The Costume Museum’s 1919 Strike display will feature fashions that a working person might wear. I imagine that a head housekeeper might wear something like this on her half day.
The shirtwaist paired with this coat and skirt is wonderful!
The insertions and embroidery are so pretty! I’m not sure insertions is the right word for that kind of work in the open spaces. May be cutwork embroidery is a better term? Comments and corrections are welcome!
I got to the museum last night for a meeting and there was a display for the 1919 strike. This post will be of the men’s wear. Next few posts will be on the women’s wear. 
The first mannequin depicts a news boy and the second would be more of an office worked…perhaps a clerk.
The third mannequin depicts a worker in something like grocery work.
There isn’t a ton of men’s wear in the museum. Perhaps men tend not to have as big a wardrobe as women. They will also wear them till they are needing to be tossed and they tend not to be sentimental hoarders who hang on to an outfit because they wore it for this or that occasion. And families tend not to hang onto Grandads pants after he passes.
These very reasons are why a lot of women’s wear in the collection is grand occasion things like wedding and evening gowns and very few things like muck in the garden wear.
My third and final buy from last week was another ambrotype of a family unit.
It is pretty beat up. It doesn’t have the cover (if it had one.) The frame is dinged up to the point you almost can’t see that the Grecian key motif around it. I don’t know how to clean it up so that the picture is clearer. Is that hair on the mom’s shoulder (which might suggest 1870’s)? Is that a boy or girl baby?
For me, this is my best find because I don’t have many of these and this is the best one of the ones I have. I know there are ones in far better shape out there!
Hi guys! Just me wishing you a Happy Easter! Hope you are with loved ones!
Before I pop of to begin my weekend of eating and chocolate induced sugar highs, I wanted to share another find from…
…Mike’s General Store.
I think this is an ambrotype (anyone more knowledgeable are welcome to chime in). It is missing its frame but I liked the subjects.
I am assuming it is a mother with her children and family in the background. She is wearing an apron that seems a bit tattered and the location seems rustic (outdoors on dirt) but she has nice jewelry. The hair says 1880’s to me. I’d love to know their story. Maybe they are land owning farmers taking advantage of a travelling photographer who came by during a busy season?
There is a little antique shop I like.
They have reasonable prices and they are tidy and organized so finding things and picking things up to look at is not like an expensive game of Jenga. I got one of my cabinet card albums there, my stereoscope and some stereoscope cards and cabinet cards.
I picked up a few things there this past weekend. Let me show you one…
It is a little carte de visit that I liked because it depicts a woman who is not tiny and she is wearing a skirt and shirtwaist that do not match.
In my work network, I find there are a lot of us Recreation for Senior folks who will do projects on our time. We will also use our own stuff or our own money too.
I am no different. I don’t always have enough time or resources to do what I want at work so I donate to the cause. I am not a saint. I only do things on my own time if I enjoy it. And I only give away things that I have lots to spare or have no need of.
This time round it is an Easter tea. A plain ol’ tea time can be on plain ol’ tables. Not Easter. So on my day off, I turned these…
…into these.
I loved making these. They were inexpensive, easy to make and it can all be taken apart and rearranged to suit different events.
The little chicks are so cute!
I finished the mate for the mitt I made last week. I used wool left over from a hat I made my son. I plan to give these to him but he may find the pattern a bit “girlie”. If that is the case, I will wear them even though they are a bit too big on me.
I got all my bodice pieces flat lined and assembled this weekend. I really got a kick out of how nicely the patterns matched up. Not perfect but pretty nicely! On the front, the spot near the neck line is a bit off. 
This is the other not perfect bit…but close enough for this cowgirl.
Next step is trimming all the seams. I’m hoping the trimming and my natural fluffiness will fix this issue at the breast area…
Because of fraying, I’m going to need to finish all the seams. That will be an evening or two of hand sewing.
Wanda B Victorian 