Monday's Mystery

Happy Monday!

I hope you had a pleasant weekend!

  

Harry Barton was an American impressionist.  His landscape is very similar to our landscape right now:  still green with blankets of orange forming.  How is your autumn looking?

Today I reach into my mystery box of strange clippings to present you with Monday's Mystery...

The year was 1886 and folks often bartered or requested things they wanted via the newspaper.  

In Washington, D.C., The Tribune reported that Candace Jones sought lace samples or the quilt pattern entitled, "Over the Hill to the Poorhouse."

I doubt you have heard of this pattern since it doesn't appear even in Brackman's work.  This must have been one of those regional names for a pattern and I sure wish I knew what it looked like.

The title of the pattern is actually based on a popular poem which was published in 1872.  The poem describes what happened to a 70 year old woman when her husband died and left her without an income.  The 22 verses of the poem describe how the woman went to all of her six children for a place to live.  All of them rejected her.  This poem is considered a classic not because of the prose but because it does illustrate what happened to so many seniors before there was Social Security.  You can read the poem here.

The only interesting pattern I found while searching was this one published in 1935.  Florence La Ganke wrote that it was an old pattern that appeared modern to her.  It appears modern even in this day and age.

I have no idea what the word "Brock" meant.

Ironically, I did find a "Brock House" affiliated with seniors in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  It's a senior society that sponsors many wonderful activities for seniors.

What do you think "Over the Hill to the Poorhouse quilt pattern" should look like?

Have a safe and happy day!