The Yellow Dragon Emperors Bride Chosen in Peking
In Peking the boy emperor's betrothal is announced with Empress dowager approval. The chosen brides Tec Ta-La and Ta-Ta-La, both 15, will enter the palace as primary consort and secondary concubine, while a line of Manchu nobles’ daughters awaits imperial favor. The marriage promises vast costs and a controlled royal harem with strict palace life.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Peking
Forbidden City
State Department
Washington
Peking Gazette
al Ediempressette Ieee
Sabereatiie
Tet-Ha- Na-La
Kuoi Hsiang
Tec Ta-La
Dsugh “Lae
Chang Han
Poyatdear
Ta-Ta-La
Manchu Emperors Choice of Bride Sparks Court Debate
The long dispute over a marriage for the Chinese throne ends with Manchu nobility selecting brides from their own ranks for the imperial harem. Daughters aged 12 to 36 were brought to Peking for Empress dowager inspection, described in vivid but dated terms. The piece contrasts Manchu and Chinese beauty ideals and notes court regulations seeking a Manchu maiden as consort.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
China
Peking
Stearter
Empire
The Dowager Empress Chooses Three Manchu Beauties
The passage describes a late night arrival of Manchu maidens at the Peking palace for beauty inspection. Eunuchs oversee rounds of inspections, with failing candidates receiving silver shoe-shaped tokens or rolls of silk. After three inspections, the pool is narrowed from hundreds to 15, then to three final selections.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
China
Peking
Palace
Emperor Bride to Be as Inauguration Ceremony Adds Opulence
The marriage coincides with President Harrison’s inauguration and costs at least 6,000,000 taels. The Board of Rites seeks economy but the event will feature silk, satin, and provincial collections. Since 1674 only one emperor marriage mirrors this. The last emperor, Tung Chi, wed in 1872, with rituals of phoenix robes and heavens’ altar fires. A grand procession accompanied the bride, led by a Manchu prince and white-clad followers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harrison
Board of Rites and Ceremonies
Tung Chi
Thrope
Aleuteh
Cheng
Palace Eunuchs Rule In Imperial China Court
A historical report outlines eunuchs as influential palace servants dating to ancient times. It notes royal blood restrictions on eunuch employment, salaries and divisions, and a recent incident where a Chinaman faced palace confiscation threats and suicide after a confrontation with Empress dowager officials.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Peking
State Department
Indies
Empress Dowager Regent of China Described by Denby
The Empress Dowager, ruling as Empress Regent since 1861 after the Eastern Empress’s death, is portrayed as a remarkable, industrious leader. At over 60, she governs with independence, studied command of affairs, and is credited by Minister Denby with elevating China’s standing globally through her long tenure.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
China
Hien Feng
Peking
Dudgeon
Denby
Inside the Forbidden City of China and its sacred rites
The narrator describes the Empress Regent and Emperor guarded behind a gauze screen and yellow walls, with Chinese officials kneeling before them. Foreigner access is barred. the vast imperial complex features yellow tiled roofs, gold-gleaming palaces, and a ceremonial procession preparing the streets for the Dowager's outing.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Denby
Li Hung Chang
China
Aing Tom
Kotow
Ancient Gates Reserved for Emperor and Court
A memorial of Li Hang Chang describes gates of the city used only for the Emperor. Officials and nobles, even high ones, address them as though addressing a god. Li Hang Chang writes he bends in supplication, a slave before these gates.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Li Hang Chang
Emperor of China Worshiped as Son of Heaven by Early Rituals
The Peking Gazette describes the Chinese emperor’s daily rites from 4:30 a.m. visits to the temple of heaven to offerings for rain and snow. Observers note sacred elephants at the stables and the monarch bowing to deities, with early-morning sacrifices connected to agriculture, war, and other state rites.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
China
Rome
Peking
Temple of Heaven
God of War
Temple of Agriculture
Emperor of China Seventeen and Courtly Daily Routines
A quoted observer depicts the 17 year old Emperor as slender and curious, noting his playful mood and a startling visit to steam launches. Details cover his early mornings, minister audiences, meals, and a lavish royal diet, with the Empress regent described as progressive and wary of excess.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
China
Japan
Emperor's Palace Supplies and French Rail Cars in Peking Gazette
The Peking Gazette lists palace expenditures including 1 000 pencils 200 sheets of red scrolls and detailed dress material orders for the Emperor. It notes vast silk gauze shipments from a factory, with some items rumored to reach common buyers. In Tientsin eight French railway cars arrive, satin and plush interiors, white silk curtains. the Emperor demands $10 000 for them, the cars costing near $100 000.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Peking
Tientsin
France
China
Eara
Imperial Palace
G. Carpenter
Narrow Escape of Nineteen From a Burning Ship in the Tropics
Mrs James Lewis wife of Captain Lewis of the clipper ship Stephen D Horton saved nineteen lives aboard the Stephen D Horton when a fire broke out in the jute and saltpeter cargo 420 miles east of Pernambuco. After two hours of fighting the blaze the crew abandoned ship and split into two boats. A drowning occurred among the crew and nine in one boat ten in the other survived on hard tack and water for three days before rescue by the Twilight. The monkey warned of danger by sniffing the smoke and helped prompt the crew to abandon ship.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Sun
James Lewis
Lewis
Stephen D. Horton
Pernambuco
Calcutta
New York
Twilight
Cardiff
Valparaiso
England
The Fascinating Dance How Feet Move The Crowd
A professor explains why dance and clogs captivate audiences from ships to stages. The article surveys rhythm, carriage, and the social pull of the jig and clog, noting how feet and timing outshine attire and fame in shaping popular entertainment.
Wining and Dining A False Standard Spoken by Madelise Dahlgren
A 1889 Washington dispatch argues that money should not replace refinement in social life. It warns of a false standard, urges quality over quantity in entertaining, and stresses generous hospitality where hosts treat guests as equals while preserving discretion and comfort. Madelise Vintox Dahlgren signs the piece.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
TIE Dispatch
Wasxinotox
Republic
Madelise Vintox Dahlgren
The Dinner as Civilization's Climax and Its Subtleties
A critique of modern entertainment elevates conversation over display, urging social leaders to reject mere money spend and cultivate genuine culture. It recounts a wealthy man gifting $20 at each place as an example of misplaced taste, and underscores that true elegance comes from guests, discourse, and refined hosting.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Croesus
Cresus
Fortunatus
Nine Muses
Scarrow
Why a Boiled Lobster is Red
In crustaceans including lobsters, iron content and natural muriatic acid in shells drive oxidation when boiled. The chemical change mirrors brick burning, rendering the lobster’s shell a nonliving, altered form. Heat or sun can trigger this, though sunlight is less intense and slower.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Graphic
New York Suh Race Talk Sparks a Lie
A cryptic exchange in New York involves Bjones accusing De Jinks of losses at a race. De Jinks denies, then hints at borrowing money from a friend to cover the bets, prompting tense, evasive dialogue.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Bjones
de Jinks
Funeral Expenses Of A Connecticut Colonial Citizen
Old Connecticut colonial obituary itemizes the funeral costs of David Porter who drowned in 1678. Items include liquor for divers, wine, burial gear, winding sheet, grave payment, and modest incidentals totaling a few dollars. A hospital scene follows with a deaf patient and a cutting remark from an attendant about sentiment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hartford
David Porter
An Interesting Compliment in a Nebraska Journal
A short anecdote from the Nebraska State Journal features a barber eager to please a patron with a compliment about his skin. The barber likens it to Sir John Ehlquist, and the patron recalls shaving the baronet, noting the exchange ends with the remark that the barber shaved Sir John after death.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Nebraska State Journal
John Ehlquist
Sir John
Ready for Them in Philadelphia Record
A fragment from the Philadelphia Record features a rural scene with a distressed dame demanding defense as tramps approach, requesting a weapon and a broomstick for protection. The dialogue evokes a tense encounter with a servant reacting to the sight of pot tramps described as White 4.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia
Fireside Sphinx and Other Enigmas From A Local Page
The page presents a Fireside Sphinx section with puzzles and verse including 462-A HELPFUL FRIEND a riddle about a silent, aiding companion, 463-ANAGRAM a critique of a misaligned verse, 464-THE CARPENTEER'S PREDICAMENT a riddle about measuring with sticks, and 460-nOW TO BE FAMOUS a verse about becoming admired.
Dreamlike transformations in a grassy poet reverie
A fragmented verse piece follows a poet dozing on a knoll as dreamlike figures shift his head into new forms from Titania to Phoebus, then Flora and Father Time, ending with a dialogue between Miss Macer and Mr Noodle about romance and theater.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Sun
Also Mentioned on This Page
the Yellow Dragon
Tropica
Bowery
Scotland
Darkies
Peat
Professio Ple
Eatire
Francis Wilson
Mr. Wilson
Admiral Dahlgren
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
Summerville
W. Va
Henry Murray
Pocahontas County
Murray
Con
Necticut
New York Tribune
Puck
Heber Newton
Crampton
Lewiston
Maine
Sania
J. H. Przandie
Sae
Sue
Elsoma
Sheik Qremas
Aga
W. Wilsor
Aleta
Titania
Phoebus
Flora
Hisa
Richard
Awa
Inetracoion Fice
Pameron Ake Menutoft Sawa
Asswees
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!