Kids All Wore Dresses When Young

Until the late 19th century, dresses were the proper attire for children up to the age of 4 or 5 for both boys and girls. Ruffled bonnets and embroidered clothing were not considered “feminine.” Rather, they represented the fact that little boys and girls were excluded from the privileged world of adulthood.

By the age of 5, boys were allowed to start wearing breeches, the first stage in growing up. Long trousers came later. Girls, of course, stayed forever in dresses.

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Door Knobs Around For Nearly 200 Years

By the 19th century, door knobs were an important part of building hardware.

Pressed glass knobs were available as early as the 1820s and continued to be much in demand for almost 100 years. Cut glass door knobs became available by about 1875, and their popularity lasted until 1910.

Pottery knobs also came into use sometime in the first half of the 19th century. They were described in several different ways, such as porcelain, jet and mineral, the mineral ones being a mottled brown shade, such as those made first by the Bennington pottery.

Wooden door knobs also made an appearance by the 1820s, and continued in use throughout the 19th century. They became less popular as time went on, which may have been due to the fact they didn’t last as well.

A plastic door knob was patented in 1873, made from a combination of shellac and mica. Other types of plastic followed soon after, with the most popular plastic door knobs being those with a marbleized appearance.

Metal door knobs were, and are, the most numerous. The were made in brass, bronze and iron at local foundries. A variety of finishes was available; one company listed 40 choices.

The Antique Door Knob was written and published by Maudie Eastwood in 1976. It remains the best reference available on collectible door knobs.

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Bell Ringers Vied For Patents

Bell casting was big business in the United States in the 1800s. Over 200 patents for different kinds were listed with the Patent Office from 1790 to 1873. Some were simply listed as Bells, Ringing or Bells, Door. Other ideas were more intriguing, such as Bell and Slop Bowl, Call.

Also vying for attention were the various designs made by bell hangers for house bells. House bells played an important part in the architecture and social customs of the affluent. They were about 4 to 6 inches in diameter and mounted on springs, which were activated by wires pulled from elsewhere in the house. A servant’s job was to respond to the bell.

House bells were installed by bell hangers. At first, the wires to the bells were exposed along the walls and ceilings of the rooms. Many of the patented ideas concerned ways to disguise the wires in metal tubes, hidden in the walls.

Other patents reported improvements in the pulling mechanism, noiseless bell pulls, bell machinery for hotels and machines for making bell wire.

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