Conjuring Curiosities

By Clara and Sabrina

A historical seamstress tells her witchy friend about the most macabre aspects of the Victorian era. A new topic focusing on the 1800s every week, as well as a collective tarot reading and spiritua

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FAQs about Conjuring Curiosities:

How many episodes does Conjuring Curiosities have?

The podcast currently has 57 episodes available.

Conjuring Curiosities episodes:

February 29, 2024 Misunderstood Unmentionables
In this episode, Clara tells Sabrina about Victorian undergarments. From crinolines to drawers, and chemises to petticoats, we'll undress the secrets of each undergarment and its role in shaping the silhouette of the era. Join us as we examine how these garments were worn, why they were necessary, and the surprising ways they influenced Victorian fashion. But wait, weren't all those layers unbearably hot? And why is it that vintage and antique clothes always seem so tiny? Listen to this episode to find out!

See photos discussed in this episode on our instagram
Follow us on tiktok for videos that cover a condensed version of each topic!

SOURCES:
Kate Tattersall - Early Victorian Undergarments Part 1

Vintage Dancer - Victorian Stockings, Socks, Hosiery, Tights & History

Lancaster History - How Victorian Women used the Privy in Multiple Layers of Clothing

Historical Sewing - Passionate About Petticoats

Recollections - The Victorian Skirt – from Petticoats to Bustle: Part 1

Wardrobe Shop - THE COMPLEX HISTORY OF HOOP SKIRTS

Victoria and Albert Museum - Corsets, crinolines and bustles: fashionable Victorian underwear

Victorian Underwear - The Victorian Gentleman Undressed

Sustainable Rookie - Your Clothes Are Probably Made Of Plastic: What Fabrics To Avoid

Victoria and Albert Museum - Collections
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37min
February 22, 2024 Controversial Corsets - Part 2
In part 2 covering corset controversy, we dive deeper into the history of corsets. Clara tells Sabrina about their role in maternity wear, children's corsets, and the evolving dynamics of gender and fashion. We also cover the propaganda that men used to claim corsets were harmful, in response to the growing Suffragette movement. We explore the multifaceted reasons behind the shift away from corsets, acknowledging women's agency and the broader cultural shifts that influenced fashion choices.

See photos discussed in this episode on our instagram
Follow us on tiktok for videos that cover a condensed version of each topic!

VIDEO MENTIONED:
How Victorian Men Taught Us to Hate Corsets: The Biggest Lie in Fashion History

SOURCES:
Lemelson Mit - Mary Jacob Brassiere

The Wildcat Tribune - The history behind corsets: how a piece of clothing sparked controversy, criticism and empowerment

NEXUS - Effects of Long Term Corseting on the Female Skeleton: A Preliminary Morphological Examination

Wikipedia - Corset controversy

Lancaster History - Make No (Whale)Bones About It: Debunking those Corsetry Myths

MD History - Victorian Image of Pregnancy through Corsetry

TWO NERDY HISTORY GIRLS - Teeny Tiny Corsets

Lives & Legacies - Stay Informed About Historical Undergarments

Victoria and Albert Museum - Collections (Photos)

Katherine Sewing - I Wore a Corset During my Entire Pregnancy and Here's What I Learned

Fashion History Timeline - 1800-1809

Smithsonian Magazine - What ‘Bridgerton’ Gets Wrong About Corsets

Lara Corsets - About anti-corset propaganda....
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50min
February 15, 2024 Controversial Corsets - Part 1
This episode, Clara can no longer contain her corset knowledge! She tells Sabrina about the intricate history of corsets, and debunks the myths surrounding these iconic garments. Contrary to popular belief, corsets were not always the suffocating torture devices depicted in period dramas. In fact, they served a multifaceted purpose in Victorian society, offering support, shaping silhouettes, and even promoting better posture.

See photos discussed in this episode on our instagram
Follow us on tiktok for videos that cover a condensed version of each topic!

VIDEO MENTIONED:
I Grew Up in a Corset. Time to Bust Some Myths.

SOURCES:
Victoria and Albert Museum Collections

Lemelson Mit - Mary Jacob Brassiere

Messy Nessy - Men Wore Corsets, History Says

The Wildcat Tribune - The history behind corsets: how a piece of clothing sparked controversy, criticism and empowerment

NEXUS - Effects of Long Term Corseting on the Female Skeleton: A Preliminary Morphological Examination

Wikipedia - Corset controversy

Lancaster History - Make No (Whale)Bones About It: Debunking those Corsetry Myths

Lives & Legacies - Stay Informed About Historical Undergarments

Victoria and Albert Museum - Collections (Photos)

Fashion History Timeline - 1800-1809

Smithsonian Magazine - What ‘Bridgerton’ Gets Wrong About Corsets

Lara Corsets - About anti-corset propaganda....

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43min
February 08, 2024 Spiritualism: A Fox-y Beginning
This episode, Clara takes Sabrina on an exploration of the origins of Spiritualism and the remarkable story of the Fox sisters. Join us as we uncover the intriguing events that sparked a movement and forever changed the way we perceive the afterlife! Discover how the Fox sisters' alleged ability to communicate with the spirit world captured the public imagination, leading to the emergence of Spiritualism—a movement centred around the belief in the continuity of consciousness after death and the possibility of communication with the departed.

See photos discussed in this episode on our instagram
Follow us on tiktok for videos that cover a condensed version of each topic!

SOURCES:
Wikipedia - Fox sisters

Wikipedia - Spiritualism (beliefs)

Thecanadianencyclopedia.ca - Spiritualism

Smithsonian Magazine - The Fox Sisters and the Rap on Spiritualism

Center for Inquiry - A Skeleton’s Tale:The Origins of Modern Spiritualism

Friendsofdalnavert.ca - GABBING WITH GHOSTS: THE FOX SISTERS AND THE RISE OF SPIRITUALISM

The New Yorker - Why Did So Many Victorians Try to Speak with the Dead?

A Magician Among the Spirits - Harry Houdini

Medium.com - As Long As What You’re Saying Is True

ABC News - Psychic Who Said Amanda Berry Was Dead Silent After Berry Is Found Alive
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1h 13min
February 01, 2024 Dyeing For Green
Clara tells Sabrina about the vibrant green hue that took Victorian society by storm, adorning everything from wallpapers to dresses. But behind the allure of this captivating colour was a chilling tale of deception, danger, and death.

See photos discussed in this episode on our instagram
Follow us on tiktok for videos that cover a condensed version of each topic!

SOURCES:
Crosscut - Arsenic: Victorians' secret
Smithsonian Magazine - In Ancient Rome, Purple Dye Was Made from Snails
Racked.com - The History of Green Dye Is a History of Death
The Paris Review - Scheele’s Green, the Color of Fake Foliage and Death
Wikipedia - Scheele's Green
American Duchess - A Little History of Arsenic Green
Historic UK - Poison Panic
Wikipedia - 1858 Bradford sweets poisoning
Darthmouth Toxic Metals - The Facts on Arsenic
The Atlantic - When Poison Was Everywhere
Wikipedia - Carl Wilhelm Scheele
National Library of Medicine - Arsenic in medicine: past, present and future
Global Founders London - Dangerous Beauty: A Short History of Hazardous Cosmetics and Natural Alternatives
Wikipedia - Marie Lafarge
King 5 - This Washington study might make you think twice about your makeup choices
The Guardian - Elon Musk was once an environmental hero: is he still a rare green billionaire?
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1h 3min
February 01, 2024 Mummies as Medicine and Merriment
Clara takes Sabrina into the bizarre world of Victorian mummy unwrapping parties, and unearth the strange ways in which mummies were used in the 1800's. We discuss how ground-up mummies found their way into Victorian paintings, fertilizer, and even medicine.

See photos discussed in this episode on our instagram.
Follow us on tiktok for videos that cover a condensed version of each topic!

SOURCES:

A Bit About Britain - Periods in History
Historic UK - Kings and Queens of England & Britain
Wikipedia - Mummies of Guanajuato
National Geographic - These Mexican mummies draw crowds and controversy
Ksat.com - Origins of Mexico’s mysterious mummy museum and Day of the Dead connection
Travels with Talek - THE MUMMIES OF GUANAJUATO, MEXICO: SCREAMING CORPSES BURIED ALIVE
Ripleys - MUMMY UNWRAPPING PARTIES OF THE VICTORIAN ERA
Medium - The Victorians Were Mad for Mummies
Anchient Origins - Romans Drank Gladiator Blood as an Epilepsy Cure!
National Geographic - The gory history of Europe’s mummy-eating fad
Britannica - 7 Surprising Uses for Mummies
Burials & Beyond - The Weird World of Mummy Parties
The Conversation - Why did people start eating Egyptian mummies? The weird and wild ways mummy fever swept through Europe
Lapham's Quarterly - A Brief History of Medical Cannibalism
Wikipedia - Mummia
Dig It With Raven - We Used To Eat Mummies?!
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54min
January 31, 2024 Death Becomes Hair
In the very first episode of Conjuring Curiosities, Clara tells Sabrina that in the Victorian era, death was not only a part of life but a spectacle intertwined with intricate rituals and symbolic gestures. We cover the customs, clothing, and keepsakes that accompanied grief, from elaborate mourning attire to the macabre beauty of hair jewellery.

See photos discussed in this episode on our instagram
Follow us on tiktok for videos that cover a condensed version of each topic!

***Correction: There is currently no proven connection between oral plaque and arterial plaque!

SOURCES:
Statista - Child mortality rate (under five years old) in the United Kingdom from 1800 to 2020*
CANADIAN HISTORY: PRE-CONFEDERATION - 12.2 Childhood in a Dangerous Time
Very Well Health - Life Expectancy From Prehistory to 1800 and Beyond
Our World In Data - Life Expectancy
Office for National Statistics - Causes of death over 100 years
Approaching Death: Improving Care at the End of Life - 2. A Profile of Death and Dying in America
Vintag.es - “Living Room” What We Call Today, Was Actually Called “Death Room” in the 19th Century!
Random Times - What We Call Today “living room”, Was Actually Called “Death Room” in the victorian era…
Wikipedia - Queen Victoria
Pubmed - Deaths in childbed from the eighteenth century to 1935
The Frick Pittsburgh - Memory and Mourning: Death in the Gilded Age
Compass Rose Design - HISTORY OF VICTORIAN MOURNING JEWELRY
Englishhistory.net - Mourning
Issuu.com - Victorian Mourning Interpretation For Historic Homes
Lancaster History - Mid-Late Victorian Mourning Dress
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1h 2min

FAQs about Conjuring Curiosities:

How many episodes does Conjuring Curiosities have?

The podcast currently has 57 episodes available.