Tall Tales and Southern Belles

The Coquettes consisted of Madeleine, Sabrietta, Antoinette, Ermengarde and Carlotta. All five shared a predilection for enormous, over-decorated fans, purses and other accessories as well as an appreciation for a truly well-told tale. They weren’t so particular about the veracity of the tale as long as it was well-told! They had been a fixture of the French Theatre for as long as anyone could remember. Naturally, they joined Kennia as soon as they saw her seated at the bar in hopes of hearing a good story.

“Wanta hit the dance floor,  Miss Kennia?”
“Not this evening, chérie. I am here to relax and rest my weary self. Besides, my last pair of fancy stockings got ruined on a mission and I haven’t had the chance to replace them.”
“How about a tale of daring escapades and risky ventures?” suggested Carlotta.
“Now y’all know that I can’t tell y’all about my missions. Not more than just small bits at least. Most of it is secret.”
“Were you chasing after some wicked miscreants, Miss Kennia?” Sabrietta peeked slyly over her fan.
Kennia laughed. “Just listen to y’all with all that ten dollar vocabulary!” If you must know, there was a fat, greasy ole German fella who did not understand that the word “no” means just that!”
“So what happened?” The assembled Coquettes leaned towards her in expectation.
“Nothing happened, y’all! He tried to lay hands on me and and gave him a good, hard kick. . . or two. Then he fell on the ground hollerin’ and tried to grab my ankle. That’s when my good, patterned stockings got snagged and tore. End of story, y’all! Now can I drink my drink in peace?
There was a collective sigh of disappointment from the assembled Coquettes as they sat up, realizing that no juicy details were forthcoming from Kennia.

The Maître d'hôtel approached Kennia as she sat at the bar, all smiles at seeing one of his favorite customers. “I have your favorite table available, if you are ready to order your dinner Madamoiselle?”
“Thank you, Andre, I would be delighted to have some of your wonderful food.”
“For you, Madamoiselle, I have a vertiable feast!”
Kennia almost purred with contentment. This was the life!
Shortly after she was seated, the waiter brought heaping plates of Boeuf Bourguignon, broiled sweet potatoes, fried mushrooms and gravy.

Out on the dance floor the band played while couples gyrated, lifted their skirts and kicked their legs with enthusiasm. The Cancan dance originated in the working-class dance halls of Paris and  was all the rage in the Francophile areas of the world.  

HAPPY JUNETEENTH 2013!

What is Juneteenth?

June 19th or Juneteenth is the day that we celebrate the de facto end of slavery in the United States of America. Click on the link above to read more about it. Meanwhile, I'll be fixin' my black-eyed peas and rice for my celebration dinner.

And if you wish to learn more about "Africa's Botanical Legacy" in North America, I highly recommend In the Shadow of Slavery: Africa's Botanical Legacy in the Atlantic World by Judith A. Carney and Richard Nicholas Rosomoff.

HAPPY JUNETEENTH, Y'ALL!

Harriet Tubman and the Combahee River Raid

Clicking on Harriet Tubman and the Combahee River Raid will take you to The Tracing Center's blog post about it. Below is an excerpt:

"First, the raid demonstrated very publicly that black troops were not merely fit as laborers or cannon fodder, but were every bit as capable as their white brethren at executing complex military operations under the most challenging circumstances."

Is anyone surprised that I did not learn about this raid in school? I did learn about Harriet Tubman, the Moses of Her People (as she was called by many), in the 4th grade. Mrs. Green, one of the very first African-American teachers at my elementary school, was the first teacher I had who celebrated Black History Week (now expanded to an entire month) and taught us school children about some of the other stories, the ones not involving straight, white dudes with money and power. 

Ma chérie

Kennia rented a room at Miss Lily’s Respectable Ladies Boarding House. While she often was away from Charleston, she definitely liked her comforts during her time-off. Her room included a favorite over-stuffed armchair covered with a plethora of embroidered pillows as well as an elaborate vanity table with an unusually large mirror. She wished that there was some way she could have her comforts with her everywhere she travelled.

After arriving at the Boarding House she had a long sleep and a change of clothing. When she awoke she considered visiting the Public Bathes for a soak but decided that soap, water and a soft wash-cloth were sufficient for the moment. She’d slept through the rest of the day and now the evening breeze was cooling the sweltering city. Time to go out on the town!

As she headed down the stairs she chanced upon her friend Callie just returning home for the evening.
“Hey gal!. Good to see ya back home safe and sound.” Callie hugged her friend. “What are ya up to now? Ready for a night out?”
“You have got entirely too many questions, gal! I haven’t even unpacked properly!” laughed Kennia while hugging her in return. “I certainly want some decent food and I want it fixed by someone else while I just sit tight and give myself airs.”
“Sweetie, just let me get myself all put together and I’ll join you.”
The two friends went into Callie’s room so that she could change into her best hat and dress bodice with fringe around the hem. The room was a bit larger than Kennia’s but more sparsely furnished. Callie’s job in a factory didn’t pay as well as Kennia’s but it also didn’t involved being chased by (and sometimes shot at by) bad guys!

At 10 pm the evening was young and there still weren’t so many folks out on the town. Nightlife in Charleston didn’t truly come into its own until well after sunset when the ocean breezes cooled the cooking heat of the Charleston day. The city’s nightlife would not be in full-swing until midnight. The women ambled amiably through Tavern Row and onwards to the French Theatre. The French Theatre was quite lavish with an abundance of crystal chandeliers, bevelled mirrors and gilding.  However if one looked more closely, one could see just a touch of distress to the gilding as well as a missing crystal or two from some of the chandeliers. The French Theatre was a proud old lady who wore her years comfortably.

As regulars both women were greeted with cries and waves as they crossed the floor over to the bar.
“Your usual, mon ma chérie?” asked the bartender.
“Oui, Jean-Pierre” smiled Kennia. “il est bon d'être à ma maison!”***




***Author’s note. It has been a loooong time since I studied French in school and I have no one here to practice with so I apologize in advice for being very “rusty” with my language skills even though I am a person of French descent (on my grandmother’s side).

Stephen Hayes's Cash Crop

This man's art just blows me away!

Stephen Hayes's Cash Crop: "This Is How You Got Here" for an article giving more information. 

In Honor of May Day 2013

I am posting a link to a fantastic blog entry:

Radical Dirigibles- Black Socialists, Anarchists, Reformers and Airships

"The history of black radical political involvement in the US is directly tied to issues of racism, inequity and marginality. In socialism, anarchism, communism and other radical movements, African-Americans found ideologies whose visions sought to deconstruct the rigid hierarchical structures that dominated Victorian and popular Western thought. From the founding of the NAACP to the African Blood Brotherhood, these radicals attacked racism, class-ism, limited gender constructions and sought to overturn the entire global colonialist venture. Even if such political strategies inevitably fell short of their many lofty goals, they remain nevertheless embedded in the political history of black struggle. And our collective political re-imagined past of monocles, gears and airships is all the richer for it. "

(although this is technically April's non-story post!)

Time to relax

Captain Willie, like all good pirate captains, had quite a taste for luxury. Airships, much like their sea-going brethren, were short on comfort although they compensated for this with a gracious plenty of adventure. This fact caused him to feel no end of appreciation for the indulgences freely available at his home port.

With over a century under its proverbial belt the House of Bacchus was a well-respected, if not entire respectable establishment. Not to mention that it was well-stocked with wine, women and song. It was entirely to the Captain’s taste with first-class food, excellent beer and high-stepping dancers. Not to mention that some of the dancers there did seem to be a wee bit sweet on him and he did know the password needed to be admitted through the staff entrance. Add to that the free trays of  food  backstage that were sent down from the upstairs restaurant and his enthusiasm was understandable.

On the other hand Kennia’s favorite haunt was the French Theatre since it had aerialists as well as singers and dancers. The French Theatre was founded in 1794 and was a Charleston landmark whose performers came from all over the world and had a wondrous variety of accoutrements and costumes. She revelled in the decadent atmosphere! It was the perfect contrast to her work which was cramped, dirty and often dangerous. Here she could unleash her frivolous side and revel in a bohemian atmosphere.

As a good Irishman, Harry o’Conall favoured Miss Molly’s Dance Hall and Gaming Establishment. He had once spent an entire month’s pay on a dancer after declaring her the winner of an impromptu dance-contest!