The one where the girls buy Papa a birthday present.
Listen to the episode
Join hosts Merav and Batya as they delve into all things All-of-a-Kind Family. In this episode we look at how the girls calculate cost vs. satisfaction, and how to show love through consumer goods, delving into the economy of home goods and personal effects, and the trade offs of finding the “perfect” gift for someone like Papa who salvages many things from his profession.
Our chapter in summary
Ella calls a secret meeting after bedtime to plot a birthday surprise for Papa. The girls gather and pool their pennies and try to find the perfect birthday present. But will Papa like their gift? They have to wait until dinner to find out.
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Show Notes:
Collectible cups & saucers fad / Matching cup and saucer collections
Cups and saucers were an affordable collectible item in the 1910s. Young working women collected them, one cup and one saucer for each of the many enticing patterns being put out by china companies. This allowed young women to try on luxury and home goods before committing to a full set of china if they chose to have a larger a family.
Women working in factories and sweatshops
Many women worked in sewing “sweatshops” and factories. This provided steady income, but at the cost of long hours and a loss of personal freedoms. There was also a component of forced labor in many cases, as well as unsafe working conditions for the women and girls. Both in the US and in the industrialized UK this gave birth to a lot of songs about working girls in factories. (We’re fond of this one.) These are also the conditions that led to the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911. (content warning for large-scale death of young people).
Boots Theory
The idea that buying one item of quality instead of buying it cheaply over and over will save you money in the long run was popularized by Sir Terry Pratchett in his Discworld series. People with less money are often forced into the cycle of buying cheaply in order to save money now, instead of saving money over the long term.
Taking away from your own joy as a Jewish custom
At weddings and at Passover seders we have rituals where in our moments of greatest joy, we stop and observe a moment for the pain of our ancestors, or the pain of those who opposed us and died in the process.
Do the girls get a penny on the sabbath?
How can you earn money without violating the sabbath, despite being paid for activities done on the sabbath, which are seen as volunteer labor? See the logic here. It’s more complicated than it looks.
Ella’s pillbox
Ella keeps the collected money for Papa’s gift in a pillbox, which is soon overflowing with pennies. Decorative pillboxes and snuffboxes were common in this period, some decorated with artwork depicting recent events, like the Wright Brothers’ inaugural flight.
Men’s wallets and pocketknives in the 1910s
Men’s wallets have stayed roughly the same size, but in the past they resembled modern women’s wallets more closely with a snap closure and a hinged folding change purse. Pocketknives were also finding their modern form, with multiple blades and a folded safety shape.
Sleeve garters for men
Once ubiquitous and now consigned to the costume bag, or as a novelty item for historical or theatrical productions, sleeve garters were a quintessential part of getting dressed in an era where men’s shirts came with one sleeve length, so styling your sleeve was up to you, unless you could afford the services of a tailor.
Mug with a moustache guard
Gertie finds a very unique gift for Papa, possibly very like the one pictured here. For those with lightly colored facial hair, or who might not easily have access to a napkin, a mustache guard might be just the thing to keep the tea from staining.
Cholent / Hamin
Hamin means heat, so much like its twin, Cholent, which means “hot, slow” from the French chaud (hot) and lentement (slowly). Each is a slow-cooked dish featuring a protein (usually a bean or a pulse, often animal protein as well) and a bunch of starches.