Civil War Housewife

[Chihuahua]

Pards,
Attached for your viewing pleasure is a recent find of mine.
This CW housewife features some dazzling material.
Overall, it is 4 inches wide, and 14 inches long.
Paper tag under needle keeper proudly states, "Housewife for Wisconsin soldiers 1862."

Mark Warren
Hairy Nation Boys
Bloomfield, Iowa

[-Jesse-]

Re: Civil War Housewife

Great pics...thanks for posting!

[Brian Wiswell]

Re: Civil War Housewife

Do you think that all these different color pieces of material were used because it was common to the style of making a Housewife or was it that a Housewife was generally made with whatever scraps were available?

Brian Wiswell

[bizzilizzit]

Re: Civil War Housewife

I've got one that is made from the scraps of the dresses of the soldier's wife, mother, and daughter and I have her letter that she sent with it. Maybe it was another way to carry a piece of home or a loved one with them?
Elizabeth Topping

[coffey]

Re: Civil War Housewife

Is the material Cotton or Silk?

[Brian Wiswell]

Re: Civil War Housewife

>I've got one that is made from the scraps of the dresses of the soldier's wife, mother, and daughter and I have her letter that she sent with it. Maybe it was another way to carry a piece of home or a loved one with them?
Elizabeth Topping<

Interesting. Kind of like a soldier carrying a lock of hair from his sweetheart.

Brian Wiswell

[Chihuahua]

Re: Civil War Housewife

Pards,
Material is cotton.
Black exterior is painted cloth.
Mark Warren

[Shockoe Hill Cats]

Re: Civil War Housewife

Do you think that all these different color pieces of material were used because it was common to the style of making a Housewife or was it that a Housewife was generally made with whatever scraps were available?

Brian,

I have access to about nine different housewives of the 19th Century era, and while I don't like the idea about making generalizations based on just a few examples, I did find some comparisons.

I've noticed that period housewives tend to have two typical constructions: either have a base and pockets made out of the same (or like) fabrics or have a base and pockets made out of different fabrics, like this one. In addition, yes, oilcloth covers are fairly common, for obvious reasons.

Again, I don't like making generalizations, but from the nine I've seen only two have alternating fabrics. Perhaps this could be typical in a larger context. Check out the William Steves housewife:

http://civilwargazette.wordpress.com/2007/01/07/housewife-belonging-to-william-steves-4th-ovi/

[Brian Wiswell]

Re: Civil War Housewife

Thanks for your comments Jason. Here is a page from Arms and Equipment of The Confederacy, Echos of Glory, p 213 with some nice examples.

Brian Wiswell

[AZReenactor]

Re: Civil War Housewife

Jason,
Nice example.

I am particularly interested in this style with a tin cylinder for storage in the base. I've seen the reproductions with a pin cushion and a place for the thimble, but none with the tin can. Does anyone have more information on this style? It seems having a tin cylinder to provide a round hard case to store spools, a chunk of beeswax, or ball of darning thread would be quite handy.

Has anyone had opportunity to examine such a house wife close up? If so, how do the pin cushion ends of the tin cylinder attach? Does anyone reproduce either such a housewife or the appropriate tin cylinder at least?

rolled brown calf leather on tin can base in which spools of thread were stored, interior with 2 pockets in silk and pads for needles, unrolled it is 11″ x 4.5″, closed it is 2″ diameter with fabric pin cushion ends.

[Shockoe Hill Cats]

Re: Civil War Housewife

Has anyone had opportunity to examine such a house wife close up?

Here's two, though I find the "Cassette-tape Housewives" to be equally interesting.

If all goes well and I find some time, I'll have a few repros up for grabs sometime soon.

[PanzerJager]

Re: Civil War Housewife

I've got one that is made from the scraps of the dresses of the soldier's wife, mother, and daughter and I have her letter that she sent with it. Maybe it was another way to carry a piece of home or a loved one with them?
Elizabeth Topping

Hi Elizabeth,

Could you post some phots of the housewife and letter in your collection? I would love to see it as I am sure the rest would as well.

Kind Regards

[bizzilizzit]

Re: Civil War Housewife

Hi Elizabeth,

Could you post some phots of the housewife and letter in your collection? I would love to see it as I am sure the rest would as well.

Kind Regards

I've got a jpg here at work of the housewife, but I have no idea how to post it!

Elizabeth Topping

[KathyBradford]

Re: Civil War Housewife

Elizabeth,

Thanks for being willing to share your picture.

To attach your picture, click on the "Post Reply" button.
Write whatever you'd like to say in the large box.
Scroll down to the "Manage Attachments" button and click on it.
A box will pop up, and click on the "Browse" button.
Another box containing all your computer files will pop up.
Click on the appropriate files on your computer until you get to the one you'd like to post.
Click on that one, and then click on "Open".
You can keep clicking on "Browse" and then "Open" to load several pictures at once.
Once all of your files appear in the boxes, click on "Upload".
Then, click on "Submit Reply", and they will appear as thumbnails at the bottom of your message.

If you want to make sure it will work before you post, click on "Preview Post" first. If it doesn't work for you and you'd like me to post it for you, I'd be happy to help. Please email it as an attachment to PreservationParcels@hotmail.com.

Thanks again,

[Spinster]

Re: Civil War Housewife

Hit the 'post reply' button, not the quick reply button.

You'll then get a reply screen. Scroll down.

Go to "manage attachments' and click that.

A new screen will come up. At the top it says "upload files from your computer" . Go to the Browse button and click that.

This gets you to the internals of your computer. Go to where you have the image stored. Click on the image and your 'open' button.

This will put your internal computer address in the box by the Browse button. Now, click on the upload button about halfway down the screen.

The upload will take a moment, and either tell you its finished, or tell you it failed.

If your file is not too large, you'll be able to see your picture when you preview your post. If you get the 'file too large' message, you'll have to get some help to resize it.