Touring Michigan - Manistee's Victorian Sleighbell Parade and Old Christmas Weekend.

If you are enamored by the Victorian era, this is a must-do event!

We began our adventure with tea at the Buckley, a privately owned fantastic Victorian home. Afternoon tea was served in the third floor ballroom, complete with dainty sandwiches, flaky scones and delicious dainty sweets.

A tour of the home followed and it was stunningly beautiful - the ornate woodwork, the leaded glass, the plasterwork ceilings and original lighting fixtures. It made me very nostalgic for my former 1908 home!

Following tea, we toured the Manistee County Historical Museum, located right downtown in Manistee and the building remains as it existed in 1905.

For Christmas, a huge number of Victorian era trees and decorations are displayed in settings depicting a variety of traditions.

One of my favorite displays/presentations was the Magic Lantern show of the "Night Before Christmas". Magic lantern shows are always fascinating, but this one was made even better by having the narration supplied by an Edison player with a wax cylinder.

The Magic Lantern is the forerunner of the modern slide projector. It has a long and complicated history and, like lots of fascinating inventions, many people were involved in its development. No one can say for sure who invented the Magic Lantern. The Magic Lantern has been used to educate and entertain audiences for hundreds of years.

Another highlight is the working display of vintage toy trains - it's just amazing!

After the museum, we walked the downtown area, enjoying the sights and sounds, including a trombone band:

and hot roasted chestnuts: DELICIOUS!!!

Everyone joins in the fun:

Then it was parade time!

No motor vehicles, everything is horse-drawn or foot powered:

The most amazing sight is the 30+ foot tree, on a sledge, being drawn by a team of four draft horses right down the middle of the street!

They had to work hard this year, with no snow to help it slide.

Upon reaching the end of the parade, the tree is lit and the sky fills with fireworks.

Even with no snow, the town was filled with happy, enthusiastic people, truly full of the spirit of the season - we'll be back!

Whatsit Followup

Here's the "whatsit" that has generated so much conversation here, on the Civil War Needleworkers forum and on the Antique Pattern Library regarding what this object actually is.

My first thought, echoed by others,  was some type of lampshade cover, but the gas and kerosene lamps of the era required a central vent which this object does not accommodate.

Another suggestion was a skullcap:

Um, probably not!

A cover for a domed glass paperweight, again, probably not:

One plausible theory was a cover for wire food safe. I don't have an antique wire food safe, but I do have a rattan version:

My problem with this theory is the handle - like the lampshade cover there is no accommodation for the handle.

Other suggestions include workbasket cover, pillowcover, footstool cover and finally a piano stool cover:

And I do believe we have a winner!!!

Despite having a piano stool, it had not occurred to me to try it on there - but when I did, it was a perfect fit!

It's my opinion, based on materials, construction techniques, color and style, that this cover dates to the late 1870's - 1880's and reflects the Victorian craze for all things "Oriental".

I feel it was constructed, at home,  by a middle class lady, to ornament her parlor - which was probably not as ornate as the parlor seen above. She most likely used a published pattern for the crochet and then added the purchased chenille fringe.

A note on the fringe: It was suggested on one of the forums that the chenille "tails" had been knotted in place, not woven as I suggested. However, a closeup photo of one of the tassels clearly shows that it was woven in when the trim was constructed:

Wouldn't it be a wonder to have such trims available for purchase now!

Once I found the proper term - music stool, not piano stool - I found a number of patterns in the period magazines, using a variety of techniques:

This one in crochet even has a central diamond pattern similar to my example!

Thank you so much to everyone who offered suggestions - it's been so much fun exploring the possibilities

Whatsit???

I recently acquired this "whatsit" and it definitely has me a bit puzzled. 

The materials and techniques place it firmly in the Victorian  or perhaps Edwardian era. It is crocheted of red wool with a woven trim tacked about 1 1/2" from the edge. This trim includes a chenille fringe or tails that have been woven into the fringe.

None of this would be too terribly puzzling, except it is obviously not intended to lay flat:

But instead is designed to go over something domed - here it is on an upsidedown stainless bowl, approximately 16" across and and 5" deep:

My first thought was a cover for a glass lampshade of some kind, but it just doesn't seem likely, as there is no central hole to allow venting of the heat/fumes, as is typical for lighting of the era.

So any ideas???