Extra Credit Questions

[L Verge]

Absolutely correct. Those of you who got a copy of the Surratt Christmas booklet read about them and saw pictures. Here's the background story:

The doll was originally manufactured in Germany in 1850 and sold as the perfect playmate for baby’s bathtime. However, it soon became associated with a popular poem of the day “Young Charlotte” written by humorist Seba Smith in 1840. The poem recounted the grim true tale of a young woman who had frozen to death one New Year’s Eve while out riding with her sweetheart in an open sleigh. This poor unfortunate lass had failed to heed her mother’s advice:

“O, daughter dear,” her mother cried,
“This blanket ’round you fold;
It is a dreadful night tonight,
You’ll catch your death of cold.”

“O, nay! O, nay!” young Charlotte cried,
And she laughed like a gypsy queen;
“To ride in blankets muffled up,
I never would be seen.”

Smith’s poem inspired the folk song “Fair Charlotte”:

“He took her hand in his — O, God!
’Twas cold and hard as stone;
He tore the mantle from her face,
Cold stars upon it shone.
Then quickly to the glowing hall,
Her lifeless form he bore;
Fair Charlotte’s eyes were closed in death,
Her voice was heard no more.

What had been intended as a German bath toy soon became known in America as a “Frozen Charlotte.” The dolls cost a penny and were insanely popular—some being sold with their very own coffin and blanket-*****-shroud. In Britain these dolls were often baked into a pudding or cake as a fun surprise for children to discover—or more likely break their teeth on—at Christmastime. BTW: These dolls ranged in size from 1" (a cake charm) to 18".

There were also Frozen Charlies for sale (neither gender was anatomically correct, of course). They were not all designed as bathtub toys, however. Those were made with a glazed china front and an unglazed stoneware back that allowed the doll to float in water.

Our docent who provided much of the doll exhibit at Christmas had several varieties on display. Interestingly, she also collects funerary art and provided part of her collection for a weekend display we had this past summer. She has never mentioned knowing about Frozen Charlottes that come with their own coffin box. She's headed for Florida this month to get warm, but I will surely query her about whether or not she has one.

---

There's more here on the story of the "real" frozen Charlotte and the author of the poem, Seba Smith. Turns out that he is considered the first American political satirist.

http://www.mainestory.info/maine-stories...lotte.html

[RJNorton]

(01-30-2016 10:48 AM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  Kudos, Roger, that is correct. His Serene Highness Otto Eduard Leopold Prince of Bismarck, High Born Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen and Duke of Lauenburg created the first welfare state in the modern world. British PM Benjamin Disraeli said of him: "Be careful of that man—he means every word he says".

Roger, you win the #2 popular German fast food - a fish bun with Bismarck herring, exclusively served by our current chancellor in appropriate location (a beach wicker chair):

Thank you, Eva! Sounds wonderful! And congratulations to you and all of Germany on the victory of Angelique Kerber over world's number one ranked Serena Williams in the Australian Open. It was a great match which I watched this morning.

[Eva Elisabeth]

(01-30-2016 02:55 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(01-30-2016 10:48 AM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  Kudos, Roger, that is correct. His Serene Highness Otto Eduard Leopold Prince of Bismarck, High Born Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen and Duke of Lauenburg created the first welfare state in the modern world. British PM Benjamin Disraeli said of him: "Be careful of that man—he means every word he says".

Roger, you win the #2 popular German fast food - a fish bun with Bismarck herring, exclusively served by our current chancellor in appropriate location (a beach wicker chair):

Thank you, Eva! Sounds wonderful! And congratulations to you and all of Germany on the victory of Angelique Kerber over world's number one ranked Serena Williams in the Australian Open. It was a great match which I watched this morning.

Thanks, Roger - she actually lived in Kiel (where I live) until recently!

As for Freezing Charlotte (AFAIK these dolls have no special name in German) respectively the namesake - "Il faut suffrir pour être belle"! We say exactly same in German, but obviously there's no likewise English proverb.

[L Verge]

We Americans just use the English translation of what the French said perfectly -- It's necessary to suffer in order to be beautiful.

[Eva Elisabeth]

While I as a child had zero interest in dolls (not any cute and cuddly) I was addicted to stuffed toy animals, precisely the Steiff ones. Luckily my father (although not running it himself anymore) owned a toy shop...

And THE soft toy animal is the teddy bear, as y'all know named after Teddy Roosevelt. On a hunting trip in Mississippi in 1902, the president failed to make a kill and so his hosts caught a bear, presenting it to him as a target. He refused to shoot it, saying: "Spare the bear". This subsequent Washington Post cartoon:
   
...inspired Russian immigrant Morris Michtom of Brooklyn to create a toy bear, "Teddy's bear".

At the same time, the German Steiff firm, unaware of Michtom's bear, created a similar "teddy" bear, too, and shipping the first supply to the US in early 1903 ended up in the great teddy bear shipwreck mystery:
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14231337

BTW, Hermann Berg was the brother of composer Alban Berg (the one with the twelve-tone technique).

When the Titanic sank in 1912, Steiff produced this black furry fellow, and another cute and practical novelty of those days was the hot water bottle teddy:
       

Final BTW - Margarete Steiff had suffered from polio in childhood - absolutely admirable how she nevertheless made her way in life, and especially as a female in those days:
   

[RJNorton]

Two people agreed that this lady looked like what person from history?

[Anita]

Ann Rutledge. I found this link. https://pastinthepresent.wordpress.com/2...-rutledge/

[RJNorton]

Kudos, Anita! And that page is the exact source I used for the question (so I don't need to list it again).

Your prize is best wishes for whichever team you and Ken cheer for in the Super Bowl to win!

[Anita]

Thanks for the prize Roger. The NY Times PICK: PANTHERS 27, BRONCOS 17. We're rooting for the Broncos.

[RJNorton]

What is historic about this railroad car?

[Eva Elisabeth]

Is it from Lincoln's inauguration journey?

[J. Beckert]

Lincoln's funeral car?

[RJNorton]

Excellent guesses, Eva and Joe, but neither one is correct. This car was not part of either the inaugural train or the funeral train.

[DanielC]

Would it have anything to do with the Transcontinental Railroad?

[RJNorton]

That is another wonderful guess, Dan, but not correct.

Hint #1: All 3 guesses so far are in the right decade - 1860's. This railroad car became part of history at a certain time in that decade.

Hint #1.5: I think this is a rare photo that I posted as I've never seen it in any book I own. It can be found online, however.