Pteridomania, meaning Fern Madness or Fern Craze, a compound of the word Pteridophytes (plants that produce neither flowers nor seeds), and mania, is believed to have been coined in 1855 by scholar and author Charles Kingsley in his book, Glaucus, or the Wonders of the Shore. He writes: Your daughters, perhaps, have been seized with the prevailing ‘Pteridomania’ … and wrangling over unpronounceable names of […]
The White Glove Gardener: A Victorian Garden Guide
A compendium of knowledge and know-how for the horticulturally inclined Volume 1: Flowers Every proper Victorian lady needed to know a great deal about flowers. She needed, for example, to know their forms and colors when selecting her dress brocades, the fine wallpaper for her boudoir, and the details of the upholstery of her parlor furnishings. […]
DIY Victorian Valentine’s Day Cards
Giving valentines on February 14th has been a tradition for hundreds of years. Some of the earliest surviving valentines are from the 15th century, when small tokens of love such as poems and small hand-written love notes were exchanged. As paper and printing became far less expensive to produce and distribute in the 1800s, the […]
Collection Highlight: Franklina’s Sewing Box
This unassuming sewing box is a true gem in the Camron-Stanford House collection. It is a sewing box that was purchased as a gift for CSH resident darling, Franklina Bartlett (née Gray). I found this box in the attic storage area about two years ago, when I was still an intern working on an inventory […]
Collection Highlight: Portrait of Beatrice Cenci
On the westward facing wall of the David Hewes Art Gallery, look past the beautiful sculpture of Adrianne and the Panther, and you’ll see the eyes of a pensive young woman. This young woman is Beatrice Cenci, painted by Salvatore Rosa, and is a copy of Guido Reni’s 17th century original portrait. The Rosa copy […]
Oakland’s Horse Whisperer
A school of horses? I never heard of such a thing! Turned loose upon the stage? It is extraordinary! Without bridle or rein, obeying every command with the precision of soldiers? Come now, this is too much. I don’t believe it! (The Equine Paradox!: Can you solve it? George Bartholomew, 1880) And yet it was […]
Reading List: Black History in 19th Century Oakland
As a major center of export and manufacturing, Oakland saw an increase in African Americans moving to the area in the 1940s. This movement undoubtedly contributed to the the development of Black neighborhoods in Oakland that we still recognize and honor today. However, what many may not realize is that Blacks have always been in […]
Reading List: Read Like Franklina
Franklina C. Bartlett (nee Gray) and her family moved into the Camron-Stanford House in 1877 after returning home from a two year Grand Tour around Europe and the Middle East. Franklina was an avid reader, and a writer herself. In her journals and letters she often wrote about her favorite authors and what she was […]
