Category: Artifact Corner

Hi Everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at a letter that Betsey Delord Swetland wrote to her Granddaughter Fannie Delord Webb Hall. The letter was dated December 8, 1857, and reads as follows:

“My Beloved Child,
We have an open winter. So far the weather has been like September, only an occasional cold day. Our little bay was only frozen over Thanksgiving day. It was black with boys and girls skating, a fine sport. Next day all open and still continues open and raining today. I had rather have cold weather and snow. With the poor help I had, and not being well enough, I gave up asking Rev. Coit’s family for dinner Thanksgiving, as we always had them. I told Mr. Coit so, but as the time approached, I felt so bad about it and finally concluded to have them and do the best I could. We had a room full and made out a very nice dinner and all seemed to enjoy it. Since you left many friends calling and enquiring after you.”

Thanks to this letter, we know that the winter of 1857 seems to have been a rather mild one. Cumberland Bay was without ice and it was raining on December 8th. Betsey was 73 at the time of writing this letter, and putting on a big Thanksgiving spread would be awfully challenging, but she couldn’t let the day pass without making a big meal and inviting friends and family over to share it. I think we can all relate to that. Betsey does not state what exactly she served, but she has a couple of well preserved cook books from this time period.

In one of Betsey’s cookbooks from the 1850’s she has a really good recipe that we here at the museum have recreated. We think this could be a fantastic addition to any Thanksgiving dinner. Here it is, exactly as written:

“Stew five good sized apples, mash them fine and stir to cream two spoonfuls of butter, four of sugar, mix these with the apples, then stir in one pint of cream, half a nutmeg, grate in five crackers, and lastly beat six eggs to a froth, mix all together, beating it well, bake as a custard, and you will say it is splendid.”

The instructions are vague, which is unsurprising for recipes from the 1800’s. What do they mean by spoonful? What does, “bake as a custard mean?” If you plan to give this recipe a shot, I would use tablespoons, and bake this in a 350 degree oven for around 45 minutes, or until you can stick a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean. If you are feeling a bit lazy and don’t want to stew 5 apples, you could substitute in unsweetened apple sauce, which would work just fine.

Both the letter and cookbook give us a glimpse into life in Plattsburgh in the 1850’s, and we are so lucky to have them in our collections. From all of us at KDHM, we wish you and yours a happy Thanksgiving, and we hope you are able to spend it with loved ones. Thanks so much for stopping by!

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi Everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. You might notice a different voice today, and that’s because our Director who normally voices these videos is sick, and sounds like a frog. Today we will be looking at a Victorian pitcher, made sometime between 1850-1900. On the bottom of the pitcher, it has a makers mark that says “Blue Meissen,” and has L S & S and the number 27 on the bottom of it. Now if the name Meissen sounds familiar, that’s because they are one of the most famous porcelain manufacturers in the world. But our little pitcher is deceiving. This is not actually made by the Meissen company based in Germany. This was made by a British manufacturer based in England. Even by the 1850’s Meissen was a huge name in porcelain, and attaching that name to a product would absolutely add to the salability of the piece. Let’s learn a bit more about Meissen, and how they became the gold standard for European porcelain.

In the 17th Century, Europeans were all enamored with Chinese porcelain, and magical properties they believed the porcelain held. It was even said that if someone tried to poison food held in a Chinese porcelain dish, the dish would break into pieces. The first European porcelain was manufactured in Meissen in 1710, when by decree of King Augustus II the Strong. Meissen porcelain or Meissen china was the first European hard-paste porcelain. From the 1720’s onward, Meissen’s work was clearly infused by Chinese and East Asian porcelain pieces. In 1720 Johann Gregor Herold became the director and in 1723 introduced brilliant overglaze colors that made Meissen porcelain famous, with an increasingly broad palette of colors that marked the beginning of the classic phase of Meissen porcelain. Throughout the 18th Century, Meissen created some of the most iconic and exquisite Rococo designs in Europe.

In the nineteenth century Ernst August Leuteritz modernized many of the rococo figurines, and reissued them, creating a “Second Rococo” characterized by lacework details (made from actual lace dipped in slip and fired) and applied flowers. In 1903, old styles were revived and reinterpreted, and eighteenth century models restored. Some appealing work in the Art Nouveau style was produced, but Meissen’s mainstay continued to be the constant production of revived eighteenth-century models. After World War II and under Communist rule, the manufacture that had always catered to the rich and wealthy had some difficulty finding its way. The danger was that Meissen would become a factory merely producing for the masses. It was not until 1969, when Karl Petermann became the director, that Meissen went back to focus on its old traditions and was also allowed a freer artistic expression. The Meissen company still produces some of the most beautiful porcelain in the world today.

Our pitcher is in quite good shape. There is crazing in the glaze, but given that the piece is well over 100 years old, this is not that surprising. The blue paint is quite vivid still, and the pattern is really lovely. It is a lovely example of Victorian European porcelain, and we are lucky to have it in our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by.

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Hi Everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at this beautiful Victorian photo album, probably dating around the late 1860’s. This is a leather bound photo album with brass fasteners to keep the book closed, and keep the pictures from falling out. This book has a beautifully marbled paper lining, along with heavy cardstock sleeves for the photographs. This particular album has slots for 48 photographs, and an index in the front of the album, so you can label the pictures. Let’s learn a bit more about photo albums, and the people the Delord family chose to keep pictures of.

The oldest photo album in the Library of Congress in Washington DC is from the early 1850’s. Photography was becoming more commonplace and affordable in the late 1850’s and early 1860’s. With the easier availability of having pictures taken, people needed ways to collect and keep those pictures safe. Pictures were often quite small. The photos in our album are 2 inches wide and 3 ¼ inches tall, slightly smaller than a modern business card, which was a very standard size in the 1860’s. It would be hard to frame such a small picture for hanging, so an album to keep them all safe was a good storage solution.

The album mostly contains pictures of Union Civil War Generals and commanders, local government officials, and prominent New York citizens. One very interesting exception is a photograph of “Albert, Prince of Wales,” the future King Edward VII of England. There are no other foreign dignitaries in the album. So clearly, American’s fascination with the British Royal family has a long history. Prince Albert was the second child, but oldest son, of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Upon his mother’s passing, he became King Edward VII in January of 1901. This photograph was taken on February 11, 1862 when Prince Albert was 21 years old. This picture was taken in Germany while he was visiting his future brother in law, Prince Louis of Hesse. The Prince wrote about the occasion in his journal: ‘before luncheon we went through the ordeal of being photographed by Mr. Albert and the result was very successful’. We are not sure why Prince Albert’s picture is included in the album, but it’s an interesting addition.

Our Album is in quite good condition. The photographs and the card stock holders are in great condition, as it the leather binding. One of the brass clips is missing, but the other one is present and still in good working order. This is a beautiful early photo album, and a glimpse into the Delord families interests, and we are so lucky to have it in our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by.

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi Everyone and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at a delicate ivory fan from the Victorian period. This fan has pierced decoration along the piece as well as some beautifully hand painted flowers. This is folding fan, meaning that it can collapse on itself for ease of carrying. Each piece of ivory is held together by a small pink ribbon, which is quite fragile, thanks to over a hundred years of use. Let’s learn a bit more about the history of hand held fans.

Two of the oldest surviving fans are from the tomb of Tutankhamen and are around 4,000 years old. In ancient Egyptian these fans were called ‘shuwt’, meaning ‘shadow’ or ‘shade’, and feathers would have extended from the metal frame.These were highly prized objects in ancient Egypt. Around the same period in ancient China, they were also using hand fans. These were typically made from woven bamboo and wood. Fan design and construction in China evolved to use a variety of materials including paper, metal, leather, and feathers. Ancient Greeks and Romans also used hand fans, though almost none survive, they are portrayed in mosaics and on pottery from the time period. While the shapes, materials, and decorations for hand fans in the ancient world varied widely, all of the fans were a single piece known as a rigid fan, and not articulated.

The folding fan (Ogi) as opposed to the much older fixed or flat fan (Uchiwa) is popularly thought to have originated in Japan around 670. made of wooden or bamboo strips threaded together and secured by a rivet or pivot. The Chinese dispute this and claim that the hand fan was invented by them around the same period. Whoever invented the folding fan, it came into common use in the 7th Century. Hand fans were absent from the archaeological record in Europe during most of the Middle Ages until they were reintroduced in the 13th and 14th centuries. Fans from the Middle East were brought by Crusaders, and refugees from the Byzantine Empire. In the 18th century, fans reached a high degree of artistry and were being made throughout Europe often by specialized craftsmen. Folded fans of silk, or parchment were decorated and painted by finely trained artists, creating stunning works of practical art. Hand held fans continued to be used throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in warmer climates. Hand held fans started to decrease in popularity with the invention of mechanized fans. When electricity was commonly used in homes in the United States, people didn’t feel the need to carry hand held fans nearly as much.

Our fan is in quite good condition with the exception of the ribbon. This is most commonly the fail point on a fan, as it is the piece that handles the most stress. In the Victorian period, if the ribbon broke, you would simply remove and replace it with a new ribbon, and the fan was good as new. But, because this is an artifact, we will leave the original ribbon in place. All of the painting and decoration on the fan is in fantastic condition. The colors of the flowers are still remarkably vivid, and there is very little flaking of the paint. This is a beautiful little fan, and we are so lucky to have it in our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by.

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi Everyone and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at a Victorian hair wreath. Yup you heard me correctly, a wreath made of human hair. This was a fairly common practice in the Victorian period. Let’s learn a bit more about the custom of hair jewelry and decorations during the mid to late 1800’s.

So, why did this trend start? The Victorian Era was filled with morbid romantic literature, with authors like Percy Shelley, Edgar Allen Poe, Lord Byron, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and many more. Their works were capturing the mood of their generation. Victorian medicine was slowly working its way to modernity, but not fast enough for the array of diseases cutting people down. Life expectancy was around 40 years old for men, and 42 years for women in the year 1850, and by the year 1900 it had not risen that much, being only 45 for men and 50 for women. Loss and losing people you loved was common, and people coped with it as best they could. In 1861, Queen Victoria’s husband Albert passed away, and so began her 40 year long mourning process. Inspired by their Queen’s grief, England adopted cultural mourning practices like wearing black and creating memento moris, or items that remembered a lost loved one. It swept through the English middle and upper-classes and soon traveled abroad to other western nations. Eventually, the practice of wearing a loved one’s hair encased in a locket or brooch would evolve into the artistic, textile-reminiscent trade of making hair wreaths.

Hair wreaths were almost exclusively made by women. They were mostly made by the loved ones of the deceased as well. Most women in the Victorian period were skilled with a needle and thread and embroidery, which served them well in creating these works of art. To make a hair wreath, hair was collected from the deceased and formed into a shape. These shapes were normally natural motifs, usually flowers. They would then be woven together and added to a horseshoe-shaped wreath. The top was not connected and remained open to symbolize the ascent heavenward. The hair in the center of the wreath belonged to the most recently deceased family member; it would remain until another family member died, then be moved to the side to make room for the hair of the newly deceased loved one. Hair could also be woven into plaits or braids and made into bracelets, or placed in lockets and worn as necklaces. It was a way of keeping a physical piece of your departed loved one near you at all times.

If you are interested in learning more about Victorian death customs and practices, we have a fantastic event coming up at the end of this month. Our event called Weep No More, Victorian Mourning Customs. Step back in time with us as we explore things like our collections of hair jewelry, and discover why portraits and mirrors were covered in the home when people died. You’ll also have a chance to taste coffin cookies, and believe it or not, they are quite delicious, despite their name. There are so many other bizarre and fascinating customs as well. Tours are 4pm and 6pm on Friday, the 21st and 28th. Tours are 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm on Saturday, the 22nd and 29th. Tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for museum members. For more information, call 518-561-1035 or email the museum at [email protected]. This hair wreath is in fantastic condition, and is a unique glimpse at grieving and loss in the Victorian period, and we are so lucky to have it our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by, and we look forward to seeing you at the end of the month!

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi Everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be exploring a room in our museum. This is Betsey’s green room. This room was an addition to the home done in the early Victorian period. Betsey was a plant lover, and had the most beautiful gardens, but winters in the North Country are very cold. In order to keep plants alive, you need to bring them indoors. Let’s learn a bit more about the history of greenhouses and why they became so popular during the Victorian era.

The first recorded greenhouses or hot houses were in Rome. Pliny Elder reported that the Emperor Tiberius ate cucumbers every day, and that in order to do so, he needed to create a temperature controlled environment to grow them in year round. The cucumbers were stored under frames or in cucumber houses glazed with either oiled cloth, known as “specularia,” or with sheets of mica. According to San Jun Yoon in their work, “Advanced Horticultural Techniques in Korea: The Earliest Documented Greenhouses,” the first description of a heated greenhouse is from the Sanga Yorok, a treatise on husbandry, from the 1450’s. The treatise contains detailed instructions on constructing a greenhouse that is capable of cultivating vegetables, forcing flowers, and ripening fruit within an artificially heated environment, by utilizing ondol, the traditional Korean underfloor heating system, to maintain heat and humidity; cob walls to retain heat; and semi-transparent oiled hanji windows to permit light penetration for plant growth and provide protection from the outside environment. The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty confirm that greenhouse-like structures incorporating ondol were constructed to provide heat for mandarin orange trees during the winter of 1438.

The first of what we would consider modern greenhouses were built in Italy in the sixteenth century to house the exotic plants that explorers brought back from the tropics. They were originally called giardini botanici or botanical gardens. Experimentation with greenhouse design continued during the 17th century in Europe, as technology produced better glass and construction techniques improved. The greenhouse at the Palace of Versailles was an example of their size and elaborateness; it was more than 490 ft long, 43 ft wide, and 46 ft high. In the 19th Century greenhouses experienced a seismic shift in growth, particularly in England. With improvements in glass and ironwork technology, glass houses could be built to a monumental scale. The conservatory at Kew Gardens in England, is a prime example of the Victorian greenhouse. The greenhouse has over 15,000 panes of glass and covers over 16,000 square feet! It is massive.

Our green room is clearly not to the scale of a place like Kew Gardens, but still serves the same function. The mostly glass addition allows tons of light to warm the space, and keep it at a reasonable temperature for plants throughout the winter. Betsey loved this space, and we do too. On a cold February day, when the sun is out in full force, it is warm and cozy room to spend some time in. It’s a very Victorian room and we are so lucky to have it be a part of our museum. Thanks so much for stopping by.

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at a small portrait in a metal frame. This portrait is diminutive in stature, but quite grand in its details. This is a bust of a woman, painted on ivory, and set in a gold frame. There is a concave piece of glass covering the ivory portrait. On the back, in ink, is written the following inscription:
“Copied from an original painting by Sir Thomas Lawrence in the year 1821 – a Magdalene. Done at Buffalo N.Y. in October 1835 – by the privilege of the possessor considered very very good. Charlotte Denning Artist.”
Let’s try to learn a bit more about this miniature painting.

If the inscription on the back is true, this is a copy of an original artwork by Sir Thomas Lawrence. Lawrence was born on April 13th, 1769 in Bristol, England. Lawrence was a child prodigy, where his father was an innkeeper at the Bear Hotel in the Market Square. At the age of ten, having moved to Bath, he was supporting his family with his pastel portraits. At eighteen he went to London and soon established his reputation as a portrait painter in oils. He became one of the most popular portrait artists of the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. His ability to capture the likeness of a subject was renowned. He painted many of the English aristocracy including Queen Charlotte, and notable English figures, such as the Duke of Wellington. Thomas Lawrence died suddenly at the age of 61 in 1830, and the remainder of his works in his studio were sold quickly to pay off his debts.

So, how did a woman in Buffalo NY come to see the original and copy it? That’s an excellent question, and quite simply we don’t know the answer. There is not a lot known about Charlotte Denning. In some instances, her portraits are signed Charlotte D E N N I N G, in others it’s spelt D E M I N G. I know that is states on the back of this portrait that it was painted in Buffalo, but it looks like Charlotte also lived here in Plattsburgh. She was active as an artist between 1830 to 1874. She exhibited at the National Academy of Design in New York City, which was founded in 1825. In 1834 artist and one of the founders of the National Academy of Design William Dunlap states that “Miss Charlotte Denning, miniature painter of Plattsburgh, NY.” Given that Charlotte lived in Plattsburgh, it’s not unreasonable to assume someone from our family purchased or was gifted this piece of art from her.

This miniature portrait is housed in a metal standing frame potentially made of bronze. It has scrolls and grape leaves, and is in quite good condition. The portrait itself is in excellent condition, likely because it is covered with glass. It is a beautiful piece and we are so lucky to have it in our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by.

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi Everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at two portraits in our collections. These portraits are of James Kent and his wife Elizabeth Bailey Kent. Both of the pieces are prints from original portraits. The original pieces were done in the late 1700’s. The portrait of James was done when he was 25, and the portrait of Elizabeth was done when she was 20 years old. Let’s learn a bit more about James and Elizabeth Kent.

James Kent was born in 1763 in the town of Fredericksburg, in Duchess County, NY. His father, Moss Kent was an attorney in Duchess County, and also served as at the Surrogates court for the State of New York for Rensselaer County. Not much is known about his very early life, but he followed in his father’s footsteps and attended Yale for law. He graduated in 1781, and returned to New York. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1785, and began practicing law in Poughkeepsie, NY. In April of this year he also married Elizabeth Bailey. By all accounts it was a very happy union, and the two were very devoted to each other. By 1793, James was having trouble supporting his growing family, and moved them to New York City. He had been offered and accepted a position as a professor of law at Columbia University in Manhattan. He taught there for five years. His career really flourished when he was appointed to be a justice in the New York State Supreme Court in 1798. In 1804 he was appointed to the Chief Justice role in the New York State Supreme Court, a position he held for 10 years. In 1814 he became the Chancellor of New York, which the New York Court of Chancery was the highest court in the State of New York from 1701 to 1847. During this time, James and Elizabeth had four children, three of which survived to adulthood, named Elizabeth, Mary, and William Kent.

According to Amelia Kessler in the paper “Our Inquisitorial Tradition: Equity Procedure, Due Process, and the Search for an Alternative to the Adversarial,” as chancellor, Kent inspired the development of modern American discovery by allowing masters to actively examine witnesses during depositions (rather than following the old English procedure of merely reading static interrogatories), and he allowed parties and counsel to be present for depositions. These innovations led to the modern deposition by oral examination. In 1837 James retired, and he and Elizabeth moved to Summit New Jersey. James passed away in 1847, and Elizabeth died in 1851.

Now, the name Kent is probably ringing a lot of bells for you, given that we are the Kent Delord House museum. And that’s part of the reason we are exploring these portraits. Why are we named the Kent Delord House museum? What did James Kent have to do with our house? Well, the property was owned initially by Elizabeth Bailey Kent and James Kent. In 1810 Henry Delord and his wife Betsey purchased the property from them. The property had a small two room cabin with a half story above it, which the Delord’s expanded into the home you see today. When the last member of our family passed away, it was eventually decided that the home would be turned into a museum. At the time, in the 1930’s, how many people knew the Delord name, versus how many people knew the Kent name? Well, James Kent had served as the Chief Justice for the New York State Supreme Court, so his name was very recognizable. Hence we became the Kent Delord House museum. Both of these prints are in good condition with very little fading or discoloration, and we are so lucky to have them in our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by!

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi Everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at a playing card, the Queen of clubs to be exact. But, this is more than just a playing card, this is also an invitation to a ball. Henry and his wife Betsey were being invited to a ball at Israel Green’s Tavern in their long room. The invite was sent by Louis Ransom, Benjamin Tyler, and Nathaniel Platt, who list themselves as the managers of the tavern. This ball took place in 1806, which was before Henry and Betsey were living at the home here in Plattsburgh. The use of a playing card as an invitation is quite interesting! Let’s learn a bit more about the history of playing cards, and their many uses.

Playing cards were most likely invented during the Tang dynasty around the 9th century AD. The first writing about a card game is mentioned in a 9th Century text from the Tang Dynasty. It describes Princess Tongchang, daughter of the Emperor of Tang, playing the “leaf game” in 868 with members of the Wei clan, the family of the princess’s husband. According to a historian from the Song Dynasty, the rules for this game were lost by the time he was writing about it in 1067. Playing cards found their way to Persia and became very popular, continuing to spread across the Middle East. They then spread to Egypt by the 11th Century, and became widely played. The oldest surviving cards in the world are four fragments from Egyptian playing cards found in the Benaki Museum, which is in Athens, Greece. They are dated to the 12th and 13th centuries. Playing cards first appeared in Europe in the 1370s, probably in Italy or Spain and certainly as imports or possessions of merchants from the Islamic Mamlūk dynasty centered in Egypt. Like their originals, the first European cards were hand-painted, making them luxury goods for the rich. Among the early patterns of playing card in Europe were those probably derived from the Mamluk suits of cups, coins, swords, and polo-sticks, which are still used in traditional Latin decks.

From about 1418 to 1450 professional card makers in Ulm, Nuremberg, and Augsburg created printed decks. Playing cards even competed with devotional images as the most common uses for woodcuts in this period. Most early woodcuts of all types were colored after printing, either by hand or, from about 1450 onwards, stencils. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, and far more mechanization of production, cards could be quickly and easily printed. It was at this time that we see people using playing cards for all sorts of purposes, other than game play. In 1749 a playing card was used as an invitation to a ball, and in 1765 playing cards were used as admission cards to the classes at the University of Pennsylvania. Also in the 18th Century, the French writer and poet Voltaire left a playing card with a message on the back at a friends house when he found that his colleague was not at home. Playing cards were small and portable, and far more sturdy than regular paper. They were an easy way to leave a quick note.

Most of the cards that were used as invitations to events were often collected at the door of the event, like a ticket. This is why it’s so exciting that we have this card, so few of them have survived, because the establishment would simply throw them out following the ball. Clearly Henry Delord wanted to remember this ball, and that’s why he saved it. It is a fantastic example of early playing cards, and a little glimpse into the Delord’s life in Plattsburgh. We are so lucky to have it in our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by!

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi Everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at a package of Victorian gel capsules from the apothecary of Fannie Delord Webb Hall. Fannie set up her medical office in the back of the home to treat people, and we have a vast array of the medicines that she had. One of the pieces was this box of gel capsules, which was used to make some bitter or unpleasant medicines more palatable. Let’s learn a bit more about gelatin and the invention of gel capsules.

Gelatin is defined as a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. The first recorded experiments into gelatin were done by a man named Denis Papin. In 1682 he discovered that you could boil animal bones and extract a glutinous material from them. Gelatin comes from the collagen found in the bones, connective tissue, and the skin of pigs, cattle, and other animals. Boiling the bones extracts the protein, which then “sets up,” or partially solidifies, as it cools. If you ever made soup, this is what produces the gelatinous, fatty layer on top of a pot of homemade animal stock.

So, how do we get from the discovery of gelatin to the gel capsule? Well in 1833, pharmacist Joseph Gérard Auguste Dublanc and his student François Achille Barnabe Mothes filed the first patent for a gelatin capsule. Their invention consisted of “bladders made of gelatin” – produced by dipping a gelatin solution into a small leather bag filled with mercury. The empty capsule form was filled with liquid-based medicines introduced by a pipette and then sealed with a drop of gelatin. Many of the drugs prescribed to patients in the 1800’s could irritate your mouth and throat. Some examples of ingredients and their cures are arsenic for anemia, strychnine for constipation, belladonna for colic in babies, mercury for skin conditions, cocaine for alcoholism, and heroine for coughing fits. All of these things are poisonous, and when you ingest poison, your body will try to get it out go you. The gel capsules would allow the “medicine” to get into your system. Now, this has been stated in other videos of ours, but just to remind everyone, please do not try any Victorian medicinal recipes at home.

Today we use gel coated medicine all the time. If you check you medicine cabinet, you’ll likely find some. These capsules are in very good condition, given their age. The box itself has faded due to exposure to light, but is still in good condition. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the medical practice of Fannie Delord Webb Hall, and we are so lucky to have it in our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by.

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles