The Victorian Variety Show

In this episode, I discuss Robert Clark Kedzie (1823-1902), a Michigan doctor, chemist, and professor, and explain why his 1874 book, Shadows from the Walls of Death, can be considered one of the deadliest books ever written.

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References

Bien, Laura. “In the Archives: Poison Pages.” https://annarborchronicle.com/2012/05/03/in-the-archives-poison-pages/index.html

Harvey, Mark. “Shadows from the Walls of Death.” https://michiganology.org/stories/shadows-from-the-walls-of-death/

Kedzie, R.C. Shadows from the walls of death: facts and inferences prefacing a book of specimens of arsenical wall papers. https://archive.org/details/0234555.nlm.nih.gov/page/n3/mode/1up

Lindley, Robin. “Arsenic, but No Old Lace—Medical Historian James C. Whorton on the Poisoning of Nineteenth-Century Britain.” https://hnn.us/article/131120#:~:text=Arsenic%20was%20used%20even%20in%20medications%20to%20treat,this%20age%20of%20laissez-faire%20capitalism%20and%20governmental%20indifference.

Michigan State University. “Robert C. Kedzie.” https://onthebanks.msu.edu/Object/162-565-3181/robert-c-kedzie/

Norman, Jeremy N. “Robert Clark Kedzie Issues ‘Poisonous Paper,’ and a Poisonous Wallpaper Book Published in an Edition of 100 Copies.” https://historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=3404

Zawacki, Alexander J. “How a Library Handles a Rare and Deadly Book of Wallpaper Samples.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/shadows-from-the-walls-of-death-book

And, if you haven’t yet listened to my previous episode on arsenic and its frequent usage during the Victorian Era, you can check it out here! https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marisa-d96/episodes/The-Ubiquity-of-Arsenic-During-the-Victorian-Era-e1dafc0

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Thanks again to one of my favorite podcasts, Noctivagant: A Paranormal Book Club, for mentioning TVVS in their most recent episode, which you can listen to here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4xZBWRYmvLLkCx1HWFA2X1?si=3jrjGcFsTauLgodSQqNOTA

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

I discuss what I was able to find about the life of Charles Elmé Francatelli (1805-1876), one of the Victorian Era’s “celebrity chefs,” who spent part of his career cooking for The Queen and Prince Albert, and look at 2 of his cookbooks, The Modern Cook and A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes.

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References

Cook’s Guide, The. “Charles Elmé Francatelli.” http://www.thecooksguide.com/articles/francatelli.html

Cook’s Info. “Charles Elmé Francatelli: Victorian Celebrity Chef.” https://www.cooksinfo.com/charles-elme-francatelli

Flantzer, Susan. “Charles Elmé Francatelli, Maitre d’hotel and Chief Cook in Ordinary to Queen Victoria.” https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/charles-elme-francatelli/

Francatelli, Charles Elmé. A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/22114/22114-h/22114-h.htm

Francatelli, Charles Elmé. The Modern Cook. https://archive.org/details/b21530154/page/n5/mode/1up

Gilbert, Lauren. “Cook at Buckingham Palace: Charles Elme' Francatelli.” https://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2019/01/cook-at-buckingham-palace-charles-elme.html

Smythe, Colin. “Charles Elmé Francatelli, Crockford’s, and the Royal Connection.” https://colinsmythe.co.uk/charles-elme-francatelli-crockfords-and-the-royal-connection/

Wikipedia. “Charles Elmé Francatelli.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Elmé_Francatelli

Wikipedia. “Marie-Antoine Carême.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Antoine_Carême

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Mastodon: @[email protected]

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

You can’t talk about physical culture during the Victorian Era without discussing “Muscular Christianity.” I describe how this movement developed in the mid-19th century, ways in which it was practiced within and outside the UK, and how it intersected with phenomena that are still with us today, such as nationalism, imperialism, and eugenics.

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References

Graham, Alex. “Friedrich Ludwig Jahn & German Nationalism.” https://counter-currents.com/2017/11/friedrich-ludwig-jahn-and-german-nationalism/

Heffernan, Conor. “Indian Clubs in Victorian Britain.” https://physicalculturestudy.com/2022/01/19/indian-clubs-in-victorian-britain/

Hughes, Thomas. Tom Brown’s Schooldays. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1480/1480-h/1480-h.htm#link2HCH0018

Morse, Greg. “The Search for Manly Men of God.” https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-search-for-manly-men-of-god

Movement Health. “What is the Physical Culture Movement?” https://www.movementhealth.com.au/news/physical-culture-movement/

Perelman, Michael, and Vincent Portillo. “The Brutal Legacy of the Muscular Christian Movement.” https://www.counterpunch.org/2013/08/09/the-brutal-legacy-of-the-muscular-christian-movement/

Stark, James. “Fitness gurus and ‘muscular Christianity’: how Victorian Britain anticipated today’s keep fit craze.” https://theconversation.com/fitness-gurus-and-muscular-christianity-how-victorian-britain-anticipated-todays-keep-fit-craze-129522

Wikipedia

“Charles Kingsley.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kingsley

“Charles Spurgeon.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Spurgeon

“Christian Socialism.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_socialism

“Friedrich Ludwig Jahn.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Ludwig_Jahn

“Luther Burbank.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_Burbank

“Tom Brown’s Schooldays.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Brown's_School_Days

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I am honored to have been included in the most recent episode of Sandman Stories Presents! Check it out here (and catch a few past episodes while you’re there!): https://open.spotify.com/episode/3zZ11HW0tV1RwWjdEHM5hJ?si=vtId5NQvTzu98CvudrHqPg&dd=1

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Mastodon: @[email protected]

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

In this episode, I explore the stages in which fitness culture evolved in the 19th Century, as well as the rise of strongman athletes and fitness “gurus,” some popular fitness equipment of the period, and early gymnasiums.

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References

Barford, Vanessa, and Lucy Townsend. “Eugen Sandow: The man with the perfect body.” https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-19977415

BBC News. “'Manly exercise' manual found at Cambridge college.” https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-38420468

Britannica. “Eugen Sandow.” https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eugen-Sandow

Ernst, Gustav. The portable gymnasium: a manual of exercises, arranged for self instruction in the use of the portable gymnasium. https://archive.org/details/b20399789/page/61/mode/1up

Macfadden, Bernarr. Macfadden's physical training : an illustrated system of exercise for the development of health, strength and beauty. https://archive.org/details/macfaddensphysic00macf/page/6/mode/2up

Movement Health. “What is the Physical Culture Movement?” https://www.movementhealth.com.au/news/physical-culture-movement/

ScotlandsPeople. “Our Records: A Victorian Gymnasium.” https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/article/victorian-gymnasium

Stark, James. “Fitness gurus and ‘muscular Christianity’: how Victorian Britain anticipated today’s keep fit craze.” https://theconversation.com/fitness-gurus-and-muscular-christianity-how-victorian-britain-anticipated-todays-keep-fit-craze-129522

Walker, Donald. British manly exercises : containing rowing and sailing, riding, & driving. https://archive.org/details/britishmanlyexer00walk/page/n105/mode/2up

Wikipedia. “François Delsarte.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/François_Delsarte

Wikipedia. “Friedrich Ludwig Jahn.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Ludwig_Jahn

Wikipedia. “Genevieve Stebbins.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genevieve_Stebbins

Wikipedia. “Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Christoph_Friedrich_GutsMuths

Wikipedia. “Somatics.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatics#:~:text=An%2520early%2520precursor%2520of%2520the%2520somatic%2520movement%2520in,culture%2520practices%2520were%2520brought%2520to%2520the%2520US.%2520

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Mastodon: @[email protected]

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

When you think of “haunted” houses, there’s a good chance that structures built during the Victorian Era come to mind. I look at some characteristics of “Victorian” houses, and explore how and when their association with ghosts came about.

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References

Ayers, Vivienne. “Georgian house style – what it is and how to get the look.” https://www.homesandgardens.com/house-design/georgian-house-style

D’Costa, Krystal. “Why are Victorian Houses Haunted?” https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/why-are-victorian-houses-haunted/

Friends of Oak Grove Cemetery. “Victorian Funeral Customs and Superstitions.” https://friendsofoakgrovecemetery.org/victorian-funeral-customs-fears-and-superstitions/

Gallagher, Danny. “5 Real Houses That Inspired the Construction of the Haunted Mansion.” https://allears.net/2019/08/05/5-real-houses-that-inspired-the-construction-of-the-haunted-mansion/

Hoevel, Ann. “Blueprint for the ultimate haunted house – Victorian style.” https://www.cnn.com/2013/10/03/living/decor-haunted-houses/index.html

Interesly. “Architecture of Fear – the Victorian Haunted House.” https://www.interesly.com/architecture-fear-victorian-haunted-house/

MasterClass. “Victorian Architecture: 3 Characteristics of Victorian Architecture.” https://www.masterclass.com/articles/victorian-architecture

Mendelsohn, Hadley. “The Real Reason Victorian Houses Are Always Considered the Most Haunted.” https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a37527693/victorian-haunted-house/

MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). “Edward Hopper: House by the Railroad.” https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78330

Riddell, Charlotte. “The Open Door.” https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0606251.txt

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

The fern has been associated with myth and mystery for centuries, but the Victorians took their appreciation for this plant species to new levels. I discuss some events and circumstances that led to pteridomania (“fern fever”), as well as ways in which the magical fern was incorporated into the everyday lives of millions of Victorians.

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References

American Fern Society. https://www.amerfernsoc.org

Brain, Jessica. “The Wardian Case.” https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Wardian-Case/

Britannica. “Fern.” https://www.britannica.com/plant/fern

Castelow, Ellen. “Pteridomania – Fern Madness.” https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Pteridomania-Fern-Madness/

Green, Cynthia. “When Ferns Were All The Rage.” https://daily.jstor.org/when-ferns-were-all-the-rage/

Hamilton, E.L. “Victorian Ladies used Ferns as a Covert way to Express Passion and Desire.” https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/05/29/victorian-ferns/?safari=1

Kingsley, Charles. Glaucus, or the Wonders of the Shore. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/695/695-h/695-h.htm

Morris Arboretum (University of Pennsylvania). “The Fernery.” https://www.morrisarboretum.org/gardens-trees/garden-features/fernery

Mueller, Nora. “In Pursuit of Madness: ‘Pteridomania’ and The Historic Fascination With Ferns.” https://gardencollage.com/wander/gardens-parks/ferb-obsession/

Nikolaidou, Dimitra. “How the Victorian Fern-Hunting Craze Led To Adventure, Romance, and Crime.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-the-victorian-fern-hunting-craze-led-to-adventure-romance-and-crime

Symbolism and Metaphor. “Fern Symbolism & Meaning (Invisibility & Fortune).” https://symbolismandmetaphor.com/fern-symbolism-meaning/

Wikipedia. “Henry Bradbury.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Bradbury

Wikipedia. “Nature printing.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_printing

Wikipedia. “Pteridomania.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pteridomania

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Fainting women were a pretty common trope in 19th century literature. I discuss some reasons why Victorian-Era women were likely to faint, but also explore how much of what we know about “fainting culture” might have been myth, and how much was likely reality.

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References

Agnew, Molly Elizabeth. “The Truth About Corsets: Busting the Myths.” https://thevintagewomanmagazine.com/the-truth-about-corsets-busting-the-myths/

Austen, Jane. Love and Freindship. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1212/1212-h/1212-h.htm

Dickens, Charles. The Pickwick Papers. https://www.victorianlondon.org/etexts/dickens/pickwick-0012.shtml

Goshorn, Kelly. “Swooning, a Victorian Fad?” https://kellygoshorn.com/archives/2018/04/swooning-a-victorian-fad#:~:text=Swooning%20was%20simply%20one%20method%20for%20a%20woman,a%20secret%20affair%20and%20child%2C%20may%20be%20revealed.

Lucy. “Corsets and the Victorian Fainting Culture.” https://lucycorsetry.com/2014/09/25/corsets-and-the-victorian-fainting-culture/

Morris, C. “The Myth about Victorian Women You Can Stop Believing.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/the-myth-about-victorian-women-you-can-stop-believing/ar-AAYbNmk

Valentish, Jenny. “The corsets are gone, so why are women still fainting?” https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/voices/culture/article/2018/03/22/corsets-are-gone-so-why-are-women-still-fainting

Valeris, Monique. “Everything You Need to Know about a Fainting Couch.” https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/interior-designers/a28786604/fainting-couch-history/

Vic. “The Connection Between Vinegar and the Fainting Couch: 19th Century Customs.” https://janeaustensworld.com/2012/03/11/the-connection-between-vinegar-and-the-fainting-couch-19th-century-customs/

Victorian Era. “Fainting Couch In Victorian Era.” https://victorian-era.org/fainting-couch-victorian-era.html

Wikipedia. “Fainting Couch.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fainting_couch

Wikipedia. “Love and Freindship.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_and_Freindship

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

Although Valentine’s Day existed prior to the 19th century, the Victorians helped to make this day what we know and love (or hate) today. I briefly discuss the history of the day, then talk about the many “vinegar valentines” Victorians looking to insult rather than flirt could choose from.

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References

Andersen, Charlotte Hilton. “What Is Valentine’s Day, and Why Do We Celebrate It?” https://www.rd.com/article/history-of-valentines-day/

Corrigan, Maya. “When Valentines Were Vicious: A Brief History of the Vinegar Valentine.” https://crimereads.com/when-valentines-were-vicious-a-brief-history-of-the-vinegar-valentine/

Five Minute History. “Valentine’s Day in the Victorian Era.” https://fiveminutehistory.com/valentines-day-in-the-victorian-era/

Ponti, Crystal. “Victorian-Era 'Vinegar' Valentines Could Be Mean and Hostile.” https://www.history.com/news/victorian-valentines-day-cards-vinegar

Zarrelli, Natalie. “The Rude, Cruel, and Insulting ‘Vinegar Valentines’ of the Victorian Era.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/vinegar-valentines-victorian

Zelazko, Alicja. “Why Do We Give Valentine Cards?” https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-we-give-valentine-cards

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

I read 2 fairy tales from the 1893 children’s book, Rays of Sunshine: “A Frog He Would a Wooing Go” and “Death and Burial of Cock Robin.”

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References

“A Frog He Would A Wooing Go.” Rays of Sunshine. New York: M'Loughlin Bros., 1893. https://archive.org/details/raysofsunshine00unse/page/n7/mode/2up

“Death and Burial of Cock Robin.” Rays of Sunshine. New York: M'Loughlin Bros., 1893. https://archive.org/details/raysofsunshine00unse/page/n7/mode/2up

Mama Lisa’s World. “A Frog He Would A-wooing Go, Georgie Porgie, and the Meaning of Roly-Poly.” https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/a-frog-he-would-a-wooing-go-and-georgie-porgie/#:~:text=I’ve%20always%20been%20fond%20of%20the%20song%20A,by%20Elvis%20Presley%20and%20Bob%20Dylan%2C%20among%20others.

Mantel, P.G. “‘Fairy Tales’ by G.K. Chesterton.” https://www.menofthewest.net/fairy-tales-by-g-k-chesterton/

Public Domain Review, The. “The Death and Burial of Cock Robin.” https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/the-death-and-burial-of-cock-robin

Wikipedia. “Cock Robin.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cock_Robin

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!

In this minisode, I discuss the history of the zoetrope & explain why, even though it was generally marketed as a “toy,” I believe it was much more than that.

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References

Coterill, Chris. “Early Pioneer: William George Horner.” https://animationgeek.blogspot.com/2011/01/early-pioneer-william-george-horner.html

Object Lessons. “Zoetrope, Victorian, Replica.” https://www.objectlessons.org/childhood-and-games-victorians/zoetrope-victorian-replica/s67/a1072/

Taggart, Emma. “Circling the Zoetrope, a Victorian Animation Toy That Helped Shape the Future of Cinema.” https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-a-zoetrope/

Wikipedia. “American Zoetrope.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Zoetrope

Wikipedia. “Phenakistiscope.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenakistiscope

Wikipedia. “Zoetrope.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoetrope

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: twitter.com/victorianvarie1

Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thevictorianvarietyshow

I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, Audible, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!