The Lizzie Borden Society archive

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1. "Be still my heart"
Posted by Kashesan on Apr-23rd-02 at 8:05 AM

I went to a resort in the Poconos last week and unbeknownst to me there was a group of Victoriana afficianados there as well. At 'High Tea' they were in full regalia. Waiting on the porch for a friend I turned and found myself face to face with a woman who could have been Lizzie's double. She wore a beautiful lilac and lace Victorian dress, with the gloves and parasol and proper brooch to go with it. I was stunned into silence (unusual for me) and when I found myself seated opposite her for the tea, I could not keep my eyes off her. I tried to tell her that I was just admiring her beautiful authentic looking costume, but I think she guessed that there was something fanatical about my observation of her. I made her rather nervous, but didn't dare mention Lizzie to her. You never know how people are going to react to that. For the rest of the weekend I was longing for her to put the costume back on and allow me to escort her about...

My husband and I belong to the Victorian Society, and it often sponsors such events.  One weekend we spent at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island (MI).  I own an actual dress from about 1910 (a bit late for 1892, but still within Lizzie's era).  However, nobody's going to mistake me for Lizzie!  That weekend was built around the film "Somewhere In Time," which was filmed at the hotel.  Do you know that movie?  It's about a young man who falls in love with a picture of a woman from an earlier era and lives out his fantasy of being with her.  I'm not much for sticky remances, but I do enjoy that one.  The weekend is repeated every year, I believe.  Shortly before his accident, Christopher Reeve, who starred in the movie, attended one session.

Kash, I didn't think you were so shy.  Didn't we have a thread where we were asked what we would do if we bumped into Lizzie?  I recall you were rather hopeful of that outcome...yet here was a lady NOT even Lizzie...Does this encounter make you re-think your possible reaction to the *real thing*?  Really, Just wondering, ma dear....

Edisto, come to think of it, I have some "antique underwear."  A friend of my mother's gave me the set in 1970, when she was 75.
It is a black silk petticoat and short-sleeved chemise, (that buttoned up the back) embroidered with beautiful little colorful flowers.  The petticoat  has one flounce, and on 5'3" me, came to the ankle.  It has a wide ELASTICISED waist, comprised of many rings of stitches.  I was told it was c. turn-of-the-century.
I used to wear it a lot, in my hippy days. (Underwear on the *outside*--leave it to me...)
I still have it.  Just remembered...Now I'm wondering the date, because of the elastic waist.  But I believe it to be at least 1910-20?

(I see I just coined a new word, "remance."  I'll leave it to the rest of you to figure out what it means.  I meant to type "romance.")
Gee, Kat, you and I are about the same height!  I have to admit my Victorian underwear selection is paltry.  I made myself what's called a "bust improver," which is actually similar to a corset, but not quite so confining. It laces up the back, but (fortunately) has hooks and eyes in the front.  Real silk is often in poor condition, because the dyes used to color it in the Victorian era contained salts that literally "ate" the silk up. You might be curious as to whether this underwear is real silk, although it could be.  With my 1860s garb, I wear a hoopskirt that's actually part of a 1940s bride's get-up.  Hoopskirts were briefly popular in the post-WWII era.  Even a skirt that late (made of cotton netting) is pretty threadbare, and I've had to patch, patch, patch.  My pantalets are definitely fake; I think they're made of nylon!  I also wear a couple of extra cotton petticoats that I stitched up myself.  It was certainly a different era then.  One often had to have help to get dressed! 

REMANCE: verb; when you are "REMinded" of "nANCE" O'Neil and Lizzie having a friendship that resulted in Emma leaving Maplecroft 1905.

Used in a sentence: "Emma felt such REMANCE that she was repulsed into leaving 307 French Street forever!"

Don't you just love a nutty Virgo?

BC

(Message last edited Oct-6th-02  10:05 PM.)

Bob,
Too funny, you crazy guy (I was remancing last evening. Didnt get to sleep at all...)

Now Kat,
This lady was assuredly NOT our Lizzie, even  though there was quite a physical resemblance. Like I said, you never know how someone's going to react when you tell them they remind you of an accused axe murderer (acquitted or not)She did not seem to have the personality I would imagine that our Lizzie possessed. But who knows.
Thats why I was so shy. Our Lizzie? I'd have loved to have stricken up a conversation with!

(Message last edited Apr-24th-02  9:55 AM.)

Would you believe I saw "The Picture of Dorian Gray" when it was NEW?  (I don't know why my mother let me go to see such a scary flick. She usually screened my movies very carefully.  I saw a lot of Disney and bad cowboy movies.)  Also much later read the Wilde story.  Then I did a research paper on Wilde and his circle when I was in college.  Vincent Price had a wonderful one-man show about Wilde a few years back.  I saw it at Ford's Theater here in D. C.  "Somewhere in Time" is a lighter rendition of a slightly similar theme.  (Not all that similar, really.) The protagonist falls in love with a portrait of a beautiful young actress (patterned on Maude Adams) and finds a magical way to transport himself back into her era and become part of her world.  The movie was roundly panned when it came out, but it has quite a cult following.  There was a wild (or maybe "Wilde") party at the hotel, at which many guests appeared in costumes based on those in the movie.  They obviously spent big bucks!

Here's something odd:

I took an unofficial Kat survey about 6 weeks ago, on THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY...

The 18 year-old bag-boy at the supermarket had never heard of it

And my 86 year-old widowed neighbor had never heard of it.

Here I am at 51 and I'd seen it, heard of it, not read it though...

All this talk of Dorian Gray leads me to REMANCE of the fond memories of my lonely wicked childhood...help me, I'm talking and I can't shut up.

Seriously: I am nearing 51 (9/13) remember...and I have never seen the movie, read the book, listen to the soundtrack or smoked at the concert...guess I need more time outside the house.

BC

"Help! I'm talking and I can't shut up!"  Bobcooke, where do you get these? LMAO!

Just make up as I float along...

BC