News and Media: Real Life Mad Men

By Anna C. Bowling

The picture below isn't the latest cast photo from the upcoming season of Mad Men, but it's close. From the 1960s-80s, my father made his living in the same field as Mad Men's Don Draper and Darren Stevens of Bewitched. Moments of high drama and wacky hijinx are a given in any high pressure workplace and before the days of Photoshop, digital printing, email and PowerPoint, any commercial art had to be done in a far different manner than we know it today.

Having a father who had an endless supply of paper, pencils, markers and the like that couldn't be found in the five and dime was a treasure trove for an artistically inclined child, even though it was made quite clear those were for Dad's work. To this day, a glimpse of a Pantone color chart brings me back to the days I was allowed to visit his office, always a busy place. Sneaking into his studio at home to pilfer the tools of a hard-working commercial artist gave me an up close look at what real life Mad Men (at least those in the art department) did all day. Many of my father's assignments were for newspaper inserts publicizing the latest that department stores such as Caldor's or Barker's (rivals in some circles) or grocery store chains had to offer for a given week.

Since this was before the computer age, the art had to be done by hand, and photographs were taken on film and developed in darkrooms. Layout was another step, cutting and pasting with actual scissors and glue, tape or fixative to make sure everything fit within the allowed space. The layouts could go through several versions, with several layers of tracing paper to try out different colors, image placements or other variables. Typesetting was its own department, which to my pre-elementary school imagination must have been somewhere between a Guttenberg press and a Xerox machine.

Everything came together in large, clanking printing machines that spit out the colorful advertisements on newsprint or glossy paper, ready at last to be picked over with eagle eyes to ensure that everything was spelled correctly, in the right place, and any special elements such as frames or holiday clip art were only on designated pages. My father's personal favorite lucky save in this department was spotting the "It's Mother's Day; Show Her What She Means To You" banner carried over to the wrong section and applied to a manure spreader when it should have stopped at jewelry and small appliances.

Once approved for release, the next step was to get the items where they needed to be, which could be through mail, courier or even personal delivery. Here again, deadlines were all-important and stress levels could rise dramatically if it looked like something wasn't going to make it on time. Since advertising requires a high degree of creativity, our Mad Men usually found a way to make things work, and inserts arrive on our doorsteps and newsstands, snugly buried in our papers at last.

The mechanics of getting a client's concept out to the masses has gone through a computer revolution, but the real life Mad Men (and women) were expert at putting in long, hard hours and nights of work to keep the wheels of commerce turning, juggling family and social life and often their own artistic pursuits as well.

Professions: Smuggling

By Lisa Marie Wilkinson

Smuggling is one of the few professions embraced by entire communities during centuries past that still exists and flourishes today. Although the nature of the contraband may have changed (from spirits, lace, fabric, tobacco and tea during the eighteenth century to illegal drugs and firearms in the present day), there are few coastal areas (particularly in the United Kingdom) that cannot boast a rich history related to smuggling and the exploits of those who participated in the trade.

Efforts of the British government to finance costly wars through excessive taxation on imported items such as chocolate, tea and spirits gradually expanded to include basic necessities such as leather, salt and soap. This led to resentment and revolt on the part of those unable to afford items then taxed at up to 70% of their original cost, creating an opportunity for those gangs and individuals willing to undergo personal risk to circumvent the process of taxation and deliver tariff-free merchandise to a public more than willing to do commerce with the lawbreakers.

Tea--considered a luxury by the British government and consequently taxed to the point where it become unaffordable for the average consumer--was also light and easy to transport, making it a favorite commodity of smugglers, many of whom were former fishermen who discovered that "running tea" was a far more profitable enterprise than casting their nets into the sea. This led to the involvement of entire coastal communities in the trade, including merchants with concealed areas in the basements of their shops designed to hide bolts of fabric and casks of brandy.

The southwest coast of England, with its countless networks of inlets and coves and underground tunnels leading to the sea, was a smuggler's paradise. Names such as "Brandy Cove," "Smuggler's Leap," and "Pepper Cove" hint at the nature of the smuggled goods and the activities that once took place there. One village boasted a manor house with a chamber large enough to conceal a dozen men hidden beneath the kitchen floor in the event of a sudden visit from Customs men. Smugglers in Penzance, buoyed by the knowledge that they had the support of the entire community, landed and unloaded smuggled cargo in broad daylight, in full view of any Customs men who might be about.

The end of large-scale smuggling began during the Napoleonic era, when safeguards implemented to ward off a French invasion consequently made smuggling more difficult by cutting off access to beach areas and a series of watchtowers called Martello towers were erected along the south-east coast of England. As duties on imported goods were gradually lowered, smuggled goods became more affordable to the masses, eliminating the need for those who profited from the smuggling of the black market commodities of the era.

In my debut novel, FIRE AT MIDNIGHT, heroine Rachael Penrose comes from a community involved in smuggling. Unfortunately, well-known smuggler Sebastién Falconer erroneously believes it was Rachael who informed on him to the Customs authorities. In the following scene, Sebastién is playing a game of cat-and-mouse with Rachael. His goal is to trick Rachael into admitting she is the informant.

Rachael concluded her story and fidgeted in the chair, waiting for some comment from him. The delightful evening of repartee she had anticipated had instead been an awkward, one-sided conversation. She felt foolish for having been so concerned with her appearance. Why had it seemed so important to look nice this evening? Certainly not for him. She hardly knew him.

He had abandoned his interest in his wine and sat staring at her with an intensity Rachael found unnerving. She felt like a small bird under the rapt scrutiny of a cat with a voracious appetite.

"A curious predicament," Sebastién commented finally.

Her imagination has not been idle during my absence. Yet there was the niggling doubt certain details invited, such as the fading abrasions on her limbs that told of iron restraints, the injury Morgan had received, and the destruction of the Morgan estate. Someone had abused her before she fell into his hands, but an informer would incur the wrath of many. It did not necessarily follow that her story was the truth.

Sebastién kept his plan of interrogation uppermost in his mind. No doubt this hoyden made deliberate use of her physical allure. She had taken pains with her appearance. She was a beautiful woman made more so by the gossamer haze of candlelight. He was not about to become a besotted fool and allow her to emerge victorious in their match of wits, no matter how damned attractive he found her.

"You must be disappointed that Tarry has not visited," he said.

"It is safer for us all if he keeps his distance. Victor is likely to have him followed. The longer I remain here, the greater the risk that Victor will find me."

Was she about to broach the subject of her departure? He was just as determined to deflect any discussion on the topic. "My friend Tarry would never forgive me if I allowed you to risk your safety," he said.

"How did you and Tarry become acquainted? I wasn't aware that he had any friends from across the Channel."

"Are you acquainted with all his friends, then?" he asked. He did not allow his faint smile to lessen the challenge in his tone. It was better to keep her on the defensive; it increased the likelihood that she would trip herself up.

"Tarry has friends at court I have never met," Rachael replied. "He may have mentioned you by name, but I would not have expected a Frenchman. Is it John, or Jean?"

"Call me whatever you like," Sebastién responded in a dry tone. "I am actually part English, but schooled in France." That much of the truth suited him. He marveled at her skillful attempt to draw information out of him. "Penrose is a common name in Cornwall, is it not?"

"Yes. I am a Cornish Penrose." She lifted her brow at the question.

"Then why not remain here? You are safer here than you would be in your own village."

"If I remain here, my presence will endanger you, and my brother will not be safe. I am fortunate that Tarry has a gallant, courageous friend who was willing to come to my aid, but I’ve already imposed upon you enough."

"You give me too much credit, mademoiselle," he said with a dismissive wave. "The Cornish coast is no place for a young woman to travel alone without benefit of a guardian."

"I grew up here. This place holds no danger for me."

"Have you no fear of the fairtraders who roam the coast?" He watched her face for a reaction. Surely she knew she was a pariah among her own kinsmen? Her ingenuous manner was disturbing.

"I have no fear of fairtraders. Fairtrading is a way of life on the coast. Why shouldn't a Bodmin shopkeeper be able to afford tea when a Customs official drinks it with every meal simply because his purse is better suited to pay the duty? I don’t view the fairtrade as a criminal enterprise. I know many who participate in the trade."

"Such knowledge would make you popular with Customs." He resisted the urge to frame it as an accusation.

"The fairtraders are my friends and neighbors. I would never inform on them."

"What happens to those who turn informant?"

"I shouldn't like to think about it—a wise informer would never return to the coast."

Her complexion had pinkened; she either felt guilty or passionate about the subject. She frowned at him as if perplexed by the turn their conversation had taken.

"It seems the risk would far outweigh the gain."

Rachael nodded. "You need have no fear on my behalf with regard to fairtraders. It is unlikely I would be mistaken for a Customs agent." She smiled at him as if the thought amused her.

Was the woman composed of stone? She did not seek to avoid his steady gaze. There was no detectable tic or tremor in her face or hands. She breathed easily. No sheen of perspiration marred the fair, smooth skin of her brow. She remained calm, even smiling while he hinted at the truth. He felt his frustration grow with each verbal parry.

Perhaps she already knew who he was and was enjoying watching him stalk the perimeter of his verbal cage. He was tempted to reveal his identity to her, if only to see her reaction. She was wily, infuriating, and intriguing, and Sebastién was actually enjoying their little game of cat and mouse.

How could he prevent her departure without making a prisoner of her? He noted the high color at her cheeks and the limpid blue pools of her eyes. The fact that she did not seem to find him unattractive was an advantage he might put to good use. After all, this was war and he had to use whatever weapons were available to him.

Professions: The Barrister

By Jennifer Linforth

"You know you're a word slut?"

That was brought to my attention after a speaking engagement I participated in last June. My critique partner, Nina Pierce, whispered them to me as I was conversing with a group regarding the historical use of a colorful word.

I admit it. I can be far too curious for my own good sometimes. So when I innocently inquired of an attorney why they all dream of knighthood with that Esquire-thingy at the end of their names the response was: "I dare you to find out."

I am sure there are dozens of authors reading this blog with raised brows now. One thing you never do is dare an author. Anything you say and do can and will be held against you in one of our novels. Perfect subject for a blog about professions--even if it did stem from a dare.

But first, what the heck is a barrister? The word pops up in historicals all the time. They are legal advisers and court room advocates trained to advise clients on the strengths and weaknesses of their case. They are formally trained experts in their field with knowledge in and out of court that can make or break the outcome of a case. Since the 13th century barristers have been providing expert advice and advocacy on the law. In the past they had a monopoly on representing people in the higher courts.

A barrister is not to be confused with a solicitor! A solicitor has exclusive rights of giving oral or written legal advice. A barrister has the rights of preparing and conducting litigation in the courts.

So now we know what a barrister is and what he does, but that does not satisfy a historical word slut pushed to the bar on a dare.

BAR -- not it is not a place to slug down jello-shots folks! That would make our editors whip out the blue ink of doom and question our historical minded sanity. The famous BAR is named from the two rails in a courtroom, one which separated the judge’s bench from the rest of the court and the other which marked an area for lawyers to engage in their arguments. Speakers or those appearing in court were "called to the bar"--an honor in its day...

Now in historical fiction we use have the word BARRISTER and thus connect it to law: A counselor who is learned in law and admitted to appear at that bar and defend clients. Inner barristers, benchers and readers were admitted to work within the bar as king;s counsel...

The English Crown established in the 1600s a formal registry in London where barristers were ordered to be accredited. The acronym BAR denoted the British Accredited Registry and those members also became members of the IBA (International Bar Association). The first American BAR was created, according to my research, in Boston during the 1700s.

Now there is where I hang Mr. Attorney by his bollocks. Where did the term attorney come from and what are they?

ATTORN: meaning atorner (assign, appoint, etc.) One definition, in law, is to formally transfer one's tenancy, to make legal acknowledgement of tenancy to a landlord. Or if we look historically into feudal law from the Latin ad and torno, it was to transfer homage and service from one lord to another.

Still with me?

ATTORNMENT -- the act where a feudatory, vassal or tenant consents upon the transfer of an estate to receive a new lord or superior, thus transferring homage. Bottom line, through the years attornment means to transfer stuff...much easier just to say that. Write tight you know!

So continuing to beat Mr. Attorney with his gavel we have...

ATTORNEY -- one who transfers or assigns, within the bar, another's rights and property acting on behalf of the ruling crown. Are the readers seeing the pattern there of crown, lords and land? Keep that in mind as we get to those three little letters, ESQ, that made this attorney want to turn me into a whore.

U.S. Attorneys take the post-nominal honorific of Esquire after their names, derived from the British word "squire." Any historical novelist is well aware of the squire, which in Great Britain was the title of a gentleman next in rank to a knight. However, it was also an attendant in court.

The esquire was a young nobleman in training for knighthood and who acted as the shield-bearer and attendant to a knight. Here is where the historical novelist waxes poetic, whether correct or not, on the blatant symbolism in that. Shield = defense. Defense = law.

I so dig it.

An Esquire was also a man of a higher peerage ranking below the knight but also any various officers in service to the king or nobles. Esquires dealt with attornment and transfer of property from the nobleman they served.

Final thoughts?

That tiny mention of Esquire (Esq) at the end of a counselor's name is a reflection of an inner desire to wear tights, follow around their superiors, buy and sell property, and visit history through the imagination of writers of historical fiction.

I don't know why those in the law fascinate me, the just do. Rock on Mr. Attorney. That ESQ is very sexy--but never attempt to dare an author. Our letters are sexy too: ISBN. We will throw the book at you every time.

Professions: Circuit Riders

By Anna C. Bowling

Today, if someone would like a member of the clergy to perform weddings, funerals, baptisms of children or adults, give spiritual counsel or instruction or perform a worship service, the options are endless. A drive through most major cities will result in passing several churches, synagogues, mosques, meeting houses or other such places, and a flip through the yellow pages or a quick online search will bring up dozens of choices even beyond that.

In earlier times, such as the American colonial era or during the western expansion, people had to be a little...or a lot...more patient. Settling a new land or territory, more often than not, happened in stages, and settlers knew going into the new venture that they would have to forgo things taken for granted in their locale of origin. The way one conducted one's spiritual life was no exception.

While a person's faith travels with them no matter who or what is or isn't along for the ride, the way such faith is expressed can definitely be affected. Food, shelter and safety are prime concerns in these situations, with other aspects of life having to sit tight and wait a while. Enter the circuit rider.

Going from town to town, servicing those without a permanent clergy member or house of worship, the circuit rider had to be a spiritual jack of all trades, arriving in each stop on his circuit knowing that he'd need to pack weeks, months, or even years worth of pastoring into a short period of time.

He might find himself using the same ceremony to marry a young couple and baptize their child...or children. In some communities where a circuit rider was the only clergy they could get, this wasn't entirely uncommon, and the couple might actually be considered married by declaration until the preacher came by to make things legal. Memorial services for those buried weeks or months ago might also be on the schedule, and baptisms for any who wished it, from babies to new believers. He might be asked to perform services for denominations other than his own, and depended on the offerings of the communities for his upkeep.

Often without a permanent home of his own, the circuit rider had all the ups and downs of pastoring a regular church...times five, six, seven or however many stops he had on his circuit, not to mention the constant travel. Depending on what he could afford, he might travel his circuit actually riding on beast or wagon, or travelling by shank's mare: on foot. The life of a circuit rider was not easy or predictable, but for those with a true vocation and at least a touch of wanderlust, it could be a rewarding job choice.

I've said "he" in referring to the circuit riders of the past, as prior to the late 20th century, most Protestant denominations did not ordain women. Not so today--I know several modern-day itinerant ministers (what one might call the circuit riders of our day), male and female alike.

Professions: The Barber-Surgeon

By Lisa Yarde

For centuries, if a man wanted his hair trimmed or his beard shaved, he went to the barber, as we do today. But if he needed a minor operation performed, such as bloodletting or cupping, a boil lanced, leeches applied, or just to have a pesky tooth pulled, he went off to the barber too. In 1215 when Pope Innocent III declared that it was a mortal sin for monks to shed blood, in their traditional practice as healers, he paved the way for the development of barber-surgeons.

To enter the trade of a barber-surgeon, like most skilled labor, required an apprenticeship. The apprentice gained his training usually in seven years. Typically, a young man's parents paid his master to take him on and learn all the basics. Here's an example of a medieval contract between a barber and his apprentice:

April the thirteenth, in the year of the Lord 1248.

I, William, barber of Sestri, in good faith and without equivocation, place my self in your service and engage myself to work for you, Armand the barber, making my home with you, for learning the art or craft of barbering for a period of two years, at the salary or wage of forty solidi in the mixed money now current in Marseilles, promising to be faithful to you in all things, not to rob you, or take anything away from you, and not to leave you for a greater or less wage for any reason whatsoever, and to give you in good faith whatever money I am able to take, to tell you the truth, and to bear faith to you in all that I do.

I also promise to reimburse you for all expenses you incur on my behalf; and I promise to do all these things by agreement, and under pledge of one hundred solidi in royal crowns, the pledge being forfeited when the agreement is broken. For greater security I swear upon the Holy Gospels, touching them with my hand. And I pledge all my goods, etc., and renounce the benefit of all laws, etc.

And, I, the said Armand, admit all the foregoing, and promise by this agreement to give to you, the said William, forty solidi every year as your wage, and to provide for you, in sickness or in health, food and clothing for two complete years.

Pledging all my goods, etc., renouncing the benefit of all laws, etc.

The training of a would-be barber consisted of preparing unguents and salves. Knives and razors were important tools, but barbers also required lancets, bone saws, drills and bowls for bleeding. He learned some basic medical knowledge, in particular the location of major veins and arteries. He knew how to cut open a vein in the arm to release diseased blood or poor humors from the body, and more importantly, how to control and stop bleeding. In addition, his master trained him to extract loose, painful teeth, lance boils, draw diseases associated with excess blood to the surface through cupping, and apply leeches to suck blood from a patient.

The red and white pole seen outside modern barbershops is an emblem of the trade. It traditionally refers to the blood and bandages associated with a barber's work. The original pole had two brass basins, one at the top where leeches were kept, and the other where blood collected. The barber's patient gripped the blood-reddened staff wrapped in a white bandage which twisted around its length.

In many cities across medieval Europe, barbers formed professional guilds, regulating their wages. By 1462, the Worship Company of Barbers incorporated in London under the provisions of a royal charter. Located at Barber-Surgeons' Hall, Monkwell Square on Wood Street, it is one of the oldest surviving trade associations in the world, with records dating back to 1308. In time, the rivalries between barbers and surgeons who underwent formal training meant that by the 1800's, barbers concentrated on cutting hair while their counterparts provided wound care and healing.

Professions: School Days

Carol A. Spradling

Not so long ago, wealthy households hired private tutors to teach their sons a variety of disciplines. This luxury was intentionally not afforded to their daughters. After all, a highly educated woman was thought an oddity. As unfair as this may sound, girls were not completely overlooked. To help females establish marriage-material status, governesses tutored females in reading and writing as well as various household duties. These were the only skills deemed necessary to allow a woman to maintain her husband’s household. Anything past this basic education was considered of no use.

Business enterprises were an important means to advance a family's social standings in the community. This training began at an early age and in order to advance the family, a young man with means was expected to expand more than his mind and succeed beyond rudimentary occupations. To help in this endeavor, the names of private schoolmasters seeking employment could be found in local papers. Their services offered everything from math, to navigation, to foreign languages. In exchange for these services, parents would provide for the teacher’s material needs. A competent instructor could provide a nice living for his own family.

Middle class families could not afford to educate their daughters in even rudimentary knowledge, and lower classes gave no distinction between educating either sex. Instead of formal education, lessons began with their mother and ended with their father in the fields or barn. These methods were effective enough for what they offered, but generally meant the student had limited resource and little to no interaction with other children outside of siblings.

Socialized education, a predecessor to modern daycare, was dame schools. These schools offered basic education to both boys and girls. Numbers, writing, and basic reading skills were taught by a local woman while she went about her daily routine. Enough comprehension was offered to enable a boy to enter a town school with ease. Since girls were generally barred from town schools, they continued their education with needed skills such as social etiquette, music, needlework, cooking, and nursing.

Although lacking a family, orphans were not overlooked. Apprenticeships not only taught a trade but also included reading and writing as part of the training. Trade-skills in exchange for room and board were deemed a fair exchange.

Since dame schools, tutors, and apprenticeships were limited in the number of students who could benefit from instruction, public schools became a necessity. This usually occurred when a township reached a population of fifty families. Secondary schools were mandated when populations grew to one hundred or more. These community services were not to be provided by the educator for gratis. Funds for a school and teacher were to be guaranteed through private or public monies.

Providing for a teacher was not seen as burdensome since teachers held status among the community. Teachers and clergy were generally more educated than the rest of society and were expected to adhere to a high moral character. Local townsfolk kept careful watch that they did just that. The town got a bargain when hiring a teacher. In addition to scholarly duties, teachers cleaned the school and conducted church responsibilities, even substituting for the minister when necessary.

Whether knowledge was learned from a paid tutor, behind a plow, or in a one-room classroom, teachers provided needed tools to shape families and communities. In return, the next generation was able to continue traditions and change the future.

Professions: Egyptian Gardeners

By Jean Adams

The temples and the rich in ancient Egypt employed professional gardeners to look after their beautiful gardens, while many more enjoyed getting outside and digging their hands into the soil just for the enjoyment of it.

Gardens were much cherished in their day and were kept both for secular purposes and attached to temple compounds. Gardens at private houses and villas, before the New Kingdom, were mostly used for growing vegetables and located close to a canal or the river.

However, they were often surrounded by walls and their purpose incorporated pleasure and beauty besides utility.

Garden produce made out an important part of foodstuff but flowers were also cultivated for use in garlands to wear at festive occasions and for medicinal purposes.

While the poor kept a patch for growing vegetables, the rich people could afford gardens lined with sheltering trees and decorative pools with fish and waterfowl. There could be wooden structures forming pergolas to support vines of grapes from which raisins and wine were produced. There could even be elaborate stone kiosks for ornamental reasons, with decorative statues.

Temple gardens had plots for cultivating special vegetables, plants or herbs considered sacred to a certain deity and which were required in rituals and offerings, such as lettuce to Min, the god of fertility. Sacred groves and ornamental trees were planted in front of or near both cult temples and mortuary temples.

As temples were representations of heaven and built as the actual home of the god, gardens were laid out according to the same principle. Avenues leading up to the entrance could be lined with trees, courtyards could hold small gardens and between temple buildings gardens with trees, vineyards, flowers and ponds were maintained. Plenty to keep gardeners and priest alike, busy.

The ancient Egyptian garden would have looked different to a modern viewer than a garden in our day. It would have seemed more like a collection of herbs or a patch of wild flowers, lacking the specially bred flowers of today. Flowers like the iris, chrysanthemum, lily and delphinium (blue), were certainly known to the ancients but do not feature much in garden scenes. Formal bouquets seem to have been composed of mandrake, poppy, cornflower and or lotus and papyrus.

Due to the arid climate of Egypt, tending gardens meant constant attention and depended on irrigation. Skilled gardeners were much sought-after by temples and households of the wealthy. Duties included planting, weeding, watering by means of a shaduf, pruning of fruit trees, digging the ground, harvesting the fruit, etc.

Flowers and trees known to have grown in ancient days:

Flowers:

The already mentioned iris, chrysanthemum, lily and delphinium. Blue lotus (the blue water lily Nymphaea caerula), white lotus, safflor (Cartamus Tinctorius), calanchoe, poppy (Papaver Rhoeas), hollyhock (Alcea ficifolia), mandrake (Mandragora officinarum), pomegranate and wild ones like buttercup, clover, daisy, cornflower. The water lily and the papyrus, were considered life-giving and had further great symbolical value as the emblem of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Trees and shrubs:

Tamarisk, olive, acacia, willow, date palm sacred to Re and Min, doum palm sacred to Djehuty (Thoth), sycamore, persea, christ thorn, carob, myrtle and other unidentified ones.

An ancient Egyptian garden home:

Professions: Old West Gamblers

By Jacquie Rogers

Westerners bet on anything that moved--how fast it could go and how high it could jump. They had foot races, boxing matches, flea-jumping contests, frog-jumping contests, bear and bull matches, dog fights, cock fights, as well as cow-boy tournament events such as saddle bronc riding.

But most of all, westerners like to play the ponies:

Gradually, as wealthy men made a hobby or a sideline of breeding horses, Western races became more carefully orchestrated, the crowds grew and betting flourished. Indeed, gambling and a day at the races became a virtually synonymous. And when Westerners got around to staging formal stakes races the prizes were sometimes much richer than those back East. In 1873 what was billed as "The Richest Race in the World" was run at Ocean View Park in San Francisco. The winner's purse was $20,000 paid in gold. In the same year New York's famous Belmont was worth only $5,200 and Maryland's Preakness a mere $1,800. [GAMBLERS OF THE OLD WEST, p.200]

While horse racing was wildly popular, a close second was boxing. This sport wasn't exactly the refined version we have today. Boxers wore no gloves and round lasted until one of them was knocked down--and no limit to the number or rounds. As long as both fighters could throw a punch, the match was active. The winner took the purse which could be as much as $10,000.

And of course there were the card and dice games. Professional gamblers in the Old West, the really good ones, were called "thoroughbred gamblers." I'm listing several thoroughbreds and sources where you can get more information, as well as a few famous gamblers, not necessarily thoroughbreds, but definitely well-known.

George Devol: Mississippi riverboat gambler, born in 1829, who worked the river for 40+ years and made a fortune on three-card monte, poker, and keno. He wrote a fabulous book, Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi, that I used when I researched a story I wrote a few years back. I've never found anything even close to this book as far as explaining how gambling and conning works. Mr. Devol was probably a charming, rough genius from a good family who had no idea what to do with such a rambunctious boy. He won and lost many fortunes over the years.

Elanora Dumont (Madam Mustache): Quoted from American Gambler Online:

In the 1850's Elanora Dumont was a sexy young dealer who attracted love-starved players that gladly lost their gold to this expert player. As she grew in popularity so did her earning. Eventually she owned her own casino, "Dumont Palace," which also prospered, because she enjoyed a reputation for fairness and free food. The mustache appeared suddenly well after she'd made her money. Following a busted romance and a worse marriage which left her broke and alone, she poisoned herself 1879.

Jefferson Randolf "Soapy" Smith: A very colorful character, indeed! Soapy is more in the spirit of con men than traditional gamblers, but his talents certainly can't be overlooked. He was from Southern gentility and was very bright with a keen knack for organization.

Originally running a shell game, he graduated to the soap scheme where he wrapped 5-cent bars of soap with either plain paper, or $20, or $100-dollar bills and sold the bars for $5 a piece. Of course, the only people who actually "won" were on Soapy's payroll.

Always ready to make a buck, Soapy did everything from fixing elections to the more standard job running a poker hall.

While I never did find a biography (book form) of him, you can read more here or here,
and a little about his Scagway adventures here. And here is his death photograph.

NOTE: If you read the comments, you'll see where Jeff Smith, Soapy's grandson, set me straight on a few things. I noticed Jeff has a book coming out this year, so we finally will have access to a biography--great news! To learn more about the real Soapy Smith, information compiled from his how letters and records by his family, go to the Soapy Smith website. There's also a wealth of information about other Old West gamblers at Old West Rogues.

Wyatt Earp: Everything has been written about him, but I'm including him because he was a renowned gambler who owned games/saloons throughout the West. Here's an interesting site about Earp's life after Tombstone, and here's a more complete biography.

Poker Alice (Ivers): Poker Alice was an amazing woman. Outstanding mathematical ability stood her well throughout the years while she made her way quite nicely through a man's world. Here's a really good article about her, and another (although the year of her birth is different).

Martha "Calamity Jane" Canary: Her autobiography is available online, and here's an article that carefully skirts the gambling issue. About the notorious Calamity, I love this quote:

It takes disaster to bring the woman out in a female, even Calamity, who went around like a saint when the smallpox plague struck Deadwood. She nursed back people close to the door of death and didn't ask for so much as a thank you. Even old Doc Babcock had to admit there was a little angel of some sort in this hardboiled woman, yes, even a little bit of heaven itself when she tended children. "oh, she'd swear to beat hell at them," said the Doc, "but it was a tender kind of cussin'."

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok (1837-1876): Family History has stats and a brief bio, and here's an article on his life

William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (1856-1921): This is a good article on his life, although his gambling is not mentioned much, as is the case with this one. Here's an article that actually has his gambling mentioned!

And there you have a handful of gamblers--not all of them the thoroughbred variety, but well known, nevertheless. The following is a list of interesting books and sites on the subject.

Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi by George H. Devol, originally published in 1887 by Devol & Haines, Cincinnati. Republished by Applewood Books. ISBN 1-55709-110-2. This book is a series of vignettes by Mr. Devol recounting various adventures he had as a Mississippi riverboat gambler.

Gamblers of the Old West, from the Editors of Time-Life Books. ISBN 0-7835-4903-2. This is a terrific book with many fine illustrations the aid in the understanding of gambling in the 19th century. Please bear in mind that the terminology is often modern.

Games You Can't Lose: A Guide for Sucker$ by Harry Anderson and Turk Pipkin, Burford Books, 1989, 2001. ISBN 1-58080-086-6. While not a historical reference, it certainly is an interesting read for anyone who's writing a con artist character.

Card Control: Practical Methods and Forty Original Card Experiments by Arthur H. Buckley, Dover Publications, Inc., 1993 (first published in 1946). ISBN 0-486-27757-7. Need to deal from the bottom or stack the deck? This book shows you how. Not that I got anything but gales of laughter from my husband and friends when I tried cheating . . . (Remember the manual dexterity requirement?)

Gambling in the United States
Famous Gamblers
Western slang and phrases

Enjoy the ride!



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Professions: Wandering Showmen

By Karen Mercury

Circuses and road shows once were the main entertainment in America in the 1800s. Family members traveling about in mule-drawn vans doubled as acrobats ("long-distance double somersault leapers"), jugglers, tightrope walkers ("rope dancers"), or musicians. Marionettists and puppeteers were skilled woodcarvers and costumers making their own "little people" dolls, sometimes figures enacting the story of Orlando Furioso, the travails of Dr. Faustus selling his soul to the devil, or the battles of David and Goliath, the most clever puppets being "figures that fell apart and reassembled themselves."

Sideshow acts were fire-eaters spinning plates, "punch men" who depicted the antics of Punch and Judy with metal diaphragm "swazzles" inserted into their mouths to change their voices, and experts at the "London Ghost Show," an illusion with mirrors. There were rope dancers, trained muzzled bears, human skeletons, roughnecks and razorbacks, and tattooed performers.

Showmen had to build their own sets with hand-stitched curtains of velvet, sequins and spangles of beaten gold. Three-inch curtain fringes were even hand-wrought from gold bouillon, apparently a cheap commodity back then. Entering a town, they would first go to the keeper of the main tavern and arrange for the show, making a deal with the town crier. They would parade up the main street in motley clown outfits, the one-man band loaded down with musical instruments, bells on his ankles, elbows, and head, followed by apprentices with banners that assured townspeople that the shows were "refined in nature" and "on a high moral plane." Food or furs were often accepted as admission on the frontiers of Minnesota, and showmen often hoarded the turkeys and passenger pigeons.

Showmen rarely did matinees, since the filtered sunlight spoiled the effects of the stage. Inside the tent the stage was lit by "lighters," iron baskets filled with pitch pine that burned with a yellow glow and helped hide the marionette strings to prevent the audience from figuring out how they worked--men jealously guarded the backstage area. Audiences weren't too picky about lighting, but sometimes they became irate about other items.

"One Saturday, for example," wrote David Lano, "we were performing Doctor Faustus in Berryville, Virginia. I spotted a big mountaineer who followed the rope-dancing with attention so rapt that I was sure he had never seen a show. With mounting excitement visible on his rough features, he next watched the puppet show. He was mesmerized. In a sense he began living out the play, as part of it. I began to feel uneasy, and sure enough, when Mephistopheles came in at the end to carry Faustus away to Hell, the big mountaineer leaped to his feet, yelled 'Git back, you devil!' whipped out a pistol and whang, sent a bullet at the innocent puppet.

"The audience went straight into a panic, scrambling for the exit. The bullet passed through the backdrop, missed the puppet, but lodged in the shoulder of one of our Negroes helping to hang up the puppets as they came off the stage. The town marshal appeared and took off after the mountaineer, but he galloped away on his long shanks and disappeared before the Law could touch him."

The doctors wouldn't treat a black man, and the marshal, "outwitted by the gun-toting hillbilly, came back, resolved to put on his own show of maintaining law and order, arrested Grandfather on a charge of inciting to riot and made him pay a fine!"

In larger cities, museums often imitated Barnum's famous American Museum in New York, and exhibited permanent collections of "curiosities" such as stuffed mermaids, sea serpents, fetuses in alcohol bottles, and firearms of "The War Between the States." The second floor held living attractions like giants, dwarfs, and fat ladies. The third floor was where the vaudeville theaters would set up.

The advent of the automobile freed people from their farms, and soon even the smallest rural towns had a movie house. The circuses of the gypsy trail were soon gone, and the mechanized semi-trailers of Barnum and Bailey didn't do justice to the wandering showmen of the Far West.

Professions: Alchemists

By Carrie Lofty

The public impression of alchemists has undergone radical shifts throughout the 2,500 years men and women have practiced the profession. These days, the term "alchemy" is used interchangeably with a notion of proto-chemistry, and in fact the root word "chem" is present in both, but that isn't necessarily true. Although alchemists regularly contributed to the advancement of chemistry and the understanding of other scientific concerns, their main endeavor was to discover the secret of life.

No one can quite agree where alchemy began, either through some fusion of Greek and Arab learning, or from ancient China. With either option, the roots of alchemy pre-date Christ. One initial goal that compelled alchemists was the transmutation of base metals into gold or, to a lesser degree, into silver. In fact, one theory as to the origin of the word "alchemy" is that it comes from the Greek word kimia, which means change.

Another alchemical passion was toward the discovery of a panacea, or elixir of life--a liquid thought to be the key to everlasting life. During the Middle Ages, this panacea became known as the Philosopher's Stone, an essential ingredient to both the creation of gold and the indefinite prolongation of life. I find it particularly interesting that the be-all, end-all of their endeavors was to not only prolong life, but to provide for a wealthy existence too.

Through the years, although they generally kept quiet their goals toward eternal life, perhaps for fear of being accused of Occult practices or witchcraft, alchemists made themselves useful to the greater populace by testing innumerable substances and refining chemical formulas from around the world. The creation, testing, and understanding of gunpowder, glass, ink, dyes, alcohol, medical remedies, herbal drinks, fertilizers, cosmetics, and leather tanning techniques all owe a debt to alchemists.

In my debut novel, What a Scoundrel Wants, Meg of Keyworth uses her knowledge to fund an illegal counterfeiting scheme--a popular means of making ends meet among alchemists of all eras. But the punishment for peddling poor substitutes had its risks.

"He demanded compensation for having offered us shelter."

"Offered," sneered Will. "And what compensation did he demand?"

"Emeralds, of course. I gave him asem instead."

"Jacob's dog, Asem? That would be fitting."

"No, asem. A false alloy of silver and gold." Her explanation assumed that learned cadence, the one tinged with condescension. But Will also recognized notes of excitement and wonder. "It's an amalgam of soft tin and white copper--melted, cast, and cleaned multiple times. Produced correctly, even artisans cannot discern asem from authentic gold."

"Nice swindle."

"But the quality of my materials was poor, which is why we hadn't traded it. At elevated temperatures, the consistency changes with any friction. Only a fool would believe those ingots had value beyond propping open a door."

"Perhaps that explains his face. I didn't give him those bruises."

Advances in the scientific method and our understanding of elemental processes put an end to the search for eternal life and the transmutation of goal, but alchemists underwent their own transformation into academically trained scholars and entrepreneurs known as chemists. We owe these men and women a debt, not for their failures to find a quick path toward a long, rich life, but maintaining a network of learning and inquiry that sustained society through the Dark Ages, plague times, Inquisitions, and other eras when learning suffered the constraints of fear.

Professions: The Anglo-Saxon Warrior

By Sandra Schwab

When the Anglo-Saxons first came to England, they settled in small groups. The cynn ("the kin" or "the tribe") consisted of the cyning (the lord and guardian of the cynn--I think you can guess what eventually became of this Old English word!) and his followers, and it was held together by mutual loyalty. The Anglo-Saxon warrior fought for his lord and got his reward in treasure, land, slaves or cattle. Because of this, the cyning is often referred to as "treasure-giver" or "ring-giver" in Old English literature.

The Sutton Hoo helmet, a parading helmet which had been included among the treasure of the ship burial at Sutton Hoo

For an Anglo-Saxon warrior it was a matter of life and death to belong to a war band led by a strong leader. The worst thing that could happen to him was to lose his lord and his comrades. In that case, he would have no place in society and no identity in a hostile world. This is exactly what has happened to the warrior in the Old English poem "The Wanderer":

Oft the solitary man waits for prosperity,
the mercy of God, even though he with troubled heart
has long had to stir the ice-cold sea with his hands,
to travel exile-paths. Destiny is completely inexorable!
So spoke the earth-walker, mindful of hardships,
of fierce killings, of the deaths of kinsmen:
Oft did I have to bewail my sorrow alone,
every dawn. There is no one alive now
to whom I would dare to reveal my thoughts openly.

In the early decades of Anglo-Saxon Britain, the hall formed the centre of life. It was here that the lord would give his warriors their rewards; it was here that the cynn would gather to eat and drink and listen to the stories of their bards; and it was here that the common warriors would sleep. The Beowulf poet describes the building of such a mead-hall: the splendid Heorot, the hall of King Hrothgar, which is visited nightly by the horrible monster Grendel (until Beowulf puts a stop to that!) and is eventually destroyed by a fire. The hall was also used for displaying battle trophies: after Beowulf has defeated Grendel, he hangs the monster's arm and shoulder (which he has wrenched off during the fight) up under the roof.

Oh yes, those Anglo-Saxons were a blood-thirsty lot!

Professions: The Viking Warrior

By Michelle Styles

It can be tempting to think of Viking society as a sort of pioneer society where everyone did everything, but in reality, it was a highly organized society where individuals could follow a number of different paths from warrior and trader to craftsmen or even a skald. In the past, it was assumed that Viking society was static and kinship via the male line was the overwhelming factor in deciding who succeeded or who did not. Or another way of looking at it is that a man's birth determined his profession and status. However, recent studies point to a far more fluid system.

While wealth was primarily land based, it was also possible for a freeman to acquire wealth through joining a felag and trading mission. A felag is literally a fellowship and represented a group of warriors who were bound to serve one leader in times of war. Often because the voyages combined both an element of raiding and trading, there would also be a civilian partnership where the member of the felag was also a part owner of the ship and thus entitled to part of the proceeds.

As the Viking era progressed, the distinction between trader and warrior appears to have widened and you have some warriors hiring out their sword arms. Most famous was the Varangian Guard who served the emperor in Byzantium. The word Varangian comes from the old Norse "var" who means vow and "gengi" which means companion or sword fellow. So these men were the men of the vow and were considered to be amongst the best warriors in the Viking world. Var was also a Norse goddess who was involved in the keeping of oaths.

Dating from the mid ninth century, the Varangian Guard was perhaps over glamorized by the Icelandic saga writers as the men serving in the Guard often return home dressed in exotic clothes, laden with wealth and honour. It is one way for landless warriors to acquire status. It also served to help provide an outlet for such men and to create a far more stable population in Scandinavia after the main trading routes were established.

It was basically the Viking foreign legion who were charged with being the personal body guard of the Byzantine emperor. Future kings such as Haraldur Sigurthsson learned their trade there. In the case of Harldur, he served for ten years, incognito in about 1040. According to Snorri Sturulson, Harldur served all over the Mediterranean, even perhaps visiting Jerusalem as the captain of the military escort for pilgrims to the Holy Sepulchre. But basically, he amassed a huge treasure horde which he used to finance his bid for kingship. When he fell foul of the Empress Zoe, he escaped, and used his men to rock the boat over a massive iron chain that blocked the harbour. Eventually he did become king of Norway.

A variety of rune stones in Scandinavia proclaim wealth derived from service in the Varangian Guard.

Towards, the end of the Viking age, the Varangian Guard appears to have been mainly made of displaced Anglo Saxons.

It is through the exploits of the men of Varangian Guard and others that one can see that Viking society was in fact fluid and much depended on the skill with which the warrior used his sword arm.

Professions: Pioneering Female Writers

By Isabel Roman

An excellent site for more female journalists is Women's Herstory Month. For each of the 30 days, there's a different woman celebrated. Check it out.

Nellie Bly: If you know only one pioneering female journalist, it's her. Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864, her first taste of journalism was prompted by a sexist column in the Pittsburgh Dispatch. She wrote a rebuttal and the editor was so impressed, he asked her to join the paper. Female newspaper writers at that time customarily used pen names, and the editor chose Nellie Bly, a misspelling of the title character in the popular song "Nelly Bly" by Stephen Foster.

Bly focused her early work on the plight of working women, writing a series of investigative articles on female factory workers. Times being what they were, editorial pressure pushed her to the women's pages to cover fashion, society, and gardening. Bored, she traveled to Mexico to serve as a foreign correspondent.

At 21, she spent six months reporting the lives and customs of the Mexican people; her dispatches were later published in book form as Six Months in Mexico. When Mexican authorities learned of her report, they threatened to arrest her. Safe at home, she denounced then dictator Porfirio Díaz as a tyrannical czar who suppressed the Mexican people and controlled the press.

Upon her return, she left the Pittsburgh Dispatch for New York City. Penniless, she talked her way into the offices of Joseph Pulitzer's The New York World. She agreed to feign insanity to investigate reports of brutality and neglect at the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island (now Roosevelt Island). Ten days later, Bly was released from the asylum at The World's behest. Her report, later published in book form as Ten Days in a Mad-House, caused a sensation and brought her lasting fame. Physicians and staff fumbled to explain how so many professionals had been fooled, a grand jury launched its own investigation into conditions, and Bly assisted. The jury's report recommended the changes she had proposed, and called for increased funds for care of the insane.

After her Around the World in 72 Days, she married millionaire Robert Seaman and took over his manufacturing business. She died of pneumonia at St. Mark's Hospital in New York City in 1922, at age 57.

Ida M. Tarbell (November 5, 1857 – January 6, 1944) was known as one of the leading muckrakers (investigative journalist) of her day. Best-known for her 1904 book The History of the Standard Oil Company, listed as #5 in a 1999 list by the New York Times of the top 100 works of 20th century American journalism. The inspiration came from her father being bankrupted by oil billionaire John D. Rockefeller, Sr., and was a contributing factor in the antitrust actions against the Standard Oil Trust which eventually led to its breakup in 1911.

She didn't like the label Muckraker and wrote an article "Muckraker or Historian" justifying her efforts for exposing the oil trust.

This classification of muckraker, which I did not like. All the radical element, and I numbered many friends among them, were begging me to join their movements. I soon found that most of them wanted attacks. They had little interest in balanced findings. Now I was convinced that in the long run the public they were trying to stir would weary of vituperation, that if you were to secure permanent results the mind must be convinced.

Tarbell died of pneumonia at a hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1944 after being in a coma since December 1943. She was 87. The Ida Tarbell House was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993. In 2000, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. On September 14, 2002, the US Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp honoring Tarbell as part of a series of four stamps honoring women journalists.

"Imagination is the only key to the future. Without it none exists — with it all things are possible. Ida M. Tarbell

Ida Bell Wells (July 16, 1862 – March 25, 1931) was an African American sociologist, civil rights leader, and a women's rights leader active in the Woman Suffrage Movement. She attended summer sessions at Fisk University in Nashville, a Black Historic College, and at age 24 wrote, "I will not begin at this late day by doing what my soul abhors; sugaring men, weak deceitful creatures, with flattery to retain them as escorts or to gratify a revenge."

In 1892 she published a pamphlet "Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases," and along with the 1895 "A Red Record," campaigned against lynching. Having examined many accounts of lynching based on alleged "rape of white women", she concluded that Southerners concocted the rape excuse to hide their real reason for lynching black men: black economic progress, which threatened not only white Southerners' pocketbooks but also their ideas about black inferiority.

In 1893, she and other black leaders, including Frederick Douglass, organized a boycott of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The pamphlet to be distributed during the exposition, "Why the Colored American Is Not in the World's Columbian Exposition," detailed in English and other languages the workings of Southern lynching's and a handful of other issues impinging on black Americans. She later reported 2,000 copies had been distributed. Afterwards, Wells decided to stay in Chicago and work with the Chicago Conservator, the oldest paper for people of color in the city.

After her retirement, Wells wrote her autobiography Crusade for Justice (1928). The book was never finished. It ends in the middle of a sentence, in the middle of a word. She died of uremia in Chicago at the age of 68. On February 1, 1990, the US Postal Service issued a 25 cent stamp in her honor. In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Ida B. Wells on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.