Living in Camp

     When the Japanese invaded the Chinese, the "rape of Nanking" was a frightening occurance for all the women in the area and must have been in the minds of  the nurses captured by the Japanese during World War II.   We Band of Angels by Elizabeth M. Norman tells of the capture of U.S. Army and Navy nurses who were held in Manila at Santo Tomas Internment Camp and nearby Los Banos Internment Camp from1942-1945.  The author interviewed those women who were still living when she was doing her research for this nonfiction book and has included some letters and diaries written by them.



Book Art Journal Page

       The book was excellent although I found it to be so disturbing in some places that I had to take a break from it.  The nurses weren't raped, but they were forced to abandon their wounded and in many cases severly ill patients.  They were imprisoned with 4 or 5,000 civilian prisoners many needing medical attention.

     Among some of the worst problems faced by everyone at the imprisonment centers were the serious diseases caused by malnutrition.  As the war turned against the Japanese, the food allotted the prisoners became worse with much smaller portions until they were given 500 or less calories per day.

     The nurses faced their situation with professionalism continuing to work a few hours a day even though they had no energy and often suffered from illness themselves.

     When the nurses returned home, the government used them for propoganda until they were no longer needed.  They were then basically ignored.

     This book is one that aroused my empathy and reminded me of the horrors of war in a world where people can become less than human.  If you want a good read about World War II and the conditions of the Santo Tomas Internment Camp, try this excellent book.

     And remember the ladies.

                   Carol

Rose O'Neill

     The name "Rose" has always been a favorite of mine because of the images created in my imagination of breathtaking blossoms and fragrant scents.  I like the name "Rose O'Neill" for its Irish sound, too. 

     Rose, best known for her Kewpie illustrations, was born into a pleasantly wealthy family on June 25, 1874.  Father owned a book store and art gallery in Wilkes-Barre, PA.  Unfortunately, Father wasn't a good businessman or a good manager.  Meemie (Mother), who had been a teacher before marriage,  loved music and often gave piano lessions as well as home schooled Rose and her older brother, Hughie.

     Life was good in Wilkes-Barre until 1878 when Father lost the bookstore and decided to solve the family's financial problems by moving them out west to a sod house in Nebraska. It was a hard life especially when compared the to comforts of their old home. 



Rose O'Neill Book Journal Page

     Rose drew all the time and enjoyed drawing the elves and fairies of Father's stories.  During these years, the family increased in numbers as new babies were born, and they were often evicted from their rented homes because of Father's inability to manage the family money.   Several times he couldn't pay the tuition for Rose's schooling so she would be forced to leave.  He did, however, take her to the theater when he could because he had decided that Rose would make a splendid actress.

     The family moved to Omaha, and Rose did land a part with a traveling troop of actors when she was 14 years old.  The next year she again traveled with a troop, but she did illustrations as well and decideded that her future wasn't in acting. 

     In 1893, Father decided that Rose would have more opportunity in NYC than in Omaha, so he deposited her there and returned to the family in Nebraska.  At this particular time, there was a demand for illustrator/painters so commissions kept Rose quite busy.  She sent the money she made home to support the family.

     After about a year, Rose returned to her family who were now living in the Ozarks in a place they named Bonniebrook.  Rose loved it there and never returned to live in New York permantly. 

     In 1909, the Ladies Home Journal introduced her Kewpies and their motto, "do good deeds in a funny way."  The Kewpies were a tremendous success with dolls being sold by 1914.  All in all, Rose created some 5,500 illustrations for books, magazines, and newspapers.

     Rose married twice but had no children of her own.  She transformed Bonniebrook into her "dream home" where she supported her family retiring in 1939.  Rose died a few years later in 1944.

     Linda Brewster wrote a book entitled, Rose O'Neill the Girl Who Loved to Draw.  Even though the book is written for a young audience, it is filled with a few examples of artwork by Ms. Brewster and many pieces of Rose's lovely work. She was Rose O'Neill...America's first woman comic artist.

      So remember the ladies.

                        Carol

Africa with Lipstick

Although this isn't a photo of Mary Kingsley,
she probably dressed as the woman shown
above.

   Although I've never been one to want to go to Africa on safari, I do like to learn about those brave women who dared go there back "in the old days."  Several years ago, I researched an English woman who loved West Africa so much that she made two trips there and would have returned for a longer visit if she hadn't died of typhoid at the Cape of South Africa where she had gone to be a nurse during the Boer War.  The year was 1900, and Mary Kingsley  was 37 years old at her death.

     During Mary's second visit to West Africa in 1895, she collected fish specimens for the British Museum, studied the natives, and took a lot of photographs.  Back in England, she wrote popular books and gave lectures about her experiences.  People wanted to hear about polygamy among the natives and their other strange practices.

      Copies of Mary's book Travels in West Africa  and A Voyager Out by Katherine Frank tell of Mary's experience.

       A few days ago, I bought a copy of the March, 1928, Vanity Fair magazine at a flea market.  While paging through it, I found an article entitled "Through Africa with Lipstick and Camera" by Mrs. Corey Ford.  The article was filled with little tidbits about her African life while accompanying her explorer husband as he photographed wild animals.  She was to pose with the wild animals killed by the natives.  According to Zaza, a lady explorer had to endure a few hardships and take only the barest necessities. 

Photo supplied by Metro-Goldwyn probably to
promote a film of the time.

            "Of our modest train of 100 coolies, the first 5 or 10 carried trunks on their backs containing my evening-wraps, slippers and cloaks.  The next dozen brought a few little changes for early afternoon wear, and some simple morning frocks; the succeeding four or five staggered under my array of chemises, negligees, stockings, and other personal effects; the next squad carried my shoes and slippers; the next 12 my hats; while the succeeding forty-odd coolies carried such indespensible articles of my toilet as cosmetics, facial creams, powders, rouge, and some framed photographs of myself to decorate my boudoir.  The last coolie brought up the rear with my bath-salts and Corey's suitcase."
     
     Zaza Ford claimed to sometimes spend evenings with Martin and Osa Johnson, actual famed African explorers who spent many years in the wilderness.

As I read the article written by this Mrs. Corey Ford,  I wondered if it could possibly be real.  It was such a contrast to Mary Kingsley's African experience, but then Mary was a minimalist.  It is true that some early women on safari took a staggering amount of items with them.  Mrs. Ford's article made me laugh, so I decided to do some research on her.  Not surprisingly, I couldn't find out anything about her, but I did discover that Corey Ford was a writer of the times who wrote humor and satire for various magazines (including Vanity Fair) along with some books.  So, I'm guessing this is probably one of his satire articles pointed at the ridiculous amount of beauty products and costumes some women deemed necessary for travel in the wilds of Africa.  Can't you just picture a caravan of 100 "coolies" with 99 of them totting clothing and accessories for a spoiled hieress?  That's my kind of roughing it!

     So, remember the ladies.

                      Carol

An Unoffical Queen

     There are prom queens, parade queens, and royal queens...some gorgeous and some not so much.  Let me introduce you to a queen with an extremely dominating nature, Emma Sweringen known as the Idaho Sheep Queen.  In the fictional novel The Sheep Queen written by Thomas Savage, you'll meet a woman who receives 2 sheep upon her marriage and ends up with 10,000 of them.

     Emma is the strongest character in this book set in the first half of the 20th century.  The story centers around Emma's granddaughter, Amy, who was given up for adoption 3 weeks after her birth.  

The Sheep Queen art journal page

    After both of her adoptive parents die, Amy sets out to discover what she can about her natural family.  She is able to locate a writer, Tom, on the East coast who actually turns out to be her brother.  Of course, Tom knows that there is no way Amy could be related to the family - she must want something from them.

     Denial continues to plague Tom until he finally learns the truth about himself, Amy, and their parents.  "The Sheep Queen", highly respected by the Idaho people she lived among, might not be so well thought of if they only knew the part she played in Amy's adoption.

     In my opinion, the book is an average read.  I had expected historical fiction when I ordered the it, and the story may be about his family since Mr. Savage did grow up in the west, and his grandmother was known as "the Sheep Queen."  Other parts of the story are also similar to his own life story.  Since it's labeled as "fiction," though,  I can only assume that it isn't a true or at least part of it is made up.

     However,  if you want to read about a fascinating female character, read The Sheep Queen.

     So, remember the ladies.

                       Carol

Two Wives at Once - Oops

     Recently I read a book, The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran with the interesting question, "who is the real Mrs. Henry Oades?"  Last night I just happened to watch an old 1940s movie, My Favorite Wife staring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne.  The movie had a somewhat similar theme as the book.

     In both, the man is married to a woman who disappears and, after a number of years, is declared dead.  The man, although very much in love with his first wife when she was living, decides to remarry.  You can guess what happens.  The first wife miraculously survives and turns up shortly after the second marriage.   Our hero is now married to two women.  Is he a bigamist?  Which one is he really married to now?

Book journal page

     The Wives of Henry Oades was a more serious look at the situation than the comedy, My Favorite Wife.  Henry Oades has married a much younger woman and is consumed with her.  When his first wife, Margaret, suddenly reappears, he is no longer attracted to her.  Margaret has suffered much in the previous years since she and their children were kidnapped by New Zealand's Maori natives.  The new Mrs. Henry Oades won't give Henry up and neither will the first Mrs. Henry Oades.  Annulment of the first marriage would make the children illegitiment and divorce in 1900 was scandalous.  Besides, she still loves Henry.  Soon the second Mrs. Henry Oades becomes pregnant, and she's very much in love with Henry.

     California's legal system comes calling at the Oades' family farm where they are all living in the same house.  The situation is resolved in a way that suits everyone.

      The Wives of Henry Oades was written based on a
situation that actually came to light in a legal abstract.  It recently appears that the abstract may have been a hoax by the New York Times newspaper to point out a falacy in Californa's laws in the early 1900s.

     The movie, My Favorite Wife, isn't nearly as complicated as the book because Cary Grant has been married only a few hours before he realizes his first wife is still living.  He knows he is still in love with her.  The movie revolves around him timidly trying to tell the new wife what's what and then getting back in Irene Dunne's good graces.  Everything turns out right just like a good 1940 movie should.

     Read The Wives of Henry Oades if you'd like an interesting look at an unusual situation.

     And, remember the ladies.

                      Carol

Warm Vanilla Sugar

Art Journal Page

      It's hard to believe that in the 1700s and much of the 1800s, washing was thought to be bad for your health.  One of the best things about the lack of bathing was that everyone smelled bad...not just some people. 

       To cover up the ugly odors, people used strong scents in their houses and on their clothes.  Most of these scents were produced at home using recipes that were passed along from one person to another.  In France during the middle of the18th century,  the people of King Louis XV's Court wanted professional perfumes.  Soon the English wanted them too.



        In London, a barber shop opened in 1730 with the owner  selling fragrances in addition to giving haircuts.  By 1800 more than 100 fragrances were being made in the back room of the shop, packaged, and sold up front in the store called Floris.  If a lady wanted her own fragrance, it was concocted with the recipe written in a special ledger.  Floris is still open at 89 Jermyn Street.

     After WWI, returning U.S. soldiers brought home to the women in their lives some of the European beauty products, including French perfumes, and American women started using them.  By the 1950s perfume was still an expensive luxury usually given to a woman as a gift.  She would use it on special occasions with just a dab behind each ear. 

     One of the most romantic stories told in the book Fragrance and Fashion, is that of Caron which Ernest Daltroff began in Paris in 1903.  Daltroff, who is said to have an instinctively brilliant 'nose,' met the dressmaker Felicie Vanpouille in 1905.  She designed most of the flacons for their fragrances and directed their presentations throughout the years.  In 1922, Daltroff gave Felicie half of the business.  Even though they were lovers for more than 30 years, she wouldn't marry him.  Later she married another man. 

     Daltroff was Jewish so things became tough for him when the German's began to raise their anti-Jew campaign in 1939.  Daltroff left the business in Felicie's care when he emigrated to Canada dying in New York in 1941.  His assistant 'nose' took over as perfume designer using the hundreds of recipes for new fragrances that Daltroff had written on scraps of paper.

    What about Felicie who had sparked so many of Daltroff's ideas and carried them out?  She sold the company in 1962 but continued to work for the new company until her retirement in1967 at the amazing age of 94!

     So, remember the ladies.

                      Carol

What's a Hooverette?

     A Hooverette sounds like some kind of vaccume cleaner or a cheerleader of some sort doesn't it?  Actually, it's the name of a type of housedress designed and worn in the late 1920s and 30s possibly to conserve water, laundry soap and clothing.  The dresses had a "lap" front.  You would lap one side over the other and fasten it with a tie.  When that side got soiled, you simply lapped the other side over the dirty one.

     Before WWI, all wealthy and most middle class families had household "servants" to keep things neat and tidy.  The war changed things as it modernized the world creating more desirable jobs for those workers.  Wives found themselves having to do much of the housework themselves.  It was unthinkable to go to the door if callers came wearing an apron so the Hooverette was a good substitute.

Woman on right wears
a Hooverette which ties
in back.

 





     Hooverettes were sometimes referred to as either Hoover Aprons or, more commonly, morning dresses since the women did their housework in the morning then changed their clothes to go "out" in the afternoon for shopping, visiting friends, and other vital errands.  The morning dresses were made of inexpensive cotton fabric which washed easily.  Sold cheaply at 2 for 95 cents in the 1935 Sears catalog, a woman could possibly have more than one.  Simplicity pattern #1151 (not shown) from 1932-3 was for a Hooverette dress so the industrious woman could make her own.

    





     According to Barbara Brackman's book Making History:  Quilts and Fabric from 1890-1970,  no one is certain how the dress got it's name, but it may have been named in honor of conservative President Herbert Hoover who took over the presidency at the beginning of the 1929 and served until 1933.  Hoover was blamed for the depression although he didn't cause it...but someone must take the blame.  However it got it's name, the Hooverette or Hoover apron is simply an inexpensive work dress.


1930 Hooverette Art Quilt
8 3/4" X 11"







     Here's my version of a Hooverette dress worn in the 1930s along with some sensible shoes.  Dirt won't show much on this print fabric.











     Now we wear jeans to do our housework, though society didn't permit them at that time.  We've come a long way in our dress liberation, haven't we?

     So, remember the ladies.

                     Carol