Tag Archives: France

Soup, soup and soup please.

Snippets 147.  On October 22nd 1881 the first ever issue of Tit-Bits was published, with a simple aim of extracting all the best quotes from other newspapers, magazines and books.  It was successful enough to run for over a hundred … Continue reading

Posted in 19th Century, Food, History, Humor, Humour, Magazines, Snippets | Tagged , | Leave a comment

French Healthcare in 1854

Snippets 134.  The oldest hospital in Paris is the Hotel-Dieu, founded in 651. Visiting the hospital in 1854, the American Rev. George Foxcroft Haskins was extremely impressed with what he found, and compared it favourably with American health care at … Continue reading

Posted in 19th Century, Books, History, Inspiration, People, Snippets, Travel | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Versailles Train Crash

Snippets 116.  Exactly 175 years ago today a tragic rail accident occurred between Versailles and Paris, on 8th May 1842. A locomotive broke an axle and derailed, causing the carriages behind to crash into it and catch fire. Astonishingly, it … Continue reading

Posted in 19th Century, Books, History, Snippets, Travel | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Painted Babies

Pick of Punch 10. This area of the blog offers a selection of entertaining quotes from Punch magazine. The following is from 3rd March 1866. In Paris the fine ladies not merely smear themselves with rouge, but make their babies … Continue reading

Posted in 19th Century, History, Humor, Humour, Magazines, Pick of Punch, Punch, Punch Magazine | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Victor Hugo, Devoted Grandfather

Snippets 90. John Swinton was a popular journalist, who was chief editor of the New York Times during the 1860s. In 1883 he launched John Swinton’s Paper, an influential publication campaigning for the rights of workers in America. His views … Continue reading

Posted in 19th Century, Books, History, Inspiration, People, Snippets, Travel | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

The Mysterious Nun

Snippets 79. The following snippet, although abridged, is a longer quote than I normally include here, but is such an interesting and heart-rending story that it is well worth a read. It is taken from an 1891 edition of Strand … Continue reading

Posted in 19th Century, History, Inspiration, Magazines, Memoirs, People, Snippets, Travel | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

An Easter Snippet

Happy Easter from Windows into History!  The following quote is taken from A Country Book: for the field, the forest, and the fireside by William Howitt, published in 1859.  You can find other quotes from this book in Snippets 38 … Continue reading

Posted in 19th Century, Books, Britain, Christianity, England, Faith, History, People, Snippets | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Opportunistic Emperor (Snippets 56)

In 1835 an Autobiography of an Irish Traveller was published anonymously, although the author reveals his identity during the course of the book as Walter Brabazon, from Cork. He met many interesting people during his travels, but one of his … Continue reading

Posted in 19th Century, Autobiographies, Books, History, Napoleonic Wars, Travel | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Journals 10.2 – Loiterings in Europe by John Corson (Part 2)

This is the second part of my article on Corson’s journal.  For the first part please see the entry posted on 4th January 2016. Travelling around France involved the use of a ‘diligence’, a sturdy design of stagecoach, designed to … Continue reading

Posted in 19th Century, Books, England, History, Journals, London, Travel | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Journals 10.1 – Loiterings in Europe by John Corson (Part 1)

In 1848 Loiterings in Europe was published by Harper & Brothers, New York. Subtitled Sketches of Travel in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Prussia, Great Britain, and Ireland, it was written by John W. Corson, MD. It is a magnificent … Continue reading

Posted in 19th Century, Books, History, Journals, Travel | Tagged , | 8 Comments