Wednesday, November 17

The History of Housekeeping


Family Saying Grace, by Anthonius Claeissins

Old & Interesting is a not very old website, but it is rather interesting.

It bills itself as a site about the "history of domestic paraphernalia". It is all about how people have kept house through the ages, using everyday items that we now think of as antiques, if we think of them at all.

If you want to build a mental picture of how your ancestors cooked, cleaned themselves, cleaned their clothes, cleaned their homes, made the beds, kept warm, and stored food then this is the site for you.

There's a whole page on the History of Ironing Boards!

And if you're interested in historical oddities, like cooking without fire or 14th century baby walkers, then you'll also find Old & Interesting an informative and entertaining site.

Even if it's just to explore some of the wonderful images and uncluttered prose, this site is well-worth a good explore.



Don't forget to also check for your family history at Ancestry.com and  NewspaperArchive. These are subscription databases, but they are among the most powerful research tools available for looking into family roots.

2 comments :

freelance writer said...

So interesting post!This topic is part of every day history and close to social history. This branch of history explores a lot of sides of human life and activity! I will advice to read works of french historians form the "Annales School"

Rottman said...

I'd love to see some paintings of old walkers!
I was just looking for some vintage walkers for sale maybe I'll get inspired by real antique walkers :)

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