1914 Wilson Dress-hooks Picture Title Contest

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Wednesday, February 25, 1914: Something like yesterday.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

It was a slow week. This was the third day in a row that Grandma didn’t write much.

Maybe Grandma had time to enter a contest that was in Ladies Home Journal.

The Wilson Dress-hooks contest gave a $100 cash prize for the best title of 8 words or less for this picture.

The contest rules say:

Why tolerate such embarrassment as shown in the above picture? For the last five years increasing numbers of women have been exclaiming, “At last I have found a fastening that simply can not be sprung open nor come unfastened!”

Rules

1. Write your title (8 words or less) –the shorter the better. Below it your name and address–nothing more. Only one title accepted per person.

2. Count Wilson Dress-hooks as two words only. You may use or omit them in your title.

3. Contest closes June 1, 1914.

4. Questions cannot be answered.

1914 Karo Advertisement

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Tuesday, February 24, 1914: Ditto

Source: National Food Magazine (February, 1914)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

This is the second day in a row that Grandma didn’t write much. The previous day she wrote, “Nothing hardly worthwhile.”

The party that she plans to attend on Friday (and mentioned on the 22nd)—apparently didn’t merit a second mention when she wrote this entry.

What did Grandma do on quiet winter days? Did she ever bake or make candies using Karo corn syrup?

We worry so much about the health effects of corn syrup today. Who would have guessed that corn syrup has been around for least a hundred years? . . . (though I think that the recipe for Karo has changed over the years—and that back then it was just corn syrup, not high fructose corn syrup like it is now.)

Correction: After I published this post, I discovered that I’d made an error–and that Karo does not contain high fructose corn syrup. According to a FAQ sheet on the Karo website, Karo is made of regular corn syrup (glucose only). See comments below for more details.

1914 Carbolated Vaseline Advertisement

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Thursday, February 12, 1914: Cut a gash an inch long, while drying the dishes, in my hand.

Picked out nuts for a cake. Ruthie made it. It got most too stiff. Could hear her rumbling and grumbling about it for half an hour afterwards at least.

Source: Ladies Home Journal (February, 1914)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

How the heck did Grandma get a one-inch gash while drying dishes? I don’t think that I’ve ever been injured while drying dishes.

Maybe Grandma treated her injury with Carbolated Vaseline. It was a popular ointment a hundred years ago.

Nuts and Nut Cake

What kind of nuts was Grandma picking out—black walnuts? . . .butternuts? . . hickory nuts?

Several previous posts that you might find interesting include:

Old-Time Black Walnut Cake Recipe

What is the Difference Between Butternuts and Black Walnuts?

Hulling Black Walnuts

How to Crack Black Walnuts

“Move to Montana” Advertisement

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Tuesday, February 10, 1914: Nothing doing.

Kimball's Dairy Farmer Magazine (February 1, 1914) — Kimball’s Dairy Farmer Magazine (February 1, 1914)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Since Grandma didn’t write much a hundred years ago today, I’ll share a fun ad that encouraged families to homestead to Montana.

Whew, it’s hard to believe that there still was “unbroken” land a hundred years ago that could be had for very little money. At least the people were able to get there in relative comfort via train, and didn’t need the covered wagons that were used in prior years.

1914 Steero Bouillon Advertisement

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Sunday, February 8, 1914: Went to Sunday school this afternoon. Had an awful time coming home. The wind was simply terrific.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Brrr.. . I bet Grandma was ready for a hot drink by the time she got home. . . .maybe a “modern” drink like Steero Bouillon.

1914 Kenyon Weatherproofs Raincoat Advertisement

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Saturday, January 31, 1914: This day presented a swelled appearance. First it rained and then rained some more until at last all these little streamlets around here just had to spread out and get big.

Source: Ladies Home Journal (April, 1914)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Brrr. . . it sounds like a cold, wet, miserable rain. Did it rain enough to cause some minor flooding?

I hope that Grandma had a good raincoat. I bet she wished that she had a stylish raincoat—like a Kenyon.

1914 Biltmore Hotel Advertisement

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Wednesday, January 21, 1914: Can’t give much of an account of myself for today.

Source: National Food Magazine (April, 1914)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Winter gets long. It’s time to start thinking about a vacation. During the 3+ years that I’ve been posting the diary entries, Grandma has never traveled more than 15 miles or so from her home. Did Grandma ever dream of visiting a city? . . . Maybe New York City?

Since Grandma didn’t write much a hundred years ago today, I’ll share a fun advertisement for the Biltmore Hotel in New York City that was on the back cover of the April, 1914 issue of National Food Magazine.

I’ll take one of those $2.50 a night rooms. . . . well, now that I’m thinking about it, I’d be willing to pay a little extra for a room with a bath. 🙂