Hey, what I've run across! A bill for laundry from 1675, and 18th century washing machines, and the recipe for starching of muslin and plenty and plenty of more at the site Old & Interesting.

And a handful of other resources:
Apple corers, back to 17th.
Toothpick holders of 19th.
Neapolitan silver marks, 15th-19th.

Feeding America, a collection ( Read more... )

Worth a look and convenient to use.
( Read more )

A couple of items of interest ( Read more... )

The National Maritime Museum have recently published the latest update on the conservation of Nelson's uniform jacket. You and see a short film of the conservator separating the silk lining from the protective backing fabric here:

Conserving Nelson: Separating the silk

And you can also read about the process here:

Nelson's uniform conservation ( Read more... )

The National Maritime Museum have published another little blog post providing an update on the ongoing conservation of Nelson's Trafalgar uniform. They are currently removing the lining of the jacket and will be undertaking material analysis to identify the composition of the cloth, dye, metal thread and buttons. You can read the blog post and see ( Read more... )

From the National Maritime Museum's Collections Blog:

Conserving Nelson: Out of the cabinet. "A short film documenting the recent removal of Nelson's Trafalgar coat from display in preparation for essential conservation work. Currently in its place on display is the uniform Nelson wore at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. Nelson's Trafalgar ( Read more... )

On the 27th of October Charles Miller Ltd, London, are holding an auction of Maritime and Scientific Models, Instruments and Art that includes some astonishing lots including a shot riddled ensign from HMS Temeraire, Captain Marryat's telescope and an early 19th century frock coat and regulation naval waistcoat. I've written a short piece about ( Read more... )

I was looking at the instructions for the period shirt pattern I bought a while back (from Patterns of Time - you should check them out!), and I thought this was worth quoting here:

Contemporary Documentation of Interest
Cuthberston, Bennet. A System for the Complete Interior Management and Oeconomy of a Battalion of Infantry, London; J. Millas, ( Read more... )

Edit: IDENTIFIED! He's a British Infantry Officer of 1794 to 1800. :)

Every time I think I've seen it all, I learn something new. This time it was about "secret companions" - the 17th and 18th century equivalent of today's cardboard cutouts. You can read about this interesting artform here:

History Of The Silent Companions

And I so know what I' ( Read more... )

I was looking through some older editions of despatches and came across these links:

18th century shirts

Breeches, trousers and stockings (all originally posted by justawenchI'm putting them here for ease of reference for myself and others like me who have a vested interest in this sort of thing. Yes, the pun was intended ( Read more... )