Evolution of Blacking From Ivory to Coal Tar Across Centuries
A compact look at blacking history from early nineteenth century innovations to earlier eighteenth century references in literature. It notes varied mixtures used for shoe polish, including ivory black, sugar water, whale oil, and soot, and cites quotations from Gay, Defoe, and the Trivia to illustrate recurring images of the bootblack in society and literature. It also recounts a New York Tribune anecdote about a hospital child and a promised dollar turning into a nickel, reflecting social attitudes toward charity and value.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Edward Moore
Gay
de Foe
Jack
Blackguard
Arab Weapons and the Arab Gun Swords of Muscat
A Chamber's Journal vignette from Muscat describes a pure bred Arab man with daggers a sword and shield. He recounts battles and deaths caused by his ancestral weaponry and refuses selling these heirlooms despite offers. The blade shield and gun are his identity and proof of honour and lineage.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Muscat
Sahib
Mohammed
Chambers
Tailor’s odd pockets for singers and detectives
A Louisville Courier Journal excerpt describes music pockets on coats for singers that hold songs without crowding. It also notes handcuff pockets in sleeves for detectives, so cuffs can be drawn unseen. One patron lines trousers with leather after a dog bite incident.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Louisville Courier-Journal
When Bride and Groom Were Thin Anecdote 1795
In 1795 Dr. Douglas became master of Corpus Christi College and married Miss Mainwaring daughter of the Lady Margaret professor of theology. Due to their thinness Mansel joked that Paul would say two splinters make one bone, quipping at the union of Dr. Douglas and Miss Mainwaring.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Douglas
Corpus Christ College
Miss Mainwaring
Lady Margaret
Mansel
St. Paul
Mwain
Mike Pharaoh
Benet
Main* -Waring
Why He Was Mad
A Pittsburg Post snippet shows a clerk offering wine and champagne in bulk to Nuritch. He resists, calling out the absurdity of ordering wine as if it were coal or baskets of champagne, lampooning overpricing and confusion in a humorous exchange.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Nuritch
Pittsburg Post
The Assault at the Pump Case Reported
The complainant claims assault by the defendant, while the defendant denies touching him. Witnesses Croucher and Willoughby say they carried the man to the pump. the defendant asserts he only operated the pump handle.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Croucher
Willoughby
London Hixpress
Georgia Negro Claims Three Wars In Court
An elderly Georgia man told a judge he had “been in three wars.” When asked to name them he replied that he was a cook in the Confederate War and after freedom, he was married twice.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Georgia
An Easier Way Arry on holidays
A brief vignette from London life featuring a speaking Easier Way Arry and the Old Salt in a London Tatler style exchange. The humor centers on holiday sights and a playful back-and-forth about London views and familiar seaside banter.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Arry
London
Frees Physical Culture System Becomes Money Maker
The exchange remarks that Fre’s physical culture system is profitable for those who pay for it, implying the program’s financial success. The quote contrasts public value with paid participation, highlighting money as the driving factor behind perceived benefits.
Mystery of the Dancing Light in Davy’s Chamber
Sir Humphry Davy, studying in his night attire, notices a bright dancing circle on the ceiling. The glow remains while he extinguishes the lamp, accompanied by a scorching odor and sizzling sound, until a warm scalp reveals the culprit a blazing nightcap tassel dipping into the candle.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Humphry Davy
An Object Lesson In Cleanliness
A medical student in a laboratory performs a demonstration on hand cleanliness by touching one of two test tubes with a barely washed finger. After twenty four hours the touched tube contains turbid broth due to microbes, while the untouched tube stays clear.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Everybody’s Magazine
Haunted Library of a Northern Castle
A legend from London Modern Society describes a haunted library where Mary Queen of Scots rested as a prisoner. Books allegedly rearrange themselves nightly, moving from shelf to shelf despite locks, searches, and vigil observers. Guests and family affirm the phenomenon with no found explanation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mary
Queen of Scots
England
Shakespeare
London Modern Society
A Long Scold
Brewster returning late from his club is greeted by a curtain lecture from his wife in the bedroom. He had not turned up the gas and slips out to rejoin friends, then returns two hours later and finds his wife still scolding as she does not notice.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Brewster
Glasgow Herald
Impressive Hippopotamus Size and Proportions
A Baltimore American humor line notes a professor of natural history praising the awe inspiring animal creation, highlighting the hippopotamus as an example of nature’s stupendous size and weight. The quip references a giggling pupil asking if the animal is cute.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Zop
Baltimore American
An Invincible Intruder in The Washington Star
A short comic exchange features Miss Cayenne noting value beyond money and a counterpoint about needing funds to obtain it, illustrating a witty urban sentiment from the Washington Star column.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Miss Cayenne
Washington Star
Why It Is Stranger Quip From The Philadelphia Record
A witty exchange frames truth as stranger than fiction with a quip about familiarity. The dialogue contrasts a savvy remark with a simple observer, capturing a magazine style witticism from the Philadelphia Record.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia Record
Insincerity and Its Effect on Life and Enjoyment
A quotation attributed to Clawthorne argues that internal fraud makes all pleasures feel unreal and turns life into a hollow performance. The quote emphasizes personal authenticity as the basis for meaningful experience.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Clawthorne
All That Was Left
A young married couple traveling for their honeymoon on a late train to Washington were awakened early. The groom left his coat and hat to return to a smoking compartment and vanished before the train reached Baltimore. Passengers found the bride weeping, believing her husband had vanished, while the conductor explained two sleepers were dropped at Baltimore, leaving only the coat and hat as evidence.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
Capitol
Congressional Library
Baltimore
What the Lunatic Thought
A clergyman visiting a lunatic asylum preaches a missionary sermon. Afterward a patient praises the sermon, asks which part struck him, and jokes that the mother who threw infants into the Ganges would have tossed the clergyman himself. The exchange ends with a wry remark on the clergyman’s upbringing.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ganges
London Express
The Teller Wins as Clearing Boss Is Reprimanded
A New York Globe anecdote recalls a bank president who overrode warnings while a teller exposed a risky practice. The teller faced no discharge after the clearing house chair warned the president that firing him would shut the bank. The incident dates back several years.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Clearing House Bank
Clearing House Committee
New York Globe
Fly in the Soup Sparked Diner’s Sour Alarm
A diner fixated on a floating foreign object in soup accuses the place of a fly, only to have the waiter declare it a mere dirt speck. The incident adds to a string of sour, unfounded complaints in local dining.
Time Allotted Us To Life And Its Wasted Hours
The passage laments how humans squander the time allotted to them through avarice, drink, sleep, luxury, ambition, vanity, and needless pursuits. It argues that time spent is wasted until it runs out, making life seem short rather than truly brief.
Noah Avoids The Rain In Town Gossip
In Philadelphia Press style, Towne asks why the nickname Cholly is used for Noah Kallow. Browne counters that the nickname is inappropriate yet Noah showed practical sense by staying indoors during the rain.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kallow
A Waiting Game in a California Divorce Tale
A San Francisco Call snippet shows a wife delaying divorce awaiting her estranged husband's business recovery to secure worthwhile alimony. The dialogue hints at a strained marriage and financial leverage, with emotional stakes framed around money and separation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
San Francisco
Deception of Truth in Classic Wit Quote
Westminster Gazette notes a paradoxical boast by Bismarck claiming he deceived the world by telling the truth. The remark contrasts clever strategy with simply truthful candor, suggesting honesty as a bold, even superior, tactic. The brief quote reflects a ironic view on war and politics.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bismarck
Westminster Gazette
Franklin quote on liberty and safety ends in a warning
A concise quotation attributed to Benjamin Franklin asserts that surrendering essential liberty for temporary safety forfeits both liberty and safety. It encapsulates a critique of security measures at the expense of fundamental rights.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Franklin
Government Ferryboat Wave Launched by Herreshoff Co
The Wave ferryboat built for government service in Newport Harbor was launched at 11 o clock Wednesday from the Herreshoff South Shop. A builder's trial in Bristol harbor produced the required speed with low steam pressure and the builders were satisfied. The vessel, distinct from the Yagulation design, features a central smokestack offset to one side and pilot houses at each end. It will serve fire patrol duties in Newport harbor and undergo official testing before final delivery.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Herreshoff Manufacturinng Company
Newport Harbor
Bristol Harbor
Nat. Herreshoff
Newport
New York Yacat Club
Atlantic Squadron
Obituary for Mrs Sarah C Hart Widow of Frederick Hart
Mrs Sarah C Hart widow of Frederick Hart died yesterday at her sister’s home on Lincoln Avenue aged 84. She had been ill a short time. husband died about ten years ago. Survived by brother John of Providence and sister Mrs William Hart, with whom she lived. Funeral at 1 p.m. Sunday at Lincoln Avenue residence. Interment in North Cemetery. Member of State Street M E Church with many friends.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sarah. O. Hart
Frederick Hart
William Hart
Lincoln Avenue
John
Providence
North Cemetery
Hart
State Street M E
Y M C A Team Beats East Providence Reserves Easy
The Y M C A basketball team defeated the East Providence Naval Reserves 51 to 1 in the local gymnasium Tuesday evening. Bristol star Herrmann scored 22 points as Bristol outclassed the visitors from the start. Lineup and scoring details list Bristol players Duffy Wardwell Manchester Herrmann Balfour McVaughey and Congdon with floor and foul goals. East Providence countered with Ryder McCormick and E Congdon scoring a single basket and foul. Referee was E J Robertson with Philip Brady as timer and scorer.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
East Providence Naval
Herrmann
Bristol
E. PN
R. Duffy
DeWitt's Kidney & Bladder Pills Ad Claim
An old advertisement urges relief for back pain fatigue and weak kidneys using DeWitt's Kidney and Bladder Pills and mentions DeWitt's Carbolized Witch Hazel Salve for piles. It lists W H Boification ton as the seller and promotes the brand with strong certainty.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
DeWitt
W. H. S.boifington
DelWitt
W.H. Boifington
Also Mentioned on This Page
Santa Claus
F. M. Dimond
C.w.sparks
Eastman
Huyler’s
Appolo’s
Bell Mead Sweets Daggett’s
Sparrow’s
Easterbrooks
Hope St
Ward
The
Phoenix
Whitehall
London Notes and Queries
Children’s Hospital
Nurge
Miss Society
New York ‘Tribune
Pall Mall Gazette
Namauit
Pawtucket
Bradford Street
Merry Christmas
Pablo Linga
Jacob Molasky
Sarah C. Hart
Y.M.C.A
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!