Bill Meat Coney Island Photograph With Elephant Backdrop
A humorous 1888 piece describes visiting Coney Island photographers offering 26 cent backdrops including the Elephant Hotel. The narrator details head-rest devices, rival studios, and odd props while recounting a mock expedition to the Elephant Hotel and noting music by the Metropolitan Orchestra under Herr Seid.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Coney Island
Elephant Hotel
Brooklyn Bridge
Lierty
Buffalo Bill
Rue de Hengay
Brighton
Atlantic Ocean
United States
Metrolitan Overs
Herr Sei
Herr Seid
Adea
Quiet New York Boat Ride Reflections on Home and Travel
An Ohio New Hampshire traveler on a New York bound boat muses on summer escapes, politics, and the lure of home. He shares anecdotes about vacations, New York’s allure, and a wife fleeing to change, ending with a crowded dock arrival.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ohio
New Hampshire
Satan
To a Mouse by Burns In a Ploughed Nest 1785
An excerpted fragment renders Burns lamenting human domination of nature and the poet's ruined harvest, as a small mouse trembles in its nest. The verse contrasts the mouse's fragile life with human plans and futures and ends with the speaker's fear and uncertain hope.
How She Was Dressed. A Farmer Describes a Bride
An elderly farmer returns from his niece's wedding and, when asked to describe the bride's dress, offers a humorous, nontechnical account full of slang terms and vague details about a gown with flub-dubbery, a back ornament, a long trailing tail, flounces, no sleeves, and a soft white headpiece.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Atole
Bleake
Bleare
Schol
Dictor
Honora
Denny Lency
Bearie
Tall
The Old Man in a Hole Chronicle Excerpt
The Oakland husband insists on answering every question for the child. He lectures his wife on never appearing ignorant and claims a ready explanation is essential for any query. The passage centers on his theory about parental certainty.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
San Francisco Chronicle
Oakland
Hen or the Egg Debate Sparks Fathers Lesson
A father warns against uncertainty and buys a letter box to teach his daughter the value of clear answers. He picks the word hen to illustrate, prompting the child to ask which God made first the hen or the egg, highlighting a moral about knowledge and explanation.
Japanese Art Debate on Authenticity and Export Limits
A New York Telegram piece quotes a Japanese student and a collector discussing the rarity of true Japanese art beyond imported bric a brac. They argue most items sold abroad are for foreign markets and warn Americans to distinguish genuine works from gaudy imitations.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Telegram
Goresea
New York
Japan
Indian of the Isthmus Describes Coast Dwellers Life
A New York Times piece profiles Central American Indians noting light dress, subsistence through foraging and rubber trade, heavy whiskey use, and premature death from disease and alcohol. It laments modernization and the spread of white liquor as ruinous to the people.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Times
New York
The Old Tinder-Box Fire Lighting in Early Homes
A historical look at tinder boxes and early friction matches. The piece contrasts domestic brimstone matches with the glow of the flint and steel method, notes risks and old chores, and cites a Salem 1836 anecdote about a tradesman who avoided selling matches.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Henry M. Srooka
Jane
New Engand
New England
Salem
Diary keeping valued for reference in practice
The author argues in favor of maintaining a diary, noting its usefulness as bits of reference and personal record rather than for others. The piece emphasizes practical benefits of diary practice.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Adi
The Moneyless Queen in Honora’s Quiet World
A narrator befriends Honora a fourteen year old in Ben's alley, drawn to her gift for kindness and storytelling. Her influence reforms wayward children, and the meeting leads to a lifelong connection with her English grandfather, revealing Honora’s refined origins and eventual success after distant family help.
Stingy neighbor hosts strawberry party to collect tips
A wealthy frugal villager known for high prices and little hospitality hosts an evening with strawberries and cream. Guests, amused by his generosity, are surprised as plates are passed with a note reading Twenty-five cents Please pay at the door, collected by the host at exit.
Best She Could In Household Friction In Humorous Exchange
A humorous domestic exchange shows a husband complaining his toothbrush wore out after a week and tasting like chickens while a spouse defends cleaning and polishing duties. The dialogue highlights marital tensions over care of shared belongings.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harper's Bazar
Joanny Ie
An Easy Way to Balance Your Cash Journal
The article proposes a simple method to balance a cash account using a small blank book. Use a page for each class of items and enter every time you come into the house to keep records even if only a single item fits a class. The diary helps replace vague sundries with organized entries for weekly totals.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lincoln Park
Chadron
Nebsa
Detroit
Lincoln Chestnut
Edwina Abdamith
Philadelphia
San Francisco
Loewenthal
Burslem
England
Michigan
New York
Emma Jones
Susie Graffam
Searsmont
Augusta
Waco
Neb
Denver
John Roll
Redmon
Eastern
Australia
Reach
Harrison
D. Ss. Alexander
The
Treasury
Buffalo
Mehee
Chicago
Navy
United States
Charlestown Navy Yard
Boston
Mass
Brooklyn Navy, Yard
Brooklyn
N. C
Gosport
Norfolk
Kittery Navy Yard
Kittery
Island Navy Yard
Penn
Mare Island Navy Yard
Cal
New London Navy Yard
New London
Jovis
Atlantic
Tts
M. Jovi
Norway
Swedn
Ireland
Franklin Square House
The Cat Reveries From Texas Siftings
An whimsical essay on cats as quadrupeds and culture. The narrator wryly examines feline nature from origins to behavior, noting their nocturnal duets, nine lives, and oddly playful influence on human fascination and folklore.
Life on Mars We Might Weigh Lighter and Laugh More
The piece jokes that astronomers assume Mars must mirror Earth in life needs and body parts. It speculates lighter gravity would change weight and movement, imagines quick suns and Chinese lantern moons, and notes Martian life would differ, shaped by its environment and lack of lungs and larynx as on Earth.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
Earth
Moon
Mars
India
Red Planet
A Camel's Revenge and a Boy's Fatal Encounter
An English traveler recalls a camel in the East that is undomesticated and driven by revenge. A 14 year old boy guiding a wood laden camel is attacked by the beast, who seizes the head and flings him. The crowd intervenes too late, and the camel is killed by bystanders.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
Bening
Ice Cold Water and Ice Cream Linked to Digestive Pause
Dr. W F Hutchinson discusses a long debated issue on iced water and kidney disease. He argues against liquids below freezing and warns that iced drinks and ice cream can arrest digestion temporarily. Experiments on dogs showed ice cream can pause digestion for two hours, suggesting caution for especially young people.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
W. F. Hutchinson
American Magazine
Schwerfrage
Merchant Traveler: Pendleton Snow Play Review
A travelling man asks about a recent Pendleton Snow production and the critic notes the piece centers on exterminating humanity, sparking mixed interest. The excerpt evokes Hamlet inspired themes and questions motive and impact.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pendleton Snow
Carrying a Grudge Too Far
A brief commentary on copying newspaper paragraphs between the Boston Herald and the Lowell Courier, noting irritation with uncredited sourcing and the practice of reprinting. The piece critiques editorial ethics and reader trust in periodical attribution.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lowell
Boston Herald
Lowell Courier
Various Oddities and Ventures Across the Globe
A collage of eccentric notes and reports: London’s anti moustache wave and Tyler Texas publishing, Paris ball at 4 to 7 am, Cincinnati Music Hall carpeted in 2600 yards, New York mail workers 917, New York libraries totaling 21 million volumes, Elisha Gray’s telephone term, and more from cities like Chicago Philadelphia Boston and Detroit.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Tyler
Tex
Paris
Music Hall
Cincinnati
New York City
Elisha Gray
Highland Park
Hall, Hogg
London Omnibuses
Somerville
Kramer
Moxley
Philadelphia Exchange
Baroness de Reuter
Richmond
Star and Carter
Philadelphia
Court Street
Boston
Miss Leg
Montana
Hand
New York Tribune
Woodbush
Dunbar
England
Celtic
Rivadeo
Spain
Bancroft Journal
Chicago Mail
W Liam
Orange
William
Cork
Berlin
Hemingford
Neb
Sesson
Broome
Martin
Poughkeevsie
Pacific States
St. Johns
St. Joans
Detroit Free Press
Ella Wheeler-Wilcox
Toms River
New York
France
Hudson River Ferry
Jersey
Joseph Chamberlain
Washington
Union
Snyder
Chambershore
Penn
United States Envelope Agency
Hartford
Conn
Sophia Metzgal
Atlanta
J. Burdette
Livingston
Mon
Burlington
United Statish Commission
Albatross
Straits of Magellan
Eyre Sound
Cohasset
Iran
sanOenne
Two Old Cat and the Old Time Baseball Memory
A nostalgic speaker recalls playing Two Old Cat on a farm with a calfskin ball and pine bats. He contrasts old simple equipment and memory with modern players and changes in the game, lamenting the lost healthful simplicity of youth.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Mail
Also Mentioned on This Page
Bill Meat
Bill
West End
Hengag
Curis
Alps
Minuit
Nall
Nye
Robert Burns
Mousie
Isthmus
Central America
Kate Tannatt Woods
Suiffie
Blearie
Ben
Italy
America
Grandpa
Iiting
Texas
Kamscatka
Catalonia
Nesidentiary
Cat
Jill
Neves
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!