How many calories did they eat in a day in the 1860s?

This very unscientific study was inspired by rumors I have heard about the caloric intake of people during the 1860s. It is almost impossible to figure out an exact number due to the high levels of variety. Tastes, preferences, food availability, costs and personal habits can make a huge difference in the amount of food consumed.

This list was printed in a British book for housewives and was intended to give new housewives an idea of how much food to buy per person. It is a  very rough guideline. It does not take into account slight variations in amount such as it is recommended to buy 1/2 pound of sugar for a person but in a family of two, one person may eat 1/4 of it and the other 3/4. It also could vary depending on the different varieties of food, 1 pound of chicken has less calories than one pound of beef.

If there was a difference in the caloric counts of different articles, I picked an 1860s appropriate variety with a median caloric count.

• 1/2 pound Sugar (white)
• 1/2 pound Cheese (cheddar)
• 1/2 pound Butter
• 1 quart Milk (Whole Milk)
• 8 pounds Bread 
• 6 pounds Meat (3 pounds Chicken, 3 pounds Beef)
• 1 gallon Beer (for a woman) 7 quarts for a Man
• Potatoes 

The totals came to 18,250 calories per week for women which comes out to 2,607 calories per day and 25,162 calories per week for men or 3,594 per day.

These totals seem pretty decent, considering the amount of physical labor that many jobs back then required and the amount of walking that people did. Obviously, no one was eating exactly like this and the totals don't include vegetables, fruits, baked goods, ect. However, I feel it is a good guideline for the items in a common diet in Britain at the time, especially since the high calorie items listed most likely made up the majority of the diets then. It is also interesting to note that a large percentage of the calories came from drinks.

( Besides finding out this information for the 1860s, I would love to be able to do a real study of Colonial caloric intake, as I am constantly bombarded with the "fact" that people ate around 6,000 calories a day in the winter. While possible, I feel that would be a ridiculous amount of food to preserve. However, if the people who say this really mean that people "consumed" 6,000 calories a day, including high calorie drinks such as cider and beer, this seems much more possible.)

All in all, this was just for fun and should be taken with a huge pile of salt. The foods listed and the amounts of food given probably give us a better picture of what an 1860s diet looked like than anything else.

**Note: The image at the top is from The Photographic History of the War in Ten Volumes (Vol. 8) by  Francis Trevelyan Miller and Robert Sampson Lanier from 1911.The list is from Warne's Model Cookery and Housekeeping Book, published in 1868.

Andy's New Civil War Trousers

 Andy needed some new pants this reenacting season after another soldier exclaimed that the patches on his old pants "drew the eye places he shouldn't be looking at." :D

I like to sew but I do not sew that often because of the cost. I also can't rationalize having a wardrobe of clothing devoted to reenacting. So Andy and I wear our stuff until we really can't anymore. Then I get to sewing. I do have to admit, I do not have problems sewing dresses, but trousers really like to torment me.


 

 Maybe my next pair will actually have a watch pocket. Every time I attempt to sew one, I spend many hours and  waste a lot of fabric before I let him know that there "will be no watch pocket."

 I used a mix of antique buttons and new bone buttons. I would have used all new buttons but I had a lot of antique ones in my sewing box.

 I kind of wish I just left the lining white. This was a scrap of left over fabric from the very first reenacting shirt I made him. The shirt matched the lining of his hat and he liked it a lot. Recently he lost his hat and had to buy a new one and caught on fire while wearing the shirt. (He was okay, but there's a funny story there you should ask him about if you see him.)

 

 I tend to like trousers with buckles on the back and haven't decided if I am going to add a piece to the back yet. The buckle look nice but is not as comfortable to sleep on. I still have to put on the buttons for the braces but I need him to model them for me to do so.

This is a pretty lightweight wool that I originally purchased to make a sack coat out of. It is a little thin for pants but he will be wearing them in the summer and they are civilian pants and not standard  military.







 I was really excited to get this fabric because the weight is much more similar to what museum sack coats are made out of rather than blanket wool which some people mistakenly use.




Sometime this year, I hope to get a new dress that is a little nicer than the two I have now. Both my dresses are dirty old work dresses and I'd like something to be able to wear to nicer events.

1858 Peterson's Mantilla Pattern

In the 1850s, mantillas were lightweight, short capes with hoods. They were outerwear meant for Fall and Spring  and were frequently made out of lace or silk. If plain silk was used, mantillas were typically richly decorated with large pleats, ruffles, lace and ribbons.

This particular mantilla is made of silk, had a ribbon closure, an embroidered muslin collar and is decorated with a goffered flounce that is accented with braiding.




It seems like the perfect, simple project to make considering some of the reenacting and other period events will start getting a little chilly soon.

  This was a strange illustration to have in the magazine as the diagram requires editing to make the mantilla look like the back in this illustration.

The pattern has sharp curves unlike the illustration. The square-cut fronts is what makes it a "Bournous Mantilla."

This is a diagram for an embroidered collar that was featured in the same issue of Peterson's Magazine. These collars were typically embroidered with white thread on a white background but some were done in entirely black. The collar for the mantilla should be equally decorated.

This is an illustration on goffered flounce. The pleats were usually 4 or 5 inches deep.Mantillas were a high-fashion item and were trimmed to excess.






  If you plan to make this mantilla, keep in mind that it should not be lined with a heavy material or quilted. The square cutouts are supposed to land on your bent elbow and the back point should about 5 inches below your waist. Hopefully, I will enlarge the diagram and give everyone an idea on how many inches each part should be. It would be a nice, light covering to wear on your way to a ball.

The Perfect Working Space

Many times I find myself thinking "If I only had a desk that was an inch shorter and a big comfy armchair, I would be able to write more," or " I can't possibly sew so much until I have a permanent spot where people won't keep moving everything." Many people have an image of what their perfect working space will look like: the space where they will finally get all of their work done.  Possibly, the perfect working space will have a large ornate antique writing desk and large windows that look out onto a breathtaking vista. This space will inspire and allow you to do work. It is the perfect space and it is a perfect lie. 

 Had your perfect working space ever materialized, you might find that it wasn't the perfect working space. One thousand new problems would materialize there. The windows might be distracting or the room too spacious. It is very hard to build the perfect space. This is why this type of perfect working space is false.    

The perfect working space is the space where you actually get work done. You might already know this space or have yet to find it. But the important thing is to not wait for the perfect space to do work. If you wait for the perfect space, you will never accomplish anything.

Many people have accomplished a lot in places that are perfectly average places. J.K. Rowling found that her perfect working space was in cafes. Thomas Mann liked to write in a wicker chair with an ocean view. It doesn’t matter where you work as long as you get work done. 

Some tips on being productive especially when working space is less than desirable:

Keep well stocked.

Even if your working space isn’t perfect, make sure you have everything you need before you start. It is frustrating to have to stop working every few minutes to find more paper or some scissors.  

Keep a schedule.

Depending on your situation and work you may have to plan to do work early in the morning, late at night to variable. Just make sure you set time aside to work. Make an appointment with yourself and don’t break it. It might be from “6 AM to 8 AM” or it might be “45 minutes a day.”

Work toward goals.

Set little goal and big goals. Little goals help break down a colossal task into smaller, more manageable bits.  

Take breaks.

Make sure you take breaks to prevent boredom and alleviate pain. Typing on the computer, sewing, painting ect. for a long period of time can make working more difficult. Breaks help keep you refreshed and focused.  

Easy English Colonial Dance: The Hessian, Dance Diagram and Music

A Hessian Soldier 

 This is a part of a program that a friend and I have been putting together for work. We will be teaching a colonial dance: "The Hessian."

Hessian soldiers were German soldiers who were hired out by their government to England. They were known as "Hessians" because many of them came from the state of Hesse-Kassel. England stationed these soldiers in America to keep the peace and later to fight the Patriots in the Revolutionary War. They were known for their brutal killing techniques and weaponry. 

 There is a grievance about them in the Declaration of Independence: "He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation."   

The Hessian is a very simple dance so anyone can do it. Colonial dances were set to a particular tune, normally of the same name as is true with this one. Below is a music clip and the instructions for the dance. In the diagram, circles represent the men and squares represent the ladies. This type of dance could be danced in groups of four or with numerous groups of four, lined up in lines.The partners travel through the dances and eventually dance with every other couple. Keep in mind, if you are dancing in a line, one or more couples may be "out" during a rotation, but they will soon be back in. 

Step 1: This is the starting position of the dance. The men are on one side of the line and the women are on the other. The men are facing the women. 

Step 2: The first gentleman offers the second lady his right hand and they make a complete turn and return to their starting positions.

Step 3: The second gentleman offers the first lady his right hand and they make a complete turn and return to their starting positions.

Step 4: The first gentleman stretches his right arm across to the second lady who does the same. Simultaneously, the second gentleman stretches his right arm across to the first lady’s. From above, the arms will form a cross. Together, everyone turns in a circle to the right. (From above the figure will look like spokes of a wheel turning.) 

Step 5: The first gentleman stretches his left arm across to the second lady who does the same. Simultaneously, the second gentleman stretches his left arm across to the first lady’s. From above, the arms will form a cross. Together, everyone turns in a circle to the left until back in starting positions.

Step 6:  The first gentleman will offer his right hand to the first lady, who will do the same. They turn in a circle to the right one time. The first gentleman should be in the first lady’s starting position and the first lady should be in the second gentleman’s starting position.

Step 7: The first gentleman and the first lady turn to the outside of the group and walk down behind the second couple. When the first couple gets 75% of the way down, the second gentleman offers his right hand to take the second lady’s right hand and leads her one step to the front. The first couple takes the position that the second couple has just vacated. 

Step 8: The first gentleman will offer the first lady, both hands and they will make one right turn so that both the gentleman and the lady are on the side that they started on. 

Step 9: While not a physical step, the couples change numbers. The first couple becomes the second couple and the second couple becomes the first couple and the dance is repeated until the song ends.

Please watch the video to hear a pretty boring rendition of the music. Imagine the melody played on the harpsichord or by an orchestra.