Lizzie and Emma's day-to-day activities

[BrianKLoftin]

In 1892, there were no radios, televisions, or computers to take up much of Lizzie and Emma's time. They had no telephone, so they weren't sitting around talking on it all the time. Lizzie liked to read, we know that. I imagine there was a lot of sewing and other household duties like ironing and keeping their rooms and the parlor clean and orderly. Lizzie also had lessons to plan and other such business for her church work (though what she did, I can't imagine) and they had a piano, but Lizzie really didn't play anymore from what I understand.

Besides this, what else would Lizzie And Emma DO every day, in that house-- assuming there was tension between them and their father and stepmother and not much "visiting" between them? I can't see them playing any parlor games. I don't think they received many guests, aside from Alice, though I could be wrong. My question is, what sort of trivial, day-to-day activities were the sisters engaged in prior to the murders. My imagination fails me. though I'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact I'm 32 and cannot imagine such a simpler time. :)

[SteveS.]

I would imagine you could add needlepoint and letter writing to those activities. And I am sure that Lizzie and Emma called upon friends and had friends call upon them also more then we realize. The girls and Bridget testified to the fact that they entertained in the front guest room. We just don't know how much visiting they did.

[Yooper]

That's an interesting question, and you're perfectly right, there weren't many distractions back then. I imagine reading and visiting were the primary methods of passing time, maybe marketing was done more often, given the relatively primitive refrigeration available. I don't think women were generally welcome in taverns back then, but there may have been places they could sit and talk more or less in public. Window shopping may have been practiced more at that time, just to get away from the house for a bit. Activities tended to take more time, cooking was a matter of bringing the stove up to temperature by managing a wood or coal fire rather than just turning a dial. People walked, rode a streetcar or train, or hitched horses to a carriage if they drove themselves. Lizzie and Emma were living in a household of four adults, three of them women, and they had the additional services of a live-in maid, so even ordinary day-to-day housework was minimized. In their case, given a focus on proper Victorian social protocols, just getting ready to walk to the drugstore may have become a major event.

[shakiboo]

That would make for a very long day, if they got up at 6am and didn't retire till 9 or later! Of course they lived in a slower paced world then we do, so, to them it wouldn't have felt the same. Napping in the afternoon, possibly. I believe she had a small desk in her room and I bet she did spend time every week working on her lessons for Sunday School. She also did volunteer work too, So, she might have been busier then we thought.

[snokkums]

I wonder if they didn't run errands and the like. Wasn't Lizzie invovled with the tepperence movement and other charities and such? I know she was invovled with the church and sunday school. Wonder if they had church activities like they do now.

[stargazer]

Scrabble would have been nice. Cards. Old Maid ha ha. Music boxes can only go so far. Knitting is practical. Pacing, romantic fantasies ? hand wringing ?

[snokkums]

Yup, Old Maid sounds good! Somehow, I can't picture lizzie knitting.