Royal Processions - Then and Now

My grandfather who was born in Croydon, England in the 19th century, might well have been part of the crowds who lined the procession route of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887.  Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee procession will take place on Tuesday June 5th, 2012.  Will you be there or watching on the tele?

Practising my curtsey,
Marjorie

The Mystery of the Travelling Violin Case

It was just another day of antiquing here on the Central Coast of California, when I discovered this 19th century violin case.  It is not exactly the type of item I normally look for, or at. In fact, it was a bit creepy.  It was made of wood, painted black, and because of its form, I would later learn is often called a "coffin-shaped" violin case.  Yet something drew me to take a look.  There on the front was a cartouche with copperplate engraved lettering and the owner's name - "Alfred Catchpole Geneva, N.Y.".  Those of you who follow this blog, will know that I am from the East Coast of the United States, and that my hometown is Geneva, NY.  So here on the West Coast was a memento of my childhood home!  

Some preliminary research has uncovered information on the Geneva Catchpoles:  Alfred Catchpole died on August 13, 1913 at age 84.  His wife, Emily, died on May 30, 1905 aged 73 years old. Their only child, Alfred Edward, sadly died on September 14, 1873 aged 14 months.  They are all interred in Glenwood Cemetery in Geneva, NY.  Alfred senior, owner of the violin, was a respected member of the community, and one of the founders of the Catchpole Boiler Works. 

 (Photograph from New York Heritage Digital Collections)

The family home was at No. 9 Genesee Park.  I know this house well.  It is located on the park across from the Presbyterian church where generations of my family worshipped.  I remember this house being home to Ida Smith.  An elderly spinster, every Sunday she sat in a pew at the front of the church, with another elderly lady, both dressed in black, and looking like characters out of a Gorey cartoon.  When Ida passed away, a young family bought the house for a very modest price.  Rumor has it that the rooms were filled floor-to-ceiling with amazing antiques and artifacts, some ending up at the local historical society, some being sold, and some kept by the new owners.  I wonder if the violin was part of this dispersal?

The violin case itself travelled even before it arrived in Upstate New York.  Examining further the metal plate on the front, I found a tiny maker's mark with the name "Delanoy".  Alexandre Delanoy (1850 -1928) was a famous violin maker who worked in Bordeaux, France.  Some of his violins now fetch up to $35,000.  Mrs. Catchpole was born in France, and perhaps she brought the violin and case to the marriage.  Where is that violin now? I do know where the case is! 

It's all a mystery to me.  To be continued ...

Marjorie 

Mother Love

 These endearing images from the pages of a nineteenth century children's book remind us that ...

  Mother Love is ...

Timeless!
With gratitude and love, Marjorie

Cherry Petal Days

April...
Wishing you Happy Cherry Petal Days!
Marjorie

Easter Chic

We're all ready for the Easter parade - I've donned my bonnet, and taken my escort Bunny's arm. Don't we look 'chick'?
Happy Easter!
Marjorie

For the Love of Loden

This Spring updated versions of 'Trachten", the traditional German and Austrian alpine clothing have appeared on the fashion runway, in numerous stores, and in the Style & Fashion section of the Weekend Wall Street Journal (1-28/29-2012) . Fashionistas of yesterday also favored this style - Millicent Rogers, Wallis Simpson and Edward were among its fans.

Trachten clothing includes:

• Jackets and capes made of loden, (a type of felt) embellished with antler horn, bone or engraved silver buttons.


• Hats adorned with wild boar bristle pins and hunting medals


• Lederhosen (leather shorts with suspenders)


• Dirndl dresses (a layered costume consisting of a blouse, vest, skirt and apron).

If you're still confused -

just think 'The Sound of Music'!

I, too, have a bit of a Loden past. When I was a teenager, our family took a summer vacation to Europe. We found a low cost air fare on a charter flight, but there was a catch. We had to become members of a traveling German singing group, who had booked the plane. The group looked something like this:

One stop on our tour was Salzburg, where we found a tiny little shop that sold traditional folk clothing and costumes. I entered as a naive teenager from Upstate New York, and came out as Maria von Trapp in my drindl and grey loden jacket. My younger brother picked out a fetching pair of lederhosen shorts.

In college, I returned to Europe as an art history student. Living in Florence Italy I became enchanted by the heavy green loden coats worn by the Florentines. Searching out a resale shop, I purchased a used loden coat. It kept me snug and fashionable during that long ago Italian Spring.



Many years and many lodens later (including a coat and several jackets like the one below)...

Guess what I found last week at the local Goodwill resale shop?
You guessed it - a Loden Coat!

Still tracking trachten,
Marjorie

My Uggie

Found this lonely and abandoned puppy at a local junk store yesterday. He's just as cute as his famous movie star relative, Uggie. Doesn't he look happy in his new home?

Smiling with motherly pride,
Marjorie