importance of Cards During the Victorian Era Collection #7
As promised, here are some more ‘cursed cards’ from this particular collection. As we research these more and more, we’re learning that anyone who used these cards for casting spells ended up either dead, destitute or diseased. While we don’t entertain pseudoscience and superstition at the Fellowship, we do find the backstories fascinating. We are…
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Photographs of Interesting Victorians Collection #4
Sometimes it’s useful to provide additional information for a photograph and sometimes it’s better to let them speak for themselves and allow the audience to fill in the blanks. Today we will allow you to blankety blank. Have a splendid Monday. TVUP
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Mr Baker the Blind Toymaker Collection #2
These are some more toys by Mr Baker. Photograph #1 and photograph #7 almost look like they are members of the Saint Rupert cult. In fact many of these toys resemble things we have looked at. We’ll leave you to explore. Have a splendid weekend. TVUP
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Mr Baker the Blind Toymaker Collection #1
Mr Baker wasn’t blind but he was a toymaker technically speaking. He got the name because of his unique approach to designing and making toys. They were intended for children, but research suggests that no child ever played with them. Instead wealthier Victorians purchased them as ornaments which only came out on Halloween. Mr Baker…
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