The first year of "Victoria" consisted of issues in winter and summer. Here are photographs from the first winter issue that I found interesting.
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The house plans were always a fascination to my children, who poured over them and observed every little thing. From there, they began drawing their own floor plans on graph paper. They became familiar with terms like "cupola," "gable," "turret," "dormer," "wrap around porch" and many others, just from this section of the magazine when it came.
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This was a page that showed an antique Valentine, which I think caused a revival in old-fashioned Valentine -making.
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The above was a table set for a Christmas wedding reception.
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Above: Toasted seven-grain bread with orange honey and vanilla milk tea.
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A historic home.
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An ad for a blouse you could order from Victoria magazine.
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The house plans were always a fascination to my children, who poured over them and observed every little thing. From there, they began drawing their own floor plans on graph paper. They became familiar with terms like "cupola," "gable," "turret," "dormer," "wrap around porch" and many others, just from this section of the magazine when it came.
.jpg)
This was a page that showed an antique Valentine, which I think caused a revival in old-fashioned Valentine -making.
.jpg)
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The above was a table set for a Christmas wedding reception.
.jpg)
Above: Toasted seven-grain bread with orange honey and vanilla milk tea. .jpg)
A historic home.
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An ad for a blouse you could order from Victoria magazine.
12 comments:
I sure would like to buy that blouse.
I love the pink house. When I was younger I loved looking at the diagrams of homes and dreaming of my own home when I grew up.
The pink houses were beautiful! I love all things that are victorian. Could you please give me the name of the magazine?
Victoria (winter 19 87/88
check Amazon for used copies
I really love this magazine. Do you subscribe since it was re-issued a few years ago? Thank you for sharing, Lady Lydia!
Have a wonderful Sabbath day tomorrow!
Dearest Lydia,
This sounds so lovely!! What a pity this type of thing is no longer in production (from what I've heard, even if 'Victoria magazine' is back, it is reportedly not nearly as good as it once was). As for victorian style blouses, http://www.biblicalgarden.com/ seems to sell them.
Blessings,
Sarah,
Australia.
I had a blouse very similar to this which I wore with a winter white suit.
It brings back good memories.
When I subscribed to Victoria, I loved looking at those house plans too.
You are so right about the styles changing from the pretty feminine looks to the starker contrasts of revealing figures. I kept some old J.Jill Ltd. catalogs featuring "Aunt Abigail's Attic", They are pretty and very feminine in their styles. I would be willing to email some scans of these catalogs if you are interested.
I do hope we get back to more flattering styles in pattern books.
Appreciating the fine things you share,
Janet
Janet,
I blame the designers and manufacturers of clothing and patterns. If this junk was not out there for women to buy cheaply, they would not be wearing it. If it was hard to find, they would not have it. It has been made accessible (sloppy clothes, tee shirts, shorts, jeans, ugly footwear) and women who do not sew, will buy what is on the rack at the store that they can afford. I was in Ross the other day with my daughter and we were looking at little girl's clothes. We found some nice dresses and I asked why they don't have cute dresses like that for big girls like us. She said "Mom, have you seen what is on the rack for women? It is like a twilight zone." In line, we were still discussing how to find nice clothes and I sighed and said "I think I will get some patterns from the 1990's and go back to the Victorian look." A younger woman in line, who was buying a status-symbol purse as big as herself (she was small) cast us a very disapproving look when I said I was just going to go back to the Victorian era. Remember that I once posted here that the romance writer, Barbara Cartland, who had a Victorian mother, was so disgusted at the lack of romance from the 60's through the current era, that she decided to set her novels in the Regency period, with damsels and knights. She said she could not write a modern romance, because it was not romantic like it used to be. Well, if she could do that, I don't know why I cant go back to Victorian clothing. They would be modern fabrics with current patterns. I just buy the costume patterns from the pattern books, when they go down to 99c at the fabric store, about once a month. Your costume patterns will have the design and structure of the clothes of the 1990's. You just make them into a historically inspired modern dress by making the hem slightly shorter and using colors from the fabric stores. No one can say you are living in the past, because you sewed it last week using fabrics and patterns you bought only a few weeks ago. I have always wondered how people can go so crazy over the Victorian decorating and art work and so despise the fashions of the time. They are no more ridiculous than the low cut, belly exposing pants and huge belts with studs in them, parading around as fashion today. Add to this the amount of rings and things in people's faces, and permanent tatoos, and you have the most ridiculous fashion ever perpetrated upon mankind. I don't know how people can so despise the Victorian hats when they do such strange things to their hair--spiking it and coloring it and never wearing a hat. No wonder there is so much sickness around--I rarely see anyone's head covered in winter, and they will die for fashionable shoes that do not cover their feet adequately. No one wants to admit there is weather, and they do not dress for it.
I enjoyed your latest video (love the purple/ fuschia theme!);
always, I feel encouraged and a renewed zest for making the home a real haven from the world, when I come here!
I do like that you consider the home environment from the point of view of children and adults alike. We all benefit from loveliness, and little eyes are observant and fascinated by delightful things. I have appreciated when you have said, for example, that a beautiful fabric with a pattern of flowers or birds will be noticed and remembered by the children. I am all for prolonging the innocence and delight of childhood which is woefully short these days.
We have no grandchildren yet, but if God blesses us with any, eventually, I hope I to share and enjoy with them the interests and gentle, memorable Pastimes that you have mentioned here.
At least we can be in England in the Spring , as we live here! And very special it is, too :)
Thanks for reminding us all to find beauty in the everyday, Lady Lydia.
Sorry, I just realised I attached my comment to the wrong post!
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