Allen, ca. 1860. Courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society, Item PP231.236
In this diary entry Mrs. Gray [1] depicts some of the economic forces on an upper-class Boston family, one dependent on the largesse of wealthier family members. Her brother John Bedford..Continue reading
R. Livingston Beeckman by George Grantham Bain.
My great-grandmother’s maiden name was Beeckman – not the more fashionable Beekman,[1] as in Beekman Place – a name which enjoyed something of a vogue around the turn of the last century, in the person of my..
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Allen, ca. 1860. Courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society, Item PP231.236
As it happened, Mrs. Gray [1] was too late to reach her brother’s deathbed:
Philadelphia, Sunday, 4 December 1864: One week to-day since our precious brother[2] died – died to earth with..
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Cecil Calvert Taliaferro
Many of the vernacular photos I’ve bought in the last few months have no information about the sitter – sometimes the subject is identified by a nickname, such as “Stinky.” I recently bought an intriguing image of a man (apparently) dancing,..
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Allen, ca. 1860. Courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society, Item PP231.236
The last months of 1864 marked the beginning of the end of the Civil War, as well as the final illness of Mrs. Gray’s [1] beloved brother John Shober. An effort at economy – by giving up a..Continue reading
Mrs. E. B. Alsop and partner by White Studio.
I recently bought a striking pair of photographs by White Studio of New York. The first was sold as showing an attractive couple dancing, but when I received it I could see that one partner was identified: Mrs. E. B...
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Allen, ca. 1860. Courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society, Item PP231.236
Mrs. Gray’s diary [1] continues, with the results of the 1864 presidential election:
61 Bowdoin Street, Boston, Wednesday, 9 November 1864: The great election-day passed off without..
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Illustration from "The Patriarchs' Dance," 11 December 1894. Courtesy of The New York Times
Americans tend to reject the notion of operating within a “social class” structure, although it is sometimes easier to see ourselves as “better than” one person as opposed to..
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Allen, ca. 1860. Courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society, Item PP231.236
The diarist Regina Shober Gray [1] began the Civil War with mixed feelings about the new American president; by late 1864 she had no doubts about his integrity or his importance to the..Continue reading
Allen, ca. 1860. Courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society, Item PP231.236
By the fall of 1864, hints of the ultimate outcome of the American Civil War could be discerned. For Regina Shober Gray, [1] the period was also marked by worry about her family members’..Continue reading