Care instructions for the refrigerator from Elma D. Haynes, April 1894

In the well ordered household special attention is accorded to the refrigerator.  It is the daily family food receptacle and, as far as may be, should demonstrate the benefits of perfect cleanliness.

Subject it to a weekly scalding, preceded by a thorough investigation of all nooks and crannies by means of a sponge, a sharp pointed stick covered with a piece of linen or, if you prefer, a small brush, such as is used by the man of paint, and a scrubber for the sides. Sapolio may be employed in lessening this part of the labor, and a valuable auxiliary in dispelling disagreeable odors will be furnished by adding a tablespoonful of ammonia to each gallon of water employed in this purifying process. A simple precaution is to deposit a bit of charcoal, renewed when necessary, in the corners of the cold storage box.

At Left: An ad from a Victorian publication for a Leonard Cleanable claims to be the only refrigerator with separate compartments and movable flues.

Wash the ice from every suspicion of sawdust before consigning to its accustomed position. Some housewives reason the feasibility of wrapping it in paper, contending that so it melts less readily, and in the days of extortionate prices for the luxury their advice is certainly deserving of a measure of consideration, at least.

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Instructions for celluloid novelties from April, 1895.

Includes instructions for a candy box, heart shape photograph frame, handkerchief case, veil box, greeting cards and booklet covers. Click here for article

An advertisement for children’s clothing patterns from the Spring of 1893.

Little Boy’s Dress (left)- an exceedingly pretty coat dress for little boys; the pattern is cut in sizes to suit children from two to six years of age. For a boy of three it requires 1 7/8 yards of goods 36 inches wide.

This is a pretty model in which to make up a variety of goods in wool and in cotton. It will make a pretty dress in fine gingham, say in blue, with the ruffles, belt, cuffs and large ruffled collar in white linen. It is, in fact, very well suited for washable fabrics.

Little Girl’s Cloak (right)- for little girls from one to six years of age. For a girl of two years it takes 2 yards of 44 inch material. This little cloak will be pretty for spring wear made up in some light, fancy woolen, and should have its collar and cuffs in a harmonizing shade of plush or velvet.

Little Girl’s Dress (left) - suitable for a child of from two to six years of age. For a girl of six it requires 2 3/4 yards of material 44 inches wide. This model is suitable for making up in any of the thin woolens in vogue; it is also very pretty in gingham or chambray.

Misses Princess Dress (right)- suitable for girls from ten to sixteen years of age. It takes 4 3/4 yards of 44 inch material for a girl of thirteen years. This model is pretty made up in two materials, one serving for the sleeves and upper waist portion as well as for the skirt trimming of narrow flounces. Feather stitching decorates the suspender straps, the cuffs, the upper edge of the waist and the neck-band.

Washable fabrics are the most suitable for children’s garments, and for winter and spring they should nearly all be made of wool. Wool has several advantages over cotton and linen; it is warmer, more wholesome and protects the wearer from sudden weather changes. It has for children the inestimable advantage of being less inflammable than any other dress material, a great advantage, as children are so fond of playing with inflammable articles. In the writer’s childhood, her father insisted that all her garments with the exception of her pinafores should be of woolen material in winter, because he was a man who thought, and was given to foreseeing and preventing evils. He knew that fire has a fascination for young children and that they will play with it at every opportunity.

Advice given in 1911 for arranging cut flowers.

Is the artistic arrangement of cut blossoms a lost and neglected art? It appears so, when one views with wondering eyes, the cut flowers adorning the average home. Bunches and knobs of short-stemmed pansies and violets topping tall clumsy vases; lilies sprawling awkwardly, roses so bunched and massed that all their sweet beauties are distorted and lost; inartistic blending of hues and thrust into the hideous monstrosities, sold under the name of vases.

Is it, that in this age of hurry and speed, we have no leisure to cut and arrange beauties of our garden; no time to select decent receptacles to hold them and to see that they harmonize with the surroundings in which they are placed? Better, then to leave the blossoms to bloom unspoiled and unashamed in the garden.

Flowers should be cut in the early morning, the dew still on them, with a pair of shears kept sharp and keen. Carry a basket to lay them in carefully, and cut long stems. Never clip a full-blown flower, but gather the half-opened buds. Some flowers never should be carried inside the door. There are blossoms suitable for cutting, and others that should never leave the garden stem. Flowers that quickly droop in water, as the poppy and mock-orange, others that are insignificant in color, or size, or the ultra opposite, may have a garden spot, if one prefers them, but they are utterly out of place within the house.

There are three types of vases best selected, the tapering vase set on a standard, for delicate blooms and ferns; the bowl, and the tube-shaped, under which head come jars of all descriptions. Colored glass vases are inartistic, except, perhaps, a dark-green glass; better use a plain glass, or even a tea-cup than some of the hideous vases that one sees.

Lilies and large-stemmed flowers need a wide-mouthed receptacle, preferably something tall and stately. Stone jars look well, filled with callas and other large lily flowers. Lilies should not be allowed to sprawl; perhaps they are the most difficult to arrange artistically. Never mix them with other blooms, especially with small graceful foliage.

Pansies and violets should be arranged in low dishes, with an abundance of green leaves. Wide, low dishes, such as a common sauce dish, show off their beauty to the best advantage. The flower heads float upon the water, and the greenery hides the stems. Beautiful centerpeices, for the table, are made of a bowl of these flowers set in the center of a platter hid with flowers.

Ferns, smilax, asparagus, wild anise, wild parsley and other delicate greenery, should be grown, both for use with flowers and when flowers are scarce. Plenty of vinery enhances the delicate beauty of the rose, accentuates the rich coloring of the crimson flowers, and hides the awkward stems of many others.

The selection of flowers for evening, should be entirely different from those selected for daytime adornment. They should be brighter - more richly hued. Especially do blue and yellow flowers lose class by lamp or electric light. Flowers which open only by daylight, if desired for evening use, should be kept in a dark closet all day. They will open immediately upon being brought into the light.

Flowers should always be selected and arranged in harmony with surroundings. The wall paper, the stand or table covering, the contents of the room, and the lighting should all be considered. Dark, gloomy apartments should have bright blossoms in profusion, rich reds and crimsons, with touches of gold. Odorous flowers should not be cut for the bedroom, as the continuous perfume is unhealthy.

The artistic possibilities of cut flowers are unlimited. They brighten the home as nothing else can, if properly cut and arranged, a talent which may be cultivated by even those not naturally tasteful.

Fashion for the Coming Season - Fall 1895.

The average woman has one street costume for the winter season, which must do duty for many occasions, and November is the month that is usually selected for making it, as the new styles by that time are sufficiently settled to present something definite in regard to those parts of the costume where fashion is apt to show decided changes.

This season the sleeve is the disputed point. The balloon puffs that have for many months held their own against the ridicule which assailed them are not so easily discarded for the close snug effects that have been heralded since mid-summer. Women have grown accustomed to them, and though they murmured at the extravagance in material, felt that a certain style was imparted to a gown by the extra number of yards which was fashioned into sleeves.

For this reason a modified arrangement in this part of the gown will be preferred by many to the extreme close style. This medium sleeve, which is shown by the sketch and for which a cut paper pattern is furnished, is the one which has been especially selected from French designers to meet the needs of those who have a new gown in mind, or the remodeling of an old one.

It has but one seam which is under the arm. The upper part is disposed in folds that droop from the shoulder, and the lower part below the elbow follows closely the outline of the arm. The shape and style of the sleeve will be found equally effective for velvet, silk or woollen materials.

A side view of the latest design for a dress skirt is shown by the sketch on this page. It gives the plain effect at the waist, both in front and at the sides, with the requisite fulness at the back; which gradually sweeps into flaring folds at the foot of the skirt. It should be faced here to a depth of ten inches with French haircloth, or one of the soft American finish which has been previously shrunk.

If over this haircloth facing a taffeta silk facing of the same depth is placed, it will give the silken rustle to the skirt which is so desirable, even if the main part of the skirt is lined with percaline.

The bodice coat that is shown by the sketch is of fashionable tailor cut, combining the vest, which provides for a variety in material and color, without detracting from the simplicity of the style.

The wide straps of the dress material decorated with rich fancy buckles, and the handsome buttons on the vest, provide sufficient decoration to give relief to the severity of the cut, while the flare at the sides and back of the bodice skirt gives that touch of style to the costume which a closer effect would lack.

The combination of this latest French design in bodice, sleeve and skirt is shown on the finished green street dress at the top of this page. The gown is a special design from one of the leading costumers in Paris, with whom arrangements have been made to furnish a series of designs in color for costumes and gowns, with cut paper patterns of the same.

Shown at Left - Top: Child’s Winter Dress and Misses Street Dress.

Bottom row: Misses House Dress and Child’s Street Dress

Women who do more or less of their own housework should have a neat and becoming

gown, however simple, for the purpose. Calico is so cheap that one can afford

plenty of it to make a waist and skirt of tidy fulness, yet one almost invariably

economizes on material when purchasing prints, and gets but ten or twelve yards,

when if one is above the medium size and height, fourteen or sixteen, should be

the smallest number of yards purchased.

Do not seek too diligently for the color that “does not show the dirt,” because

if the dirt is there it is untidy. If you are replenishing your stock of prints

this fall, get a foulard finished calico of red, with polka dots of white. This

will always look bright and pretty, and needs no starch when laundered.

It should be made in one piece, or sewed together at the waist. Some women

button the skirt on to the waist with four buttons and buttonholes, and this does

very well, but there is a feeling of satisfaction in knowing that the waist and

skirt are sewed together beyond all possibility of separation.

The skirt may be brought around past the middle of the front and fastened at the

side, or, it may be fastened front with the front placket hole hooked together,

and as one usually wears an apron with this dress, it does not much matter where

it is closed.

Corsets, in these days of physical culture, should be laid aside for the morning

tasks, so that the muscles of the waist can have full play. So a loose waist is

better than a fitted one, as the latter loses shape so decidedly after it is

laundered. Gathered into a fitted yoke with a very full ruffle over the

shoulders, a turn-down collar and a white silk necktie under it, the skirt gored

to the knees and ruffled from there to the feet, it makes altogether a pretty

little gown, and an attractive bit of color behind the coffee-pot at the

breakfast table.

A blue gown with big white dots is quite effective, or a blue and white striped

print or penang, with solid blue collar and cuffs. This last is prettily

developed in a Norfolk waist, belted with blue. If the waist comes down over the

skirt, fasten with buttons and button-holes to the inside belt.

Wrappers, with the exception of bed and bath gowns, should be abolished as

slovenly in the extreme. There is just as much comfort in a tea jacket and much

more beauty.

A rich dark red one is made of Henrietta cloth with large soft sleeves and loose

body. Its yoke, collar, sleeve bottom, below the puff, and skirt, are all

trimmed with narrow black satin ribbon, and an old black chantilly flounce is

ruffled full around the bottom of the yoke and over the shoulders. In moments of

relaxation, the belt can be taken off, but kept near at hand, to be donned again

at a minute's notice.

Another jacket is half fitting, and made of black Henrietta, trimmed with

gold-colored ribbon. The bag front is made of black net, from an old gown,

draped over a half yard of gold colored silk. The sleeves are in double puffs

and separated with bands of ribbon.

For warmer days, they are made of figured challie, china silk, and from skirts of

lightweight summer material, that may be frayed or worn around the bottom. With

dainty furnishings of lace and ribbon, they are charming.

In these days of aesthetic tastes great care is spent upon the table. Its

napery, its dishes, its glassware are all the daintiest and finest the taste and

finances of the owner dictate and afford. In summing up the dainty appointments

of the table I neglected one of the most important factors of the table of today

- its flowers. These are considered almost as essential as its other

appointments; even our everyday tables are more attractive with the addition of

flowers, though they may be few in number.

At a dinner given by a wealthy woman, the chief adornment of the table was a cut

glass bowl filled with growing ferns. Not all may be able to afford the real cut

glass, that scintillates from every facet like a clear cut diamond, but ferns are

inexpensive, and a pot of them neatly adorned might grace the table of anyone in

very moderate circumstances. One little woman whom I know grows her flowers in

tin cans. These are unsightly, no one can deny, but her ingenuity and aesthetic

taste for flowers enable her to manage these inartistic cans artistically. Not

long ago I dined with her, and the centerpiece of her small table was a fine

plant of Abutilon rosaeflora. It was beautiful; its tender pink bells, drooping

from every possible branch, gave an added grace to the daintily served meal. Her

linen was white, so that every piece of china showed off to its best advantage.

The abutilon was placed simply upon a fringed napkin. The unsightly can was

covered by a square of white tissue paper. The can is placed upon the center of

a fringed square of the paper; the corners are then brought to the top of the

can. A pink ribbon of the exact shade of the flowers ties it in place. And a

flower piece, dainty, inexpensive, and durable has milady, the hostess.

The cut glass dish that held the growing ferns mentioned above was lined with tin

foil. This protected the glass from the soil and it also gave it a brilliancy

that would have been marred had the earth been visible through its clear

transparency. Even this decoration is not as expensive as some, for most table

flowers are evanescent in their beauty. But the ferns growing would adorn for

almost any period of time, and lose naught of their beauty. Indeed, this would

increase with their growth. The sylvan appearance of this decoration might be

increased by placing the glass bowl upon a mirror and placing ferny moss around

its edge. If desirable a bit of maiden's hair fern may be made into boutonnieres

with any dainty little flower that is convenient, and placed at each plate.

A Narcissus Dinner table is adorned with Paper White and Grand Soleil D'Or

Narcissus. The Paper White is a pure white flower growing in beautiful waxen

clusters. Grand Soleil D'Or is a golden yellow with a cup of deeper gold. These

two combine in fairest harmony.

Let the table linen be white with yellow border, the napkins to match, or if

plain white napery is preferred, the doilies could have a dainty embroidery in

wash silks, white, olive and golden yellow. Buttercups would be an excellent

design. These could be powdered over the small doilies.

Have three ribbons matching the yellow narcissus in color start from one corner

of the table. Let them cross the table diagonally in fan-shape and terminate in

handsome bows. For a centerpiece have a piece of china silk laid in loose folds

across the table; fern leaves may be scattered loosely and carelessly over it,

yet in such a manner as to hold the folds of silk in their position. In the

center place a low square glass dish; fill this with either growing narcissus or

those cut and arranged as naturally as possible. They could easily be arranged

as though growing by lining the dish with tin foil and filling with soil or moss,

and setting the blooming bulbs therein. A single cluster of Narcissus biflorus

with a tiny bow tied with white baby ribbon may be placed at each plate. The

biflorus Narcissus grows in couplets, just a pair of flowers on a stem; the

flowers are white with a golden cup. The combination is in perfect harmony with

the other decorations. The lamp shades may combine the two colors white and

yellow, or be a solid color. If one can have it, china with yellow borders would

be very pretty; but lacking this, use that of pure white. White china is always

dainty and in good taste.

Another pretty narcissus decoration which may figure for a five o'clock tea is

made of the Narcissus poeticus. This is one of the handsomest of the family.

Flowers are pure white with a crimson cup, which makes their beauty very

striking.

Let the table or tables be arranged with white napery, with embroidery to match

the hue of the center of flowers. In lacking this, pure white will not be

inharmonious. Let the floral decoration be simply a goodly bunch of the

narcissues arranged loosely in a vase of cut glass and silver. China to

harmonize adds greatly to the general effect.

A lunch is now frequently given upon a bare table. In this case the table must

be a handsome one and highly polished. Supposing it is of polished walnut and

the dishes of a rich brown color. Plenty of glass and silver harmonize very

prettily with a bare table. In some cases a handsome centerpiece nearly covers

the table; in other cases only about the usual sized centerpiece is used.

A very rich decoration is made with a centerpiece of rich red China silk laid in

folds, upon which are placed with careless care a number of single dahlias. A

tall siver epergne occupies the center and is filled with dahlias in rich browns

and reds to harmonize with the table and central piece. This decoration may be

varied to suit the season and convenience of the hostess.

Yellow makes a very striking decoration for a bare lunch table if the table is of

polished walnut. A handsome centerpiece of yellow-brown silk with ferns

scattered upon it, a low cut glass bowl filled with Pearl roses, makes a very

unique and rich-looking table.

It is more difficult to set a bare table effectively, as so few chinas harmonize

therewith. A polished oak table is nearly covered with a handsome centerpiece of

silk in harmonizing hue. Bronze dishes are used, and a floral piece of

yellow-brown chrysanthemums occupies the center of the table. Smilax is trailed

over the edges of the cut glass bowl and trails its green length riotously over

the table. In many cases the lunch harmonizes in main point of color with the

table decorations. Pink forms a lovely combination with white, and pink flowers

are almost always obtainable in the inexpensive kinds. White napery is chosen

for the cloth, this of the finest and handsomest available. A handsome

centerpiece of linen with elegant drawn work border is used. Napkins and cloth

are embroidered with monogram or initials. The doilies have a carnation pink

design powdered over them; carnations are chosen for the floral decorations.

These are used only in the tenderest, clearest pink and pure white. A very

pyramid mound is arranged in the center; smilax is used for a set-off. A single

white carnation with bit of smilax is placed by each lady's plate, while a pink

one arranged similarly is by each gentleman's.

There are endless varieties of decorations if one has a long purse; the variety

and beauty of the table adornments can hardly be told. A house conservatory,

too, affords ample means for charming table decorations, while even the woman

with a few pot plants, if they are thrifty, need not be without an artistically

adorned board. These little graces add so much to life; a flower, a pretty dish,

a bright face and pleasant word may make the whole day bright. It is worth

trying, for I believe children brought up in a well ordered home, seated at a

daintily-appointed table are easier taught good manners if all the appointments

are dainty; the clean linen, bright silver, shining glass and smooth dishes, with

a bit of flower for the center. I think her wee majesty or the baby king soon

become used to dainty things and learn a pride in them themselves. Accidents may

happen with little folks at the table. Philip may get a drop of fruit juice upon

the cloth, or Baby may upset her milk. They will not mean to do it, and will

soon learn manners in accordance with their surroundings. If children are given

oil cloth bibs, trays, etc., they soon learn that they are not expected to be

neat and dainty, and they will fulfill the expectations of their elders by

spilling milk, dribbling their berry juice, dipping their fingers in their food

and decorating their faces, etc. Let them know that they are expected, not to be

little gentlemen and ladies, but sweet-mannered little children, and they will

respond to gentle measures. When an accident does occur, but be sure it is an

accident, do not scold, but pass it off as cheerfully and with the same gentle

tact you would use had it been a loved guest who had committed the error.

Reported as the latest styles and designs for silver tableware in December 1892.

Shown in this antique ad: Handsome silverware in the latest styles and designs, coin silver plated. Five Bottle Revolving Dinner Caster: Height 15 inches. Engraved rim; handsomely ornamented handle. Handsome bottles with silver-plated caps. Pickle Caster: Height 11 inches. Width at base 4 1/2 inches. Glass bowl with plated cover, finished in polished silver. Base handsomely engraved and finished in polished silver. Sugar Bowl: Height 10 inches. Width at base 6 inches. Glass bowl with silver-plated cover, elegantly engraved and finished in satin and polished silver. Handle and feet ornamented. Base in satin and polished silver finish. Butter Dish: Height 7 1/2 inches. Width 6 1/4 inches. Base in polished silver. Cover satin finished with engraved rim and ornamented top. Cake Basket:  Height 11 inches, including handle. Width 9 inches. Handsome stand in polishedand satin finished silver. Bowl in polished silver, elegantly engraved. Berry or Fruit Dish: Height 8 inches. Width of bowl 7 inches. Elegant stand in polished and satin finished silver handsomely ornamented. Glass bowl.

The combination sideboard and china cupboard, the

subject of the two illustrations, was made by a carpenter under the directions of

the designer, for a dining room having only one closet, and that a small corner

closet built to complete the octagon form of the room. In this instance the

sideboard was made of clear white pine, and the finishing and decorating done by

the ladies of the family. The woodwork having all been well sandpapered to a

nice smoothness, an oak stain was prepared. Raw sienna ground in oil was

purchased, a one-pound can being more than sufficient, a little bronze-green

ground in oil, and some turpentine to thin them; raw sienna gave the prominent

tone, a little bronze-green was added to give an old oak effect. The stain was

rubbed in with a bit of soft woolen cloth. A little brown Japan added to the

stain improved it, and gave a slight gloss to the wood, helping also to fill the

pores.

The illustration at right shows the

combination sideboard and cupboard as it appeared when first in use, that is,

previous to its intended decoration. It will be seen that it has large shelf

space to accommodate china and glass, both in the upper and the lower part, the

latter especially, the shelves being both wide and deep. The shelves of the

upper part have mouldings for holding plates in their places, and the intention

is to put a row of brass hooks on the under side of one shelf for the hanging

thereby of the handsomest cups.

Between the upper and lower parts of the cupbaord, that is, on the top of the

base portion, there is ample space to stand extra plates, dishes, or saucers

needed for dessert. Ordinarily, a two-handled bamboo tray stands in the middle

of this space and holds two caraffes or water bottles set in old-fashioned fluted

silver “coasters” or decanter stands; also two heavy old English cut glass

decanters, one near each end, and a china open-work fruit basket, as seen in the

large illustration. The lower part holds a china dinner service, while the upper

part with its glass doors reveals the best china of the house, blue and white,

and red, blue, green and gold porcelain, also the cut glass dishes, etc. The gay

colors of the china are well thrown out by the old oak tone of the wood, and the

pretty forms of cups and pitchers and odd-shaped dishes, combine to make this

sideboard an attractive feature of the dining room.

The first illustration shows the empty cupboard and sideboard after its

decoration is completed, and is thus drawn so as to concentrate the attention on

its ornamentation as well as construction. It will be seen that the edges of the

shelves are ornamented, as also the outer edges, beyond the doors and the panels

of the lower doors. The ornament displayed is painted in coach-black with a fine

brush. There is also painted ornament around the base escutcheons. As all the

lines of this sideboard are straight and severe, the ornamentation takes the form

of curves and flowing lines, yet follows the line of construction, according to

the canons of good taste. The drawers for holding knives, forks and spoons,

which by the way should always be lined with velvet or canton flannel, and for

the table cloth and napkins, are also ornamented by painted designs, and swinging

handles of bronze have been added, replacing the knobs first in use.

Originally published December 1892

An effective design for the frieze of a dining room, whose walls and ceiling are

of a light soft red inclining to a creamy red, is a decoratively drawn grapevine

with life-sized branches, stems, leaves and grape clusters. The room referred to

was colored with powder colors mixed with a very thin paste. The colors employed

formed, for the leaves, soft browns and yellows with touches of dull red, reddish

brown for branches and stems, and soft reds for the fruit clusters. Some leaves

show yellow-greens, as seen in the autumnal coloring of the vine. The treatment

is decorative, hence the fruit is not colored to imitate nature, nor are the

leaves, except insofar as the autumnal colorings harmonize with the gray ground

of the frieze, and the soft yellowish old-red of the walls. The characteristics

of the grape vine are retained, but the vine is arranged to conform to the limits

of the frieze space and the octagonal shape of the room.

A departure from the strictly conventional is made in this special room to meet a

special need, namely, to conceal a large water stain on the ceiling at one end of

the room. Here the vine is carried up from the frieze to spread over the large

stained area in a mass of foliage and stems, and as the coloring of the leaves

and vine are soft, and blend harmoniously with the ceiling color, the effect is

pleasant and artistic.

The colors for painting the frieze are the ordinary powder colors such as the one

you can buy in a paint shop, Spanish-brown, Indian-red, yellow-ochre and

ultramarine-blue. The medium for their mixing is a thin gum-arabic solution, in

which they must be ground patiently with a palette knife until they are very

smooth indeed. An excellent way, however, to grind them well is to put the

colors and gum in a porcelain mortar and pestle, working it in the mortar with a

circular motion.

To test the color dab some on a piece of stout, white paper and dry it. If on

rubbing the dried colored surface with the finger the colors come off, there

isn't enough medium, so you must add more gum-arabic solution. If the color

flakes off in patches, there is too little color and too much gum. By drying the

color one can also test whether it is too light, too dark, the color you desire

or something unsuitable for your purpose.

Originally published in a Ladies magazine 1892