Say What?!

Mortmain

Literally a "dead hand". From Latin through French, it meant "to give property to an organization, such as a guild or fraternity, that would hold it in perpetuity." The compound word mortgage, "dead pledge", implied that if the loan was not repaid, the collateral was dead and given to the lender; but if the loan was repaid, the pledge became dead. In the late fourteenth century, gage meant collateral to ensure the repayment of a loan.

From, "Forgotten English Knowledge Cards" by Jeffry Kacirk, Pomegranate, CA

Why Don't They Eat Cake?

Washington Cake

The first receipt from 1831

"One pound of sugar, one of flour, half pound of butter, four eggs, one pound of raisins, one of currants, one gill of brandy, teacup of cream, spice to taste."

Second receipt from 1846

"To one pound of flour, put one pound of sugar, three quarters of a pound of butter, eight eggs, two nutmegs, one pound of raisins, and one of currents."

Modern Equivalent

"Steep together 2 1/4 cups raisins, the same of currants in 1/2 cup brandy for 30 minutes, stirring occassionally. Cream 1 cup butter until soft, adding 2 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup at a time blending well. Beat 4 eggs with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Add eggs to butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Blen in 3 1/2 - 4 cups of flour alternatively with 3/4 cup table cream, ending with liquid. Add your spices to the brandied fruit, then fold into batter. Pour into a buttered and floured tube pan, or ten inch springform. Bake at 350 degrees F for 2 hours in tube pan or 1 hr 15 mins in springform pan. Let cool for 10 mins and turn out.

Sourced by Melanie Garrison from The Cook Not Mad, 1831, The Young Housekeeper's Friend, 1846 and American Cookery, 1796.

Vanity & Happiness

Powdering and Changing the Colour of the Hair

Should one wish to study portraits from the 18th century, one would notice that in most, the eyebrows have been darkened. This was not some fashionable fancy of the painter, but was in fact, considered proper if one was going to be made up.

Eyebrows were stained, powdered and dyed. It was also popular to bleach your hair or beard. There were many receipts that claimed that the colour would not run when wet as I suppose many did.

Hair powder was not only bought in white, but also in blue, grey, yellow, pink, black, brown and red. Evidently, if you darkened your hair the effect of a light powder would be all the more spectacular. Vice versa should one bleach the hair and use a dark powder.

- Fashions in Makeup, by Richard Corson, Peter Owen, London, 1972