Santa Claus is Comin' to Town

It goes without saying that Santa Claus, AKA Old St. Nick is a Christmas icon. But what does he look like? Does anybody REALLY know? Everybody has their personalized image embedded from childhood, whether from a storybook, TV shows, Christmas cards, songs, and so on; and it varies from culture to culture, and region to region. There even seem to be some general characteristics that bridge this iconic imagery. But has it changed over the past century? We'll let you judge by presenting St. Nicholas, depicted in Kentucky newspapers from 100 years ago. Which one, if any, is your Santa Claus?

"Take a picture! It'll last longer!"

Of course, back when photography first began with the daguerreotype in 1839, people had to sit still for long periods of time. Plus, it was an expensive process, generally reserved for studios & professionals to conduct. IF you could afford a photo, you wanted IT to last; but you probably didn't forget the memory of waiting for it to process in the camera (ever wonder why people look so miserable in "old-time" photos? Ha ha. Just Kidding!)

Skip Ahead a few decades to the 1880s-1890s & George Eastman, up in Rochester, NY (my hometown; well, the closest big city to where I grew up, anyway). He developed the enduring brand "Eastman Kodak" (generally known simply as "Kodak"), as well as quicker & more accessible methods of photography. Amateur photography EXPLODED in popularity & Kodak became THE name in photo-taking.


Early on in amateur photography, cameras mounted on tripods were still the norm. Though, some cameras were also advertised as "bicycle cameras" (combining another popular hobby of the Victorian era - bicycling), where cameras were mounted on bicycles - no, really. The typical style was still a general "black box." Kodak's popular & rare No. 2 Falcon camera (as shown in this 1899 Earlington Bee ad) is such a camera. First introduced in 1897, this snapshot camera allowed for 12-18 photos, including a name change to No. 2 Flexo.

By 1900, Eastman further followed up on their tagline "You press the button - we do the rest" by introducing the Brownie (shown in this 1906 Springfield Sun ad). This camera was the first low-priced, hand-held, point-and-shoot camera. Held at approximately waist-height, the photographer needed to merely aim, then flick a switch! It was so easy, the claim was a schoolchild could use it! Of course, the low price (some models were available for as low as $1) made it accessible to the so-called "Average Joe."


While people grabbed onto the new and accessible, the "old" did not entirely disappear. To some extent, two extremely popular photographic entities not only survived the advent of amateur photography, but continue in existence today: the professional photographer and 3-D viewers/imagery.

Everybody loves taking their own photos to capture the moment (as much then as now, with the scads of digital photos taking up your hard drive space), but there is nothing quite like the professional who can pose your family "just so" or cover those special events for you when you would rather enjoy the moment rather than worry about catching the candid photo. Though there is nothing mentioned about covering events, H.G. Mattern is such a "reliable photographer" with a gallery in Frankfort - or at least he was, according to his regularly appearing 1907 ads.


Finally, the 3-D imaging. Back in Victorian times, it was NOTHING like what we know today: sitting in a movie theater with glasses, or even watching a blu-ray disc on our HD screens (Hi-Def! HA! As if TVs even existed! Movie theatres were still in their infancy!). No, entertainment of this kind was found in the stereoscope (shown below in this 1906 Mt. Vernon ad). Existing since the 1860s, it was a popular parlor item that involved placing a stereo card (which showed two very similar images) behind the viewer and moving it back & forth until your eyes focused - the image was singular & 3-D!!! The cards often came in collections, and featured tourist destinations or well-known figures, and included stories on the backs. Sound familiar? Yup, later on, in 1939, the same idea was minimized into the View-Master, and used those paper discs that rolled around when you clicked the side, often featuring favorite characters or telling stories. I had a couple of these growing up - and they are still around today! Speaking from personal experience, stereoscopes are just as much fun!

So, while you enjoy the holiday season with friends and family, remember and cherish the ease you have in keeping those memories, thanks to the developments of the past 100 years or so. With all those gigabytes of memory on that tiny SD card in your digital camera, or the camera that comes with your iPhone, don't be afraid to take a picture to keep those memories! It'll last longer!

A Thanksgiving Meal - Print It!

You can find pretty much everything you need for your Thanksgiving meal by browsing your local newspaper! I can prove it - look!

Most staple items for cooking your meal might come from the general store, but you can also find those luxury foods, such as fruits for pies, there too!


Ah, yes! The turkey! It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a turkey, now would it? It doesn't quite matter how you attain this for your meal.







Whether you go "old-fashioned," and get one on your own...













Or buy it from a store (roaster not included; or turkey not included - depends which store you're going to!).










It should still end up on your table and, ultimately, in everyone's stomachs! Delicious!






You'll be needing something to wash down the glorious feast. Again, there are options, which are, once again, traditional staples. Some guests might prefer something warm (& I, personally, never had a pie that didn't taste great with coffee!); others might desire something cold (though I don't know how many "sweltering" Thanksgiving days Kentucky has seen, who doesn't love Coca-Cola, especially mixed with bourbon whisky!)


Finally, when you've stuffed yourself to the gills and start to feel that "food coma" coming on, perhaps with a bit of discomfort), as I know we all have, especially after Thanksgiving, there's a solution for that too!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Happy 199th Bday, C.M. Clay!

*Note: I have not linked directly to many of the digitized newspaper pages from which these clippings appear, though their citations are available. Many are repeated news items within their respective time periods. Similarly, C.M. Clay himself was a popular news item during his life. For a closer view of these clippings, simply click on them with your mouse.

On this day, 199 years ago (1810), one of Kentucky's most notable figures - emancipationist Cassius M. Clay was born into a family of other historical figures including Brutus Clay, Green Clay (his father), and his second cousin Henry Clay. But, we are here to talk about C.M. Clay's life today.

After graduating from Transylvania University, Clay attended Yale, where he heard abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison speak, and his passion for antislavery began. In 1845, he even began publishing an antislavery newspaper out of Lexington, called the True American. Knowing his paper would face dissension, he reinforced his office door, armed himself with weapons (including a cannon!), and even installed an alternate escape route! His suspicions were correct and, shortly after, the city-folk (including Henry Clay's son) petitioned to have him thrown out of town. The paper moved to Cincinnati, where friends and family continued it while he left to fight in the Mexican-American War, earning the rank of General.

In his political life, Clay served 3 terms in the KY General Assembly. When the Civil War began, he turned down Lincoln's nomination for ambassador to Spain, opting instead to serve as ambassador to Russia. His time in this role proved key to American history, as Clay was influential in purchase negotiations of Alaska.

Throughout this time, Clay never lost his belief in emancipation. After returning from the Mexican-American War (but before leaving for Russia), he assisted Rev. John G. Fee in establishing Berea College by donating 10 acres of land, and encouraging the foundation of a church-based school. Although the school did not truly take off until after the Civil War, Berea would prove to be revolutionary as an racially coeducational institution. Over differences of opinion in how the school should be ran, Fee & Clay parted ways - Clay to Russia, and Fee to run the school (after briefly fleeing Madison County due to threats during the Civil War).

Later, in 1904, other "differences of opinion" further squashed the dreams of the revolutionary Berea with the Day Laws, prohibiting racially integrated education. Though Berea College fought it up through the US Supreme Court, including multiple fines for violations, it held until 1950. View the KY newspaper clippings below from 1904-1905 to see the progression of the situation:

As passionate as Clay was in his political & public life - leaving an undoubtedly strong legacy - it also deeply infiltrated his personal life. C.M. Clay married Mary Jane Warfield in 1833, the daughter of another notable KY figure, horseman Dr. Elisha Warfield. They had 10 children, raised on their Madison County estate, White Hall. However, a busy public life full of ambassadorships, lecturing, advocacy, and campaigning kept him away from the family. In 1878, they divorced.

At the time, existing laws meant essentially all property belonged to Cassius; Mary Jane was left with nothing - he even charged her for back rent from the time she kept house raising his children there! She moved the children to an apartment in Lexington. This devastating divorce had quite an impact on Clay's daughters, particularly two that you my recognize - Mary Barr and Laura. The sisters went on to fight for women's rights - Laura went on to form the Kentucky Equal Rights Association (KERA) in 1888, with Josephine K. Henry, and lobbied with the passion of her father. She became well-known on the national stage, along with her cousin, Madeline McDowell Breckinridge, the great-grandaughter of Henry Clay (but that's another story). Both were present to see the 19th amendment signed by the Kentucky governor, in 1920. Ironically, Laura's father, Cassius, supportive of emancipation was opposed to Prohibition & Women's suffrage. Check out these clippings below - from early 1891 editions of the Bluegrass Blade to see the respect Josephine K. Henry gives Laura Clay for KERA, & Laura's views on women's property rights:


Though these are some of the more enduring pieces of C.M. Clay's legacy, there are other, lesser-known stories. For example, his affinity for dueling (outlawed by the 3rd KY Constitution in 1850), or knife-fighting, in particular. More specifically, his favorite weapon was the bowie knife; he even published a pamphlet on it! His provocative nature continued into his elderly years, and seems to be what brought him "news-worthy" attention in the gossip columns (that and his quick divorce from his second wife, who was quite a bit younger than him. Perhaps these personality traits, which attracted controversy, is what gained him the nickname the "Lion of White Hall." Below are two clippings - one citing his involvement in a fight, when he was 91 years old!!! and the other referencing his nature and nickname, even after death, as he left 6 wills! (His property and estate were ultimately auctioned off, bringing quite a respectable price).

With any number of legacies to choose from, Cassius M. Clay was respectfully remembered for his achievements and contributions when he died on July 22, 1903. Read his elaborate bio, and view a sketch of him and his estate, White Hall, in this Berea Citizen obituary, published July 30, 1903.

Much of C.M. Clay's legacy, stemming from his life, including Berea College & Laura Clay's contributions to women's movement, occurred after his death. Do you think he would have approved of these achievements? Why or why not? Do you think Clay would have approved of his legacy - the one history books typically see; without the provocative & controversy; no knife-fighting or messy divorce? What do you think of the way Clay lived his life?