Cabbaging Cove

Waist Belts! Wear them at your own peril!

SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE ENGLISH, 1769–1830

THE HONORABLE CAROLINE UPTON c. 1800 Oil on canvas

When I was a kid I used to fantasize about living in the Victorian Era. My family was white and solidly middle-class, and I had no feelings about the fashions (though they did seem a bit uncomfortable), but the social directives. Doing *this* plus *that* would equal response A, B, or C, which had their own tree of directives!

They were so CLEAR. So understandable. Oh, sure, as a headstrong and forward female, I didn’t always AGREE with the way Victoriana went about social engagements and personal interactions, but even that! Even that was something I wanted! If I’d been a placid and studious woman of high etiquette, I could have filled a role that had unambiguous assumptions and responsibilities. If I’d bucked those trends, maybe I’d go down in history as a trailblazer! It took a very long time to realize that a hundred years from now, there will almost certainly be books written about us that make things seem as simplistic and understandable as the Victorian era was to me. Sure, back then there were fewer roles women were allowed to fill. Things may have been simpler. But that doesn’t mean they were better - or that they were anywhere near as proscribed and simplistic as many books after the fact have made it seem.

I kind of hate that. I wish it were that simple. It was nice to have a time period to fantasize about, some period simpler than the current era, a time where Interaction A plus Interaction B led to Reaction A or Interaction C.

“Behind the Scenes”

You know nothing, John Snow…

Extra Credits has just wrapped up an excellent series on cholera, Dr. John Snow, epidemiology, and life in Victorian England.

I highly recommend you watch it all, including the Epilogue and “Lies” episodes, for bonus fascinating history and current stuff.

Episode 1: You Know Nothing, John Snow!

Episode 2: Epidemiology Begins!

Episode 3: Map of the Blue Death

The Sanitary Movement

Pair of copperplate engravings from Augustin Calmet, An historical, critical, geographical, chronological, and etymological dictionary of the Holy Bible, in three volumes, trans. Samuel D’Oyly and John Colson (London: Knapton et al., 1732). Based on the earlier French edition, Dictionnaire historique, critique, chronologique, géographique et littéral de la Bible, originally published in Paris in 1720.

A Benedictine monk and biblical scholar, Antoine Augustin Calmet (1672-1757) was also known for his writings on the occult.