Mother and Child Framed Print

This framed piece measures 21" x 23"

I have no clue where the above print is from.  It captures so perfectly the touching moment of a mother reading to her child.  I especially like the doll in the chair and the picture hanging on the wall in the background.  It reminds me so much of the front parlor of Moran Place.

You can see the line though that goes across the picture which probably means it was folded prior to being framed.  When I removed the picture from the frame to clean the glass I was hoping to find a caption saying where it came from, a title or artist or perhaps a magazine, but no such luck.  So I'm left to wonder if it was a magazine or newspaper insert that caught one of the Moran's eye.

In any case it's a very charming print of a mother and child and now hangs in our hall.

Tapestry Under Glass

I love this tray.  There's nothing fancy about it and it's clearly homemade.  In my view I can see that someone was trying to preserve a piece of something special, something loved.  A tiny piece of treasure to pass down but whose meaning has long been lost.  

It's a simple design utilizing an old photo frame, a piece of glass, two brass handles and some nails.  Put it all together and it becomes a beautiful tray for a ladies dresser.  Perhaps it was a place to lay jewelry, keep perfume bottles, her comb and mirror.  We don't know who it belonged to but we're happy to have brought it back to life.  

Getting a good picture has been difficult.  The glass reflects everything and though I'm not completely happy with these pictures they are the best I've been able to get.  The closeup of the fabric was the most difficult because I did not take it out of the frame which is obvious from the light reflection at the bottom.  All in all though you still see the beauty of the material as well as the waterstains.   Through the years Moran Place fell victim to a lot of leaks that damaged many things.  Many people would focus on the damage, we focus on the beauty and the heritage. 

Young Love, Fannie Moran and George Brasfield

In a previous post I went into detail about George Moore Brasfield.  Who his parents were, who he married, his occupation, children, travel and where he died.  That post was prompted by a letter he had written to J.W. Moran in 1910 asking for a $5000 loan.  If you are interested in more information about George be sure to check out that blog entry!











Today's post is prompted by a school tablet belonging to Fannie Moran, dated about 1889.  At first I wondered what the FMB stood for on the front cover.








As I flipped through the pages I could see that Fannie was studying: grammer, latin, french, literature and poetry.  This page is about the character of Macbeth.

But then I found a few items that were definitely not school related and the mystery of the FMB became clear to me.  It wasn't FMB  it was FM  GB, Fannie Moran and George Brasfield.  Fannie had a crush on George Brasfield.  Whether or not it was reciprocated I cannot say but these tidbits of daily life are the things that make family research so much fun.

Moran & Brasfield, Atty's at Law.  Cases of Matrimony & love a specialty.

And the back cover:

Fannie Lemira Moran.  Geo M. Grasfield, ma chere.  Voulez-vous aller au Dresden Noel?  My dear, Do you want to go to Dresden for Christmas?

Dance Card circa 1890's

Fannie Moran

This dance card was found among the papers of Fannie Moran Ezzell.   I seriously doubt her dance card was empty for the evening even though this one has not been filled.


On this particular occasion there were four Waltz's, fourteen Quadrille's, two Polka's and two Schottische's.    The Quadrille is a dance performed by four couples and is the precursor to Square Dancing.  The Schottische is a Bohemian partnered dance that was popular during the Victorian Era.  I would assume most everyone knows what the Waltz and Polka are!

Two Suitors from the 1890's

Back in the day if you wanted to ask a girl out you couldn't call her, there were no telephones.  You couldn't drop by her house unannounced, that was considered rude, uncouth, and low class.  What did you do?  You sent a note or perhaps dropped it off yourself but without the expectation of seeing the young lady until she replied to your note, with a note of her own.

W.R. Bobbitt was the druggist in Dresden Tennessee.  In 1905 he became the proprietor of the Smith Hotel (formerly the Hampton Hotel) in Dresden Tennessee.  But on October 13, 1891, he was simply a hopeful young fellow sending a note to a well-bred young lady in the hopes of seeing her.  And he was clever in that he used one of Fannie Moran's own calling cards, which she must've given him, as the invitation for his call.

Miss Fannie Moran
City
10-13-1891
Can I see Miss Moran
This Evening?
W.R. Bobbitt

Another suitor was W.O. Thompson.  I don't know who he was or where he was from because his invitation was sent to Fannie when she was in Jackson, TN attending the Memphis Conference Female Institute and Conservatory of Music and Art.

Miss Fannie Moran
MCFI
2/19/1894

Miss Moran:
If agreeable I would like very much to attend with you the Schubert concert at the Opera House tomorrow evening.

Very truly yours,
W.O. Thompson

We'll never know if Fannie accepted either invitation but we do know that she didn't marry either of these gentlemen.

Reticule past and present

Vintage items for the lady.

This sweet little reticule belonged to one of the Moran ladies as did the glove, the marcasite arrow pin and the hairpin on the far left..  There's something about the delicate purse and other items that makes me believe that they were the property of Sophia Riley Gunn Moran.

I was struck by the resemblance of the Moran purse and the one which is currently for sale on Amazon and is billed as an "antique beaded handbag."  Surely they should say it's "in the style of" or is a remake of an antique handbag?

Sophia Riley Gunn Moran

Available on Amazon.com

My Dear Brother Charlie...Apr, 1897

This letter was written in April, 1897, by 13 year old Marion Moran to her brother Charles Harrell Moran who was away in Nashville.  I can imagine her sense of loneliness at being in the huge Victorian that the Moran's called home.  J.W. Moran had it built for his wife Sophia but she died in 1895 before the house was completed.  Marion mentions the "old house" which was on the same lot and was being moved.  Fannie had gone to Union City and Teatot (Ida) was in Jackson TN.  Quite possibly, Jimmie, the eldest Moran child, was away at college in Virginia.  So the young Marion was left at home with her 57 year old father and a few servants.  

Dresden, Tenn

April 29, 1897

My Dear Brother Charlie,

Sister went to Union city this morning and to night I am here alone, no one here but Papa.  I am very lone-some, so lone-some that I thought I would write to you, although you never answer my letters.  Mr. Webb is going to put a water closet in the down-stairs bath-room to-morrow. Sister will come back to-morrow morning.  I don't

remember if I ever told you that little Jessie Gibbs has been sick for a long time.  Mr Gibbs is up but not well by a long means.  Shelah Paschal has a cycle and Annie Neal has ordered one, but I do not want one, but I do want a pretty little cart and harness.  Mr. Esman has commenced to move the old house.  I have planted me a little garden, and the things in it will soon be ready to eat. In a day or to I will have radishes to eat and I can say "These came out of my garden."  Mrs. McCutchen's son has been about to dye die but is getting better, so the paper said today. Give my love to Teatot when you see her, and keep some your self.  I will tell you good night.  I am your little "Sis"  

Envelope

Marion Moran

Moran Trivia, '95....1895 that is.

"Begun laying the foundation for the new house on Friday Aug 30 '95"  From Fannie Moran's Little Red Notebook.   Please note that the '95 refers to 1895 and that the "new house" isn't so new anymore but it is still standing and would always be known as "Moran Place".

The Ladies Vanity Set, A Symbol of Women's Virtue, ca 1912

Search for Ladies Vanity Items at Amazon!

During the Victorian and Edwardian periods ladies and men's vanity sets were commonplace.  In an age where indoor plumbing was not very common, grooming items were kept in the privacy of your bedroom.  You would most likely have a washstand in the corner or a nook specially built into the bedroom for the washstand.  Tub baths were not taken everyday and were a luxury.  You had to make do with spot washing with the washstands till it was bath day.  Ladies had dressing tables where they kept the necessities of grooming close at hand.

In addition, women's hair had then and to this day a lot of symbolism going on.  With the exception of young girls who were not yet of an age to marry, women (respectable women) kept their hair pinned up. Wearing your hair up was a sign of maturity, hence availability for marriage. A virtuous woman only let her hair down in the confines of her own bedroom.  How you wore your hair proclaimed you as a virtuous or a loose woman. Even today many people think of updo hair or short hair as a sign of professionalism and maturity.

Most vanity sets included a brush, comb and mirror.  This one belonged to Virginia Shumate Moran and includes a brush, comb, mirror, small tray, toothbrush holder and powder box.  In addition she had a handpainted porcelain tray from Japan where she would place some of her grooming items.  The small pink box is made of marble and might have been used to hold jewelry and might have been added later to the set.  The mirror, brush and powder box are engraved with her initials in black.  The comb has a smaller engraving which isn't visible in the pictures. The comb is also very heavy as is the mirror.  These are not made of plastic!

Vanity sets could be simple or ornate in design, material, or the number of pieces included in the set.  One thing is certain, the vanity set might have been used for everyday practical things but the symbolism contained therein went beyond cleaniliness of the body.  It symbolized cleaniliness of virtue and of course cleaniliness was next to godliness.

Here's the before image.  Notice the safety pins and
fingernail file impressions left on the tray, surrounded by grime.

And here's the after picture.  They cleaned up rather well.
The brush, mirror, and powder box are engraved VSM,
Virginia Shumate Moran.

Entertainment in the 1800's

Entertainment was simple in the 1800's.  This is the program for the evenings Entertainment presented by the pupils of the Dresden Academy, Tuesday Evening, June 5.  No year is indicated but one of the songs that night  was a popular Victorian parlour song called "Come into the Garden Maud" by Alfred Tennyson, written in 1857.  So we know the program came after 1857 and probably sometime prior to 1900.

Found among the papers of Charles (Brud) Harrell Moran.

Birth Announcements

 Even well-to-do babies had calling cards!  Used in place of a birth announcement, a smaller card was attached with a ribbon to the calling card of the parents. The only information included was the date.  No reference to such things as height, weight or time were deemed necessary.
This is the card announcing the birth of Marion Louise Moran, September 24, 1923 to Mr. and Mrs. James Henderson Moran.

Four Women

Another little gem of a tintype found among old letters and such

Broken but still beautiful

High atop the Moran home... broken?  yes. Beautiful? absolutely.  Forgotten?  Not in our lifetime.