  | (Originally published at Book-Wyrm-Knits) The 19th century was a golden age for all types of handcrafting. From busy needles big and small flowed embroidered and appliqued quilts and beaded berlinwork. Antimacassars, tablecovers, seatcovers, and much, much more were crocheted, tatted and (of course) knit. Sculptural crafts included shellwork, featherwork, leatherwork, waxwork, and mosaic work, [...] “Asymmetry is the dominant characteristic of 1870s cover design. Countering the previous two decades’ heavy reliance upon a symmetrical style, designers began to work in a freer way and to use the diagonal as an axis. Shiny black ink was frequently employed, both supported and set off by stampings in gold.” [...] After the Civil War, artisanal local manufacturers usually enjoyed comfortable mini-monopolies. But with the rapid spread of the railroads and the telegraph, new department stores and mail-order catalogs pressured local producers and middlemen with mass-produced goods, a precursor to the Wal-Mart era. In the mid-1880’s, the Bloomingdale’s catalog promised that orders would arrive [...] “No account … however close, however graphic, can give a just conception of the variety and interest of the things to be seen.” —William Dean Howells, “A Sennight of the Centennial,” Atlantic Monthly May 10, 1876 dawned bright and clear after a night of rain. A crowd of 10,000 assembled on the [...] Writing historical fiction can be a bit of a challenge, especially when one is writing about a period as strange and wild as 19th century America. It was a monstrous time of social and racial oppression, outrageous financial shenanigans, environmental catastrophies, grinding poverty and the lack of any kind of meaningful social safety net—not [...] | |
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