10/3 Rehearsal:

     

•      What is the inflation from 1905 to today?

             $100 in 1905 would be equivalent to roughly $2,000 in 2015

•      Did most people go to a personal seamstress  Could you buy intimates in a department store?

             Corsets were often made by specialized corset makers and elaborate costs required great ingenuity in cutting and stitching as each corset had to be specially order and fitted. 

   

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10/4 Rehearsal:

    

•       What denomination of Jewish is Marks?

              ** Fun Fact!** Tuesdays are considered lucky in the Jewish faith because after the third day (Tuesday in the Jewish calendar) God declared that "it is good" twice. 

• ​      Were there any "big" events in Barbados that would effect George's birthdate? ​​​

              The British Army stationed the West India Regiment throughout the Caribbean from 1795-1927. In 1888, however Britain reduced it's military presence.

            Slavery was abolished in Barbados in 1834 but was not celebrated until 1838. There was a four year "apprenticeship" period in which people still did a 45-hour unpaid work week in exchange for housing. 

Barbadian workers began to go to Panama in the 1880's to help build the Canal due to the promise of wealth. 

            Barbados declared its independence in 1903

•       What kind of privileged communities were there in Memphis for  black people?

              African Americans arrived in TN prior to statehood and lived as both slaves and free citizen, with restricted rights, until the Civil War. Memphis' Shelby County had the largest population of African Americans in TN.                            Around 1860 there were roughly 1,109,801 residents in TN, 7,300 were Free black people and 275,719 were black people living in slavery. From around 1800-1830 the vast majority of the public supported the abalone of slavery and in 1826 a law was passed prohibiting the bringing of slaves into the state with the purpose of sale (labor was still legal). However, in 1831 the state government, after a change of command, mandated that emancipated slaves immediately depart the state and prohibited the migration of free Blacks into TN. 

            Between 1866 and 1955 TN enacted 20 Jim Crow laws. In 1870 a penalty for interacial marriages included imprisonment from 1-5 years. In 1885 it was stated that "a well-behaed person could be admitted to theaters, parks, shows, or public spaces" but also gave proprietors the right to separate accommodation for whites and blacks.

•       How long did it take to get from Panama to New York?

            Two to four weeks depending on weather and the size of the ship

•       Where there "respectable" women in Panama during the  construction of the canal?

•       Why was the Deacon's son in Panama? 

•       Did something happen to push Marks out of Romania? 

             In 1741 Romanian government required Jews to wear clothing evidencing their status and ethnicity. The first blood accusation was made in Romania in 1710 when a group of Jews were charged with killing a Christian child and using their blood for religious ritual during Jewish holidays. . 

             Romania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878. In 1881 it became a monarchy under King Carol I. During his reign he lead the Romanian army in the Russo-Turkish war (1877-1878) between the Ottoman Empire and the Eastern Orthodox coalition. During this war there was excessive unit-Jewish propaganda. There were Jewish-targeted "massacres and pillages perpetrated in almost every town and village in the country". Even after the war ended Jews were subjected to "many restrictions and much violence". Between 1898 and 1904 over 70,000 Jews left Romania for the United States. 

•       How long does it take to make a corset?

              Roughly four days depending on how experienced the seamstress is, the complexity of the design, and the types of material being used. 

•       When was the New York social season?

              The social season was a stretch of time in the spring during which debutante balls and social gatherings of the elite were at their most frequent. The paupers was to be seen and noticed by the most important people. 

•       How common were "pen-pal" marriages? 

              In the early 1900s the United States saw a resurgence of personal ads after scams had destroyed the practice in the 1800s. It was not un-common, however, the need to adveritise for a husband/wife was cause of gossip. 

•       Is there a good reason Mrs. Van Buren hasn't paid Esther?

              It wasn't uncommon to have an account/tab at a show or with a proprietor. These accounts would be settled monthly, weekly, etc depending on the service/agreement.  

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10/5 Rehersal:

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•       Was there a difference between a brothel and a saloon?

              Saloons were the social hubs for New York City men between 1845 and 1895. Saloons were places where men "with little means could obtain sorely needed escapism. [...] Saloons gave alcoholics the opportunity to fuel their addictions, obliterating their health under a cascade of gut-rot spirit". Spoons and brothels promoted the belief that "monogamous heterosexual intercourse was associated with felinity and the domestic sphere whereas prostitutes and erotic entertainment and communal drinking were associated with male youth".

             Many well-to-do men during this time-frame argued that prostitution was a good thing in society because it "allowed men to use up there sexual enter with willing women. Otherwise, they argued, rape would be rampant". 

             Additionally, between 1850 and 1910 commodified sex was the most commercialized vice in New York City, as such it was available almost everywhere and for almost any price. Saloons were commonly found in areas like Five Points, a notorious neighborhood located at the intersection of Anthony, Cross, and Orange Streets in Lower Manhattan. Here, "black and white promiscuously mingled, and nightly celebrated disgusting orgies". One Saloon in Five Points was located in an old brewery next to Murderers Row and here prostitutes could rent rooms above while the ground floor and basement were filled with raucous drinking and live entertainment. Within these Saloons women would rent the room while working only, they normally lived somewhere else. Rent could range from 

               Brothels, on the other hand, presented a unified image to market. As such women would have dress codes and rules to maintain that image, rules like changing the sheets after each customer or 'washing up' in between services. Most brothel prostitutes, while bringing in large sums of money, had little spending money. They were often required to charge purchases to the Madam's account at local stores after which the Madam would take the money from the girls earnings. 

There is an interesting podcast here

•         How much would Esther have charged for her corsets?

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•          How much would it cost to start a beauty parlor in 1905?

                I have not found a concrete number as to how much it would cost to open a beauty parlor in 1905, however, I feel confident, after seeing how money was spent around this time, that Esther had enough to move forward with her dream if she so desired.

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10/6 Rehearsal:

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•        Are there examples of gossip columns?

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•        Would Mrs. Van Buren have been/have know suffragettes? 

              The suffragette movement started in 1896 with the foundation of the National Union of Women's Suffrage. The founder, Millicent Fawcett believed in peaceful protests and felt that any sort of violence or trouble would convince the men that women could not be trusted. Instead, Fawcett fought with patience and logical arguments. For example, Fawcett argued that if women were competent enough to sit on school boards or to obey laws made by parliament then they should be able to vote. Fawcett's slow progression left many women angry and in 1903 Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women's Social and Political Union, Pankhurst's group become known as the Suffragettes and they were prepared to use violence in order to get what they wanted. 

              In 1905 the Suffragettes caused a stir when two members interrupted a political meeting, asking two Liberal politicians if they believed women should have the right to vote. Neither man answered. The women then produced a large banner with "Votes for Women" on it and shouted at the politicians to answer their questions. They were quickly arrested. 

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10/8 Rehearsal:

•          When did fountain pens become popular?

                 Fountain pens were patented by Romanian inventor Petrache Poenaru in 1827. and by the late 1800s were widely popular as they eliminated the need for ink wells.

 

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10/10 Rehearsal: 

•          Is a Mezuzah placed on the inside or outside of a doorway?

                A mezuzah is placed on the right hand side of every door entered through in the house. This includes the front door, back doors, and doorways within the house. "Any room that has two doorposts and an overhead lintel requires a mezuzah" (myjewishlearning.com). If a doorway can be entered from either side, base the "right side" on how the door opens. 

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10/17 Rehearsal:

               

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