Three Different Kinds of Lebkuchen from the Cookbook of Sabina Welserin, Augsburg, 1553
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In 1532, Christoph Scheurl, a Nurnberg jurist and diplomat, wrote in his yearly account book that for New Years he received lebkuchen from his two aunts who were nuns in different cloisters. His Aunt Apollonia's were thin and delicate like "sparkling gold leaves" His Aunt Barbara's were "thicker and heavy".
For the 2008 Persona Pentathlon, I decided to recreate, as best I could, the three period recipes for Lebkuchen from Sabina Welserin's cookbook and see if any of them resulted in a thin kind and a thick kind.
Add a commentDeciphering Juan de Alcega's Tailor's Pattern book of 1589
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Introduction
Juan de Alcega was a Master Tailor in Spain in the late 16th century. In 1589, after much struggle, his book of "The Practice of Tailoring, Measuring and Marking Out" was finally published (Alcega, p. 15). We know this book today as Juan de Alcega’s Tailors Pattern Book.
His goal was to provide a resource to journeyman and master tailors to reduce the hassle of knowing how much fabric they needed to have the customer purchase for their garments, and to provide to the tailors a guide to layout the pattern pieces in the most efficient way possible with minimal wastage of fabric.
Add a commentTrossfrau (Kampfrau) and Landsknecht
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Commonly called "Kampfrau" amoungst US based re-enactors, the more appropriate period name is "Trossfrau", meaning 'baggage train woman (or wife)'
In compling these images from various sources, I have selected only those that were identified as Landsknecht and not those that 'looked' right or were from the same time frame. I have chosen to focus on the women and their clothing in this picture collection so that a better understanding of the clothing of the trossfrauen and of their hard and difficult lives may be gained.
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Overview of Garment Fabrics in Patterns of Fashion 1560-1620
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The aim of this article is to summarize the fiber content of the inner and outer garment layers used in the women’s garments in Patterns of Fashion, The cut and construction of clothes for men and women c1560-1620 (PoF) by Janet Arnold.
I am specifically focusing on linings, construction details and seam finishing treatments. For each garment I will detail wither or not it is a grave recovered garment and describe any details found in the text regarding seam finishing treatments and attachment of the lining, if there is one.
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The Schlappe: Burgher and Landsknecht styles
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The Schlappe is a type of Barett from the southern Germanic lands in the time of the 16th century. The name of the cap, Schlappe, is derived from the Middle High German word "slappe" and means a "bag shaped headcovering with flaps" (Zander-Seidel, p.129-137). The ear flaps and the back neck piece are the distinguishing characteristic between the Schlappe and the Barett. There were several distinct styles for civilian and military usage. For military usage it was a man’s cap, but was worn by both women and men in the cities.
Good Ale, Food, Friends.....And a chance to get out of Purgatory Religious Guilds in Medieval England
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Introduction
When one thinks of guilds, one usually thinks of trade or craft guilds composed of men who are devoted to producing or selling a particular product. However, the historical records tell a different story, craft guilds began as Christian fraternities (religious guilds) and then due to political pressures, they were transformed into being solely craft guilds. This paper looks at the institution of religious guilds: why they started, who were members, benefits of membership and their fall due to political changes in England.
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