The Tingle Factor Box

It's 2013. We have driers - Clothes Horse

Imagine you are a housewife living in the 1950s. It is washing day, but the rain is pelting down and if you hang things out in this weather they will never dry. Luckily you have a wonderful clothes horse which your husband purchased for you. You need to make sure the washing is done, but at least you can hang the washing inside, near the fire so that it dries!

When I showed the children this old clothes horse, they had absolutely no idea what it could be. They had never seen a clothes horse like this one, with most clothes horses today being plastic or metal and rectangular or square in shape. Moreover, several of the children told me that they didn’t use a clothes horse at home anyway, with one explaining ‘it’s 2013, we have driers’. This old, wooden, round clothes horse was beyond their experience!

In days gone by, before gas or electric driers were created, the only way to dry clothes was on a clothesline or clothes horse, in the sun. For many years, laundry day was a social occasion, with women hanging their washing in tiny, adjoining backyards, or from pulley clotheslines strung up in laneways and alleys. Today, if it rains people simply postpone washing day, or dry their clothes in a clothes drier, but in these early days, in rainy weather the only other option was often to hang clothing inside, near the fire. As time went by, racks were created to make hanging washing inside easier. All clotheslines were straight lines though, and so were all racks. Nobody had thought of hanging clothes in a circle to save space . . .

. . . Until Gilbert Toyne. Toyne was an Australian and in 1926 he invented the worlds first round clothesline. His design was similar to an umbrella, with a central support holding up the ‘canopy’ of clotheslines. Four arms stretch out from the centre post and between them lines are strung for hanging clothes. These arms can even be collapsed, just like an umbrella! Many say the Hills Hoist company invented the clothes line, but it would be 20 years before the Hills Hoist began to be marketed, though it is today the most popular Australian clothesline and there are similar clotheslines in backyards all over the world. It is likely the clotheshorse I showed the children is based on Toyne’s original idea for an ‘umbrella like’ clothesline with the same basic structure but many more arms radiating out, on which the clothes are simply hung. Of course, on non-washing days, with the aid of a couple of sheets this clothes horse made a fantastic cubby house!

Who Knew That Old Wood Could Be So Pretty? Jet

Imagine you are walking along a beach in Whitby in England. You are kicking stones and looking at the beautiful scenery when you notice that some of the stones are unusually dark in colour. In fact they are almost black, but they aren’t like the shiny black pebbles you find in other places. You’re curious about whether this could be the famous Whitby Jet you have heard about, but it doesn’t look very much like the beautiful stone you saw in the museum and for sale in the shops!

When I took these jet earrings to show the children, they were intrigued. They assumed that the stone was a type of plastic or glass because they had not seen such a beautiful, shiny black in other jewellery made with precious or semi-precious stones. When they discovered that the earrings were made with not just any stone, but an ancient, fossilized wood, they were even more interested. As one child said, ‘who knew that old wood could be so pretty’

Jet is a product which is created from wood which decomposed millions of years ago. Over time the wood is compressed and becomes a stone. It is quite easy to carve, but also very easy to damage or even shatter when it is being shaped so people who could work with jet were highly skilled and the things they made were expensive and a sign of wealth. Not all jet is the same though and the best quality jet, and indeed the most famous, comes from Whitby in England.

Jet has been used to make jewellery for many years, dating right back to the ancient world. In fact, it is one of the earliest stones to be used in creating jewellery. Carved pieces of jet in the shape of insects and animals have been found which date right back to the Stone Age. These carved animals are thought to have been worn as pendants as many of them had holes drilled in them. It was during the Bronze Age though that jet really began to be used widely and many burials from this time contain jet beads. Many of the beads appear to have originally come from Whitby, but they are found a long way from the town, so it is thought that there was a trade in mining and selling jet even in the ancient world! Over time, jet continued to be used for making items, particularly jewellery. In England examples of jet jewellery have been found dating the time of the Romans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings amongst others. It was also famously popular as a material to be used in mourning outfits in the Victorian era with jet being used for buttons, jewellery and beading on clothing.

It's Lovely - Floral Embellishment

Imagine, you are living in the 1930s. You are a mother and, although you aren’t poor, you realise that things are hard, and likely to get harder. Nothing is disposable, and everything can be reused. You can remake you own clothes into things for the children, and when the children wear them out, keep the buttons and decorations for another project and then use the cloth as rags, or to make patches. Currently, you are carefully unstitching a beautiful velvet flower from one of your old gowns. You have nothing to use it on now, but one day . . .

When I took this floral embellishment to show the children, they were entranced. It is such a beautiful piece of work with delicate glass beading and beautifully made velvet flowers. Many of the children thought it was modern. They were surprised and impressed to discover that it is probably from the early 1900s, or perhaps even from earlier and would carefully have been removed from a dress to be used on another one down the track. To the children, clothing is simply disposable and they would never dream of salvaging buttons or embellishments to use later.

Although ‘make do and mend’ is a phrase firmly associated with World War 2, the history of the make do and mend mentality goes back far further. Books of the 1800s and before, including those by Dickens and Austen emphasise the importance of fashion, both to the upper classes and to the working classes. For the upper classes, fashion was all about ensuring you were wearing the most current, fashionable item while for the working classes it was all about making clothes last. Yet it was wasteful to simply throw clothing away when it no longer suited. Clothing which was truly worn out was often remade into other items, or used as rags while the upper classes often passed their clothes on to the less fortunate, or their servants. The suffragettes even auctioned off second hand clothing to raise money for charity!

Even when clothing was beyond use for anything other than rags or for making patches, there were still items which could be salvaged. No item of clothing would be discarded before all of the reusable items were removed. Buttons, hooks and eyes and later on zippers would be carefully removed to be used in sewing projects, but this wasn’t all. Any decorations which could be salvaged would be removed too. Sequins, beads and embellishments like the one I showed the children would be carefully unstitched or even cut out of clothing so that they could be reused another time. During times of Depression and War this mentality of mending, salvaging and remaking was particularly important as fabrics were often expensive and scarce. During war fabric was even rationed and people could not afford to simply throw it away when it became worn. During World War 2, the British Government were so keen to have households reuse what they had that they put out a booklet called ‘Mend and Make Do’, which is where the phrase probably originates.  

It's A Facial Fuzz Protector - Moustache Cup

Imagine you are a man living in the late 1800s. You are very proud of your moustache and carefully spend time each morning waxing and shaping it until it holds the perfect position. The only problem though is that, if your moustache is looking its best, you cannot take tea. The steam melts the wax and eventually your moustache droops into the cup. Your son bought you a new cup though, with a ledge for your moustache. He swears by it, and you are hoping it will work for you too.

When I took this moustache cup to show the children, they immediately guessed it was a cup, but had no idea why it had a ‘funny ledge’ inside. They could think of no reason why you would want to have such a ledge in a cup, and thought it would probably make drinking somewhat difficult. When I explained to them that the cup was specially made to keep moustaches in tip top condition, they thought the idea was hilarious. The very thought that a man would be so concerned over his ‘facial fuzz’ as the girls put it, was quite strange. They immediately christened the cup the ‘facial fuzz protector’.

In the 1800s, particularly towards the middle and end of the century, moustaches were an important part of mens fashion. Men wore elaborate moustaches which were often kept quite long then styled and waxed into elaborate curls and patterns. Many men even dyed their moustaches! With so much wax and dye in this upper lip hair though, drinking hot beverages was a real problem. Tea drinking, particularly in England, was part of everyday life, but the steam from the drink melted the wax used to style moustaches and sometimes even caused the dye to run. Tea and coffee also stained the moustache if it came into contact with the hair. A solution was needed to keep moustaches in top condition.

Then, in the mid 1800s an English potter named Harvey Adams came up with an ingenious solution to melted moustaches. He added a moustache guard to his cups. This moustache guard took the form of a ledge on which the moustache could rest while the gentleman sipped his tea or coffee. There was a small opening at the edge of the guard to allow the beverage to be drunk, but the moustache would be protected from the steam, heat and liquid of the drink. Soon, the moustache cup became very popular, spreading throughout England and Europe and eventually making its way to the colonies and America. As moustaches waned in popularity in the 1900s though the moustache cup went out of production. Today there is quite a market for these old cups and collectors love them, as do people with styled moustaches. In fact, rumour has it that John Lennon even drank his tea through one during the making of Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

It's Like A Massive, Oversized Hat - Parasol

Imagine, it is the late 1800s and you are a lady of high class. You are lucky because you have good, white skin and a slim figure, especially fortunate as your husband has died. It was no great shock. The marriage was arranged, he was much older than you and in poor health. He left you with a great fortune, but you’re only young and want to remarry at some time so you have to preserve your looks. One of the most important things is to protect your skin and you are careful never to go out without your parasol. You even purchased a plain, black, silk parasol, fitting for your mourning attire.

 When I showed the children this parasol their reactions were hysterical. Their first reaction was ‘it’s an umbrella, what’s so special about that’. Several of them then ran to get their own umbrellas to show that they were nothing unusual. Then, the children noticed holes in the fabric of the parasol and declared ‘it’s not even a good umbrella – you’d still get wet!’ and suggested that, if it weren’t so old, it would be time to buy a new one. Finally, one of the older children noticed that the parasol ‘isn’t even waterproof – what kind of umbrella is that?!’ When I explained to them that it was not actually an umbrella as such, but a parasol which would be used in the sun to protect the skin, they were quite surprised at the idea, but also quite taken with it. One child commented that, ‘since it’s just like a massive, oversized hat’ was ‘not a bad idea’ to keep the sun off.

Parasol is a Spanish word which literally means ‘for sun’ and they were extremely fashionable in Victorian times, but their history goes back far further. Many assume they originate in Asia, especially as they are still popular in some Asian countries. The truth though is that, Egyptians were using a very early type of parasol in 3000BC (5000 years ago) as protection from the harsh desert sun. Parasols in Egyptian times though were much bigger than those used more recently and were only for the use of Royalty. In fact, they were carried by special ‘bearers’ who stood near the King or Queen and held the parasol over their heads. These parasols were usually made of palm leaves or brightly coloured feathers. By the 1^st century BC (just over 2000 years ago), parasols had also become popular in ancient Greece and Rome where they were also used for sun protection. They were not only a fashion accessory though, in ancient Greece they were even used in some religious festivals. All of these parasols had one more thing in common though, they couldn’t be collapsed and carried.

It was the Chinese who invented the collapsible parasol, which could be ‘put down’ like the umbrellas we know today and carried or stored away easily. We know that one of these collapsible parasols was created in the year 21, but there is suggestion that others date back even further. The parasol became part of Chinese culture and it was probably these Chinese parasols which inspired the English and French to use them. They became popular in France in the 17^th century and in England they were fashionable in the 18^th century. Soon, the parasol was an essential part of all fashionable women’s wardrobes. In a time when fair complexions were valued, they not only helped protect against the sun in general, they preserved the fair skin. Sun exposure darkened the complexion and made a lady of fashion and importance look common, or even worse, like she had to work in the fields. A parasol protected the fair skin from the damage of the sun and preserved a woman’s youth and beauty.

It's So Pretty - Dichroic Glass

Imagine, you are a woman going out for the day to an important party. You are dressed beautifully, in your finest, you hair is beautifully done and you are sure to stand out from the crowd. You still have to choose the perfect necklace to finish the ensemble though. You want to stand out and make an impression, so you need something eye catching and different. You look at the collection of glass pendants you have and choose one made of shining dichroic glass. With that necklace reflecting the sun in so many colours, you are sure to make an impression!

They're Just Seeds - Appleseed Necklace

Imagine, you are living in the 1960s. It is a time of peace, love and flower power, and you are very interested in the ideals of the Hippies. You love the idea of using the things around you to make beautiful items, and enjoy wearing flowers in your hair. One of the things you enjoy most though is collecting up appleseeds and stringing them together. Such small, ordinary things, yet when they are strung together, they become something beautiful, a necklace you are happy to wear.

It's Very Pretty - Immortal Hat Charm

Imagine, you are a young mother in China. You have a lovely little boy, and you are so happy. You must make sure he is well cared for, safe and looked after. You aren't sure about some of the traditions, but you don't want anything to happen to him. Today, you sewed eight little charms of the immortals onto his hat to ensure he is lucky and safe. Such finely made metal charms, and even if they don't ensure luck, they certainly look nice!

It's A Thing To Do When You Have Too Much Time - Nail Buffer

Imagine, you are living in the 1800s. You are lucky, you have a fortune, a title, land and a beautiful wife. You have no need to work, and plenty of tennant farmers to work the fields you own for you. Keeping up appearances can be tiring though. Every little thing is examined by your peers, and if you don't present correctly it could be social disaster. Why, the son of friend of yours recently appeared at a party with unkempt nails. They were short, dirty and dull, more like a farmers nails than a Lords! Luckily, he is young and has been shown the error of his ways. The social stigma will not last.

They Must've Been Sissy's - Shoe Buckles

Imagine, you are living in the 1700s. It is time for you to prepare for a day out to Church, and one of the most important things to decide is which pair of shoe buckles to wear. You are fortunate enough to have several beautiful pairs to choose from, but you want to ensure you have the right pair for the occasion. You don't want anything too ostentatious, so the jewelled pairs are out, but you don't want anything too plain either. You think the silver pair with the circular designs will be just perfect.