Carrying the Key Basket in the Elegant 80's

Diary of Young Matron Reveals Strange Notations

By Lucy Cole Durham

It was Oscar Wilde who described a character in his novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray," as a man who knew the price of everything and the value of nothing. Contrasts in prices and values are often revealed unconsciously by the records of the past. Here we find reproduced pages from a Richmond lady's album, along with items from her current expense account kept in 1882. The real values are imponderable--words about friendship, faith, devotion coming with strange and child-like directness into modern sophisticated cars--and cannot be entered in a ledger.

But prices are tangible, and they are interesting to every woman--for women still spend the bulk of the world's money just as they did in the 80's. In those days the emblem of her earthly power was not a check book but the key basket. If we could design a coat of arms for her, surely the key basket would appear for the keys therein unlocked for her family, servants, friends gracious living in times sufficiently removed from the 60's to be called the Elegant Eighties.

She came to Richmond a bride, young and beautiful, from a Northern city. She began her ledger in 1882 and kept it quite faithfully in neat penmanship--receipts on one side, and disbursements on the other. Of course Mrs. Blank is not her real name but it will serve, since she has consented to permit her housekeeping accounts to bring you a few hints on the economic trends of the day.

As I ran my finger down the items, they brought back pictures of other days--zephyr, illusion, plush, nuns veiling--faintly fragrant rose leaves, lavender and old perfumes. But she was practical and entered on her ledger: umbrella $4.50 and parasol $7.50 on the same day! The parasol probably went with her to St. Paul's Church on the early summer days before she departed for the White Sulphur. The umbrella was used on the trips to Sixth Street Market.

The items ran thus:

Zephyr	$       .60
Illusion	.25
Plush	2.50
Corsets	1.00
One hat-feather, plush and frame	6.50
Bustle	.75
Nuns veiling for wrapper	4.50
4 yards of calico	.20
1 pair white slippers	1.75
Gilt braid	.30
10 yds. black brocade	10.00
Drawing lesson	1.00
Writing paper	.50
Lace for chemise, 5 cts yd., 5 yds	.25
Candie for Cold	.05
Basket for drawing	.25
Cup and saucer for painting	.40
Net for blue dress sleeves	.38
Lace and Cambric for underbodies	.68
Hare's liniment	1.00
Shoes	2.50
Bracelets---black	1.35
Two skeins of silk for tidy	.10
Gloves	1.25
Whalebones	.25
Wrapper dyed	1.50
Coat	195.00
Dressmaker	.75
Brushes for painting	.30
Trip home	100.00
Hair net	.10
Trip to Ocean View	55.00

And then the dressmaker, Mrs. Williams is paid $1.50 for making a basque. She earned her money, no doubt, for a basque called for expert workmanship, finishing by hand all the little sidebodies and darts. And what, pray tell me, is wiggin? Mrs. Blank was constantly buying wiggin. It might be inner lining for her skirts--something stiff like hair cloth. Illusion of course was tuile for the neck of her evening dresses. The dressmaker's items included bones, twist, selicia and buttons.  $1.26. Whale bones lined each seam in her basque and buttonholes were done by hand in buttonhole twist. Linen de Dacca, $2.50, and trimming for de Dacca, 82 cents, remain a mystery still unsolved.

Again comes the item wiggin, ruffle and leice crepe, whatever they may be, all for $1.62. And---shall I tell it---she wore gauze shirts! 2 for 90 cents, entered on the third of July, 1883. This young modern was substituting knitted underwear for her chemise.

Green Wings---Not Aviation

Most exciting was an entry of the New Year 1883. There had been a perfect avalanche of Christmas buyings---china plaques, plush, pairs of cases, etc. Then in comes the New Year with the entry on January 2, 1883:

Green wings                                                           $1.65

Does this imply interest in aviation or is she merely touching up her second-best black hat? Also note, red flowers 50 cents, 2 balls of tinsel 70 cents, and swiss embroidery at 20c yd., two yards. Perhaps she went to a fancy dress party as a Hungarian peasant girl. Cologne 75 cents comes next and after that illusion--always illusion.

You have guessed by now that this marriage turned out happily. Of course it did. She not only dressed in the height of fashion but she entertained well and sometimes gave stag suppers for the Duplicate Whist Club.

Here is a memorandum of dinner for eight gentlemen members of the Octet Club: Raw oysters, mock turtle soup, steaks and mushrooms, asparagus and potatoes, lettuce, terrapin stew (3 quarts too much), Sally Lunn muffins, champagne, almonds, olives, pickles, wine jelly, cake, nougat, coffee, cheese.

And then for 200 people her preparations in detail show: 61 pounds turkey, 3 gallons chocolate, 4 gallons pickled oysters, 3 gallons fried oysters, 12 dozen patties, 10 dozen crescents, 15 dozen eggs, 10 bunches celery, 3 pounds coffee, 25 pounds grapes, 5 dozen bananas, 5 dozen oranges, 10 dozen beaten biscuits; "sweets"---2 gallons pyramid of ice cream, 8 dozen individual ice cream; 6 dozen tutti frutti ice cream, 2 large Charlotte russe, 6 dozen individual russe; 4 gallons punch.

At that time flour sold for $6.75 a barrel. Other items were:

Coffee, 4 lbs.	$    1.00
Rice, 6 lbs	.50
Sugar, 10 lbs	.75
Butter, 2 lbs	.70
Eggs	.25
Claret	.60

                                                  
                                                 

Showing no great difference from our present-day prices.

But wages were low. The wash woman earned $5.00 a month, the maid $2.00 a week and Mrs. Williams was making basques for $1.50.

The household items reveal a kitchen stove at $15.00; coffee grinder 45 cents---and you roasted and ground your own coffee, and glazed the beans with egg whites when it was parched. Two stone jars, $35 cents, followed

Peaches for preserving	$  .75
Mouse trap	.25
Spittoon	1.00
Red flannel	.15
Shoe polish	.10
Blue gingham	1.73
Key basket	.90
Indelible ink	.25
Pickle jars, 2	.60
Mending chair	.50
Lace for curtains	3.10
Caton flannel for table	.30
Irons, 60; scuttle, 40	1.10
Tins, 15; lamp, 40	.55
Broom	.30
Tub	1.25
Washboard, 25; bread box, 75	1.00
Broiler	.40
Putting away coal	.20
Cigar stand	.25
Lamp chimney	.08
Wine glasses	1.75
Pickle dish	.75
Blankets	4.50
Wicker chair	8.00

 

 

And through it all we discern very human and delightful beings. There were no gods and goddesses in Richmond in 1882.

One interesting note not on the record is the fact that the two provision closets--namely the "sugar closet" and the "meat closets" were kept securely locked, but the front door to the old home---never! Even the key basket was able to establish such a barrier to one's family and friends.