#aunt cornelia

[samantha-and-nellie]

i've reblogged this before, but i wanted to add some comments this time because, while this post isn't untrue, it doesn't quite explain accurately the changes that were made in the movie.

jessie as a dressmaker actually does still *kinda* exist in the movie (and op did identify this in an earlier post that they made!). but that character--while still a black women who is clearly skilled in dressmaking--isn't jessie. the character who is named jessie in the movie is indeed just housemaid for grandmary's household, while this other character who takes on book!jessie's job is simply identified as "dressmaker" in the telescript. it's also worth noting that the telescript identifies the dressmaker as being from nyc, and that she is there specifically to make the outfits for gard and cornelia's wedding.

in this way, samantha: an american girl holiday does create a more realistic scenario, since grandmary keeping a full-time dressmaker for herself and samantha was a bizarre choice for the books. was it still weird for the movie to turn the named-character of jessie into a housemaid? absolutely, but i wanted to explain some of the nuance lost in the original post.

tldr: jessie's role as a dressmaker isn't fully erased, her character from the books was just split into two different characters in the movie.

One of the greatest adaptation mistakes American Girl made was reducing Jessie from a stylish, well-respected, independent dressmaker to a housemaid for the Samantha movie.

[samantha-and-nellie]

i know turn-of-the-century ideas about adulthood are vastly different than ours, but do you ever think about how young cornelia is?

like, it's her first christmas with her boyfriend's family. the girl that is going to be her niece is the age as her younger sisters. she's grown up with sisters who are sam's age, and yet she's somehow crossed into womanhood and they're still getting to enjoy their girlhood.

and you can see that it the christmas book! you can see this confusion (longing? nostalgia?) in cornelia as she experiences this last christmas as an unmarried young woman. she can't spend it with her sisters, but she can gosh darn spend it with another girl their age, and so these moments of cornelia's girlhood peek through as she's trying to bond with samantha.

she gets sam to make gingerbread with her like cornelia would usually be doing with her sisters. she goes sledding with her and gard, and cornelia has this moment where she gets so caught up in the joy of it all that even sam can see how young she is.

and then they're downtown, and cornelia spots a beautiful doll in a shop window and, just for one moment, she forgets that's she's too old to want a doll. except that “just a moment” lasts for days, so she ends up going back to buy the doll for samantha because that’s the next best thing to buying it for herself.

sam gets her doll, and cornelia gets a ring.

and i know that cornelia growing up and getting married is not a tragedy, but for some moments it feels like it is because it means that sam is next. and the womanhood that cornelia experiences seems joyful and privileged and purposeful, but it's still not girlhood. cornelia's not putting can telephones through the lilac hedge, or threatening the annoying neighborhood boy. cornelia's not starting schools in the tower room, befriending the servant girl next door, bedgrudingly practicing piano for an hour a day and then going to get gingerbread from the cook.

and, if all goes well, eventually neither will sam

[stellaluna33]

So many historical costumers have made cosplay versions of their favorite American Girl dolls, and I get that! This is how so many of us got started! But... as a grown-up Samantha girl, I have never had any desire to cosplay Samantha. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one whose goal has been to cosplay Aunt Cornelia. 😆

[thighguys]

Phan Fic Recs!!

here's a bunch of my absolute favorites for anyone who needs a distraction from the election <3 i will make a second post with shorter ones as well, this post will just be fics that are over 10k

Inheriting Love by Fictropes (22k)- Dan is a lawyer who executes wills in a small town in the English countryside, and Phil's aunt leaves him a house. One of the cutest fics I've read recently tbh, lots of banter and cows<3

Silver Arrows to the Heart by @evermorepeyton (137k, WIP)- How could i POSSIBLY make a rec list without including this masterpiece??? Dan and Phil are Formula 1 drivers, chaos ensues<3 sooooo much fun (and there are some really beautiful cool women in there too, just as a treat)

dancing on the blades (you set my heart on fire) by kishere (123k)- Dan is an amateur figure skater who scores a spot at the famous Lester training gym, where he meets the legendary Phil Lester and of course they fall in love... this one has sooo many cute fetus moments and wonderful cameos from Kath<3 absolutely love it

Like a Bowl of Oranges by cloej88 (@bitchslapblastoids) (47k)- Phil is a filmmaker looking to amplify queer stories in the media, Dan is a ghostwriter who's been writing a memoir on the side, you can guess what happens next. very VERY fun fic, lots of drama and lovely reflection, as well as the softest scenes between them. love this one (and the author :3)

The Odd Uneven Time by @yikesola (20k)- A 2009 fic from Phil's perspective, falling in love with a boy over the Internet. Absolutely WONDERFUL vibes, so so so cute (and it probably happened in real life ahaha)

Live Incidentally by yikesola (37k)- Phil makes novelty t-shirts and Dan buys them :) really funny, also some great Lester family moments

The Pianist Everyone Is Talking About... Is My Husband by @natigail (25k)- Dan is a famous pianist, Phil plays his songs on the radio, but nobody knows that they're actually married. Lots of chaos ensues, crazy fangirls can feel super represented, and Dan laughs at Phil about it all<3 this fic is so funny lol, highly HIGHLY recommend

Kick Me While I'm Down by jerserker (14k)- Dan and Phil join an adult kickball league! Phil just wants to make friends, and Dan... kicks everyone's asses <3 Really funny competitive Dan, fun times honestly :)

missing the obvious by Fictropes (14k)- Dan plays videogames in an anonymous Discord server at night, and during the day he goes to his boring office job and hooks up with his coworker Phil in bathroom stalls... I wonder how these two things could possibly be connected...

Our House by sierradeux (50k)- Dan is a real estate agent, Phil is a Youtube house flipper, they team up to cohost an HGTV renovation special and fall in love. With the house, obviously. But also with each other <3 this is one of my favorites guys I think it should be required reading for everyone on phannie tumblr

maybe this christmas by blackbirddan (13k)- it's November, im allowed to rec christmas fics now, right??? anyway, this one is HUGE for fans of the Lester and Howell families, just so so so soft and sweet and awesome<3

Strictly Come Dancing but make it GAY by natigail (176k)- i mean this one has a pretty self explanatory title... read for super hot dancer Phil, awkward celebrity Dan, and so so so many beautiful outfit and dance descriptions :3 seriously, I wish I could watch this season irl :( this is for sure in my top 3 fics of all time to be so honest

they grew up so nicely, didn't they? by natigail (15k)- Cornelia pov on meeting the boy Phil brought home, and then throughout the years. SO CUTE!!!!! really big for fans of outsider pov (me)

okie dokie<3 i will be making an under 10k rec list as well, so be on the lookout for that one!

[hes-a-rat-whisperer]

Picnic Party Distractions!!

Little Prince! Au with my baby @hes-a-rat-whisperer

“Come on Gossy!!” Mattie yelped as she tried to run after her puppy shaped bestie, which was not such an easy task while wearing a dress AND carrying the picnic basket, through the wooded area of the king’s gardens. Of course, her aunt and nanny, Cornelia, and uncle Felly, was close behind the two. Even better was the fact that her brand new little brother, Aslan, was gonna be joining the children today! Although her auntie had to hold him, since he was still too little to run around like his bigger siblings. Yes! Today was gonna be the BEST day!!

———

“We have everything set up, sire.” A guard said while bowed at Alistair’s feet. That morning, after having the children sent off to the far side and of the royal gardens, there was something far darker scheduled that the little ones did not need to witness at such an age.

Gosgo squealed with laughter, jumping and tumbling as he ran over the grass.

Cornelia couldn't help but giggle as well. seeing her two precious little ones having such a fun time already made her heart swell.

she nuzzled aslan as she gave sir Felonious a nudge. "isn't this wonderful, felly?" she said. "it's a wonderful day, the flowers are blooming and the kids are happily chasing around"

the lady's giggles turned into gleeful laughter as she shifted aslan around in her arms, giving him a better view of his surroundings.

-----

"marvellous.."

the king's voice was laced with eerie anticipation and even more chilling was the sinister smirk on his face.

after having everything cleared away with the mandatory trial and letting the kingdom's inhabitants know what happened with a few flavorful exaggerations thrown in here and there, it was finally time to deal with the menace that had been allowed to roam the castle for far too long..

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

Tiffany Aching by Terry Pratchett

Armed only with a frying pan and her common sense, Tiffany Aching, a young witch-to-be, is all that stands between the monsters of Fairyland and the warm, green Chalk country that is her home. Forced into Fairyland to seek her kidnapped brother, Tiffany allies herself with the Chalk's local Nac Mac Feegle - aka the Wee Free Men - a clan of sheep-stealing, sword-wielding, six-inch-high blue men who are as fierce as they are funny. Together they battle through an eerie and ever-shifting landscape, fighting brutal flying fairies, dream-spinning dromes, and grimhounds - black dogs with eyes of fire and teeth of razors - before ultimately confronting the Queen of the Elves, absolute ruler of a world in which reality intertwines with nightmare. And in the final showdown, Tiffany must face her cruel power alone...

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Miranda is an ordinary sixth grader, until she starts receiving mysterious messages from somebody who knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late.

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss

Swept off course by a raging storm, a Swiss pastor, his wife, and their four young sons are shipwrecked on an uncharted tropical island. Thus begins the classic story of survival and adventure that has fired the imaginations of readers since it first appeared in 1812. With optimism and boundless enthusiasm, the Robinson family undertakes the extraordinary task of constructing a home for themselves and exploring the primitive island filled with strange and beautiful creatures and exotic fruits and plants. Rich in action and suspense, The Swiss Family Robinson  is an exhilarating novel takes us to a faraway place of danger and beauty, where the courageous Robinson family embarks on a thrilling new life of adventure and discovery.

The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

At first, Omri is unimpressed with the plastic Indian toy he is given for his birthday. But when he puts it in his old cupboard and turns the key, something extraordinary happens that will change Omri's life for ever.

For Little Bear, the Iroquois Indian brave, comes to life...

The Belgariad by David Eddings

Myths tell of the ancient wars of Gods and men, and a powerful object - the Orb - that ended the bloodshed. As long as it was held by the line of Riva, it would assure the peace.

But a dark force has stolen the Orb, and the prophecies tell of war.

Young farm boy Garion knows nothing of myth or fate. But then the mysterious Old Storyteller visits his aunt, and they embark on a sudden journey. Pursued by evil forces, with only a small band of companions they can trust, Garion begins to doubt all he thought he knew...

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Through six turbulent months of 1934, 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain keeps a journal, filling three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries about her home, a ruined Suffolk castle, and her eccentric and penniless family. By the time the last diary shuts, there have been great changes in the Mortmain household, not the least of which is that Cassandra is deeply, hopelessly, in love.

The Borrowers by Mary Norton

Beneath the kitchen floor is the world of the Borrowers -- Pod and Homily Clock and their daughter, Arrietty. In their tiny home, matchboxes double as roomy dressers and postage stamps hang on the walls like paintings. Whatever the Clocks need they simply "borrow" from the "human beans" who live above them. It's a comfortable life, but boring if you're a kid. Only Pod is allowed to venture into the house above, because the danger of being seen by a human is too great. Borrowers who are seen by humans are never seen again. Yet Arrietty won't listen. There is a human boy up there, and Arrietty is desperate for a friend.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Esperanza thought she'd always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico--she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances--Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Two orphaned children are on the run, hiding among the crumbling canals and misty alleyways of the city of Venice.

Befriended by a gang of street children and their mysterious leader, the Thief Lord, they shelter in an old, disused cinema. On their trail is a bungling detective, obsessed with disguises and the health of his pet tortoises. But a greater threat to the boys' new-found freedom is something from a forgotten past – a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.

Dork Diaries by Renee Russel

Nikki Maxwell is not popular, in fact Nikki Maxwell is the opposite of popular; she's a total dork! But Nikki's hoping that by moving to a new school she might just stand a chance of making some friends and leaving her old lame-ways in the past. But life is never that simple... Follow Nikki's life through sketches, doodles and diary entries as she starts her new school, battles with her mum for an iPhone and meets her arch-nemisis, the school's queen bee, Mackenzie.

[ancientcharm]

The controversial young emperor Elagabalus

'The roses of Elagabalus' (detail) by Lawrence Alma-Tadema ,1888

Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus was born in Rome in the year 203.

As emperor he had the name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus but was better known as Elagabalus. Originary from Syria he was by hereditary right, the high priest of El-Gabal from which his name Elagabalus comes. El-Gabal was the tutelary god of the city of Emesa, in Syria. His grandfather and ancestors were also priests.

The Romans mistook El-Gabal for a Syrian sun god because they heard "Heliogabal" and thought of Helios. But El-Gabal means god of the mountain.

He became emperor of Rome on May 16, 218 at age 14, thanks to his maternal grandmother Julia Maesa, Caracalla's aunt, who after the assassination of the emperor organized a revolt against the usurper Macrinus.

He received the Salutatio imperatoria (imperial salute) only once, at the time of the assumption of imperial power. His reign was brief as his life, and his death more tragic than the previous assassinated emperors, not so much because of the way he died but because of what the murderers did with his body.

'The roses of Elagabalus' by Lawrence Alma-Tadema ,1888

In order to become high priest of El-Gabal, Elagabalus had himself circumcised.

Care must be taken not to take for granted certain stories that were clearly invented and exaggerated due to the hatred that this young man caused in Rome. He was so hated that Roman historians contemporary with Elagabalus call him "the Assyrian emperor", thus denying any relationship of Rome with him. Cassius Dion also refers to this emperor as "the false Antoninus."

One of the most implausible stories that have been written about him is that he killed people at banquets by drowning them with rose petals.

Also the Roman clichés when writing about a hated emperor, such as the palace being a brothel, that he himself was a prostitute, that he involved wild animals in orgies and other actions that were despicables for the Romans. The story of "he wanted to be castrated" may come from the fact that he had wanted to be circumcised, in fact he was the only Roman emperor to be circumcised, something the Romans considered inappropriate, to put it mildly.

The true scandals

Bust of Elagabalus. Musei Capitolini, Rome © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro.

In 219 he married a young aristocratic woman named Giulia Cornelia Paula but in early 220 he divorced, claiming that she had "physical defects." However, the real reason for the divorce soon became known. Elagabalus, who was high priest could only marry a priestess. And thus began his first scandal when he take as his wife a Vestal Virgin Aquilia Severa.

Belonging to a family of priests of an oriental deity, it was probably not the whim of a megalomaniac teenager but rather he was convinced that, as Roman emperor, he had the duty to marry a Roman priestess.

But for the Romans a vestal virgin could not marry until she had completed 30 years of service to the goddess Vesta (the most ancient Roman goddess) and if she broke her vows of chastity she was punished with the death penalty. Elagabalus undoubtedly broke a sacred rule.

In 221, perhaps to calm everyone down, he divorced and married Annia Faustina, descendant to the beloved emperor Marcus Aurelius, but he soon divorced her to remarry former vestal virgin Aquilla. Historians account that Elagabalus claimed married the priestess because he wanted to have "divine children".

According to Cassius Dio, Elagabalus also had a lover "a blonde boy from Caria named Hierocles." Unlike other extravagant stories, this one does not implausible.

In another attack on the sacred traditions of Rome, Elagabalus introduced the cult of El-Gabal as a state religion in the city of Rome and throughout the empire. Jupiter was the supreme state god, but the religious edicts of Elagabalus left the Roman religion with all its gods relegated to the background. The Roman gods were assigned a subordinate function to the Syrian god El-Gabal, this deity until then had only been worshiped in Emesa. The emperor ordered the sacred stone from Emesa to be brought to Rome.

During the summer solstice festival he placed the conical black meteorite that represents El-Gabal, in a chariot decorated with gold and jewels, which toured the city in parade.

A team of six horses carried the divinity, the enormous and immaculately white horses, with expensive gold harnesses and rich decorations. No one was holding the reins nor was anyone on board the chariot; The vehicle was escorted as if the god himself were the charioteer. Elagabalus walked backwards in front of the chariot, facing the god and holding the reins of the horses. He made the whole journey in this reverse manner, looking his god in the face. - Herodian.

As if all this were not enough to enrage the entire Roman society, Elagabalus made her mother participate in the Senate.

Empress Julia Soaemias, mother of Elagabalus- 3nd century AD, Found in 1968 at the Monumental Nymphaeum of Septimius Severus. Photo: Dosseman

Julia Maesa, grandmother of Emperor, seeing how the Senate, the Praetorian Guard and the people stopped supporting him and his mother, decided that both should be replaced by her daughter, Julia Mamaea, and her other grandson, Alexander, 13 years old.

First she convinced Heliogabalus to name his cousin Caesar and heir and share the Consulate with him. He accepted but then seeing that the Praetorian Guard preferred his cousin, Elagabalus changed his decision.

Historians account that following he deprived his cousin of his titles, and revoked the consulship, circulated the news that Alexander was about to die; A mutiny broke out and the guard demanded to see Elagabalus and Alexander in the Praetorian camp.

On March 11, 222 Heliogabalus appeared there with his mother Julia Soemia and Alexander. Upon his arrival, the soldiers greeted Alexander as emperor. Elagabalus ordered the arrest and execution of every soldier who intervened in this revolt, but in response, the Praetorians attacked him and his mother.

So he tried to flee, and could have reached somewhere hidden in a chest, but he was discovered and killed at the age of 18. His mother, who embraced him closely, perished with him; They cut off their heads and his bodies, after having stripped them, first they dragged them throughout the city, and then the mother's body was left somewhere, while his was thrown into the river. ��� Cassius Dio

Hierocles, the charioteer and, according to Cassius Dio, also the lover, of Elagabalus, as well as several of his court, were executed that same day. His religious edicts were revoked, and the god El-Gabal returned to Emesa.

On March 13, 222, Alexander Severus ascended the throne. His grandmother, Julia Maesa, one of the most powerful women in Roman empire history died four years later.

After 13 years of reign Alexander was also assassinated, at the age of 26, although for very different reasons than his cousin Elagabalus: Alexander was assassinated just by the ambition of a group of soldiers and, upon the death of his successor, was deified by the Senate. He died without issue and was the last of the Severan dynasty.

Bust of Elagabalus. 220- 221. Musei Capitolini, Rome. © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro

[carolinanadeau]

looking over all the old American Girl stuff and remembering my intense childhood fixation on Samantha Parkington's Aunt Cornelia... another piece of the puzzle falls into place

[jomiddlemarch]

A letter always seemed to me like immortality

Everyone Diana wanted to write to was dead.

Walter, what seemed like a dozen lifetimes ago, at Courcelette if his last letter to Rilla was to be believed; Diana had often wondered whether he had already considered himself a dead man walking before the day of the last battle, the boy he’d been destroyed beyond repair or rebirth.

Aunt Leslie, whom she’d found it easier to talk to than her own mother, perhaps because she’d also had a brother she adored. Perhaps because she’d left Glen St. Mary and never missed it. 

Perhaps because Leslie liked whiskey better than tea, newspapers better than poetry. 

Una, who’d been too pale since she barely survived nursing her father and stepmother through the Spanish flu, who’d been someone everyone underestimated or decided to treat as a martyr, who would not have judged Di the way her own sisters would. 

Rosalind Foyle, whom she’d had to ask about as discreetly as she could, counting on her general reception as a cheerful and polite Canadian, not much like a bossy Yank, to yield her the few details she’d squirreled away. An artist, a mother. A beauty. Better-bred than her husband, well-liked, she’d had elegant hands and never forgot to wear gloves.

Diana only wore gloves to operate and if an actual gale was blowing in a blizzard.

Who had thought all she wanted was to go to France, to make something of her life that would last her the rest of it. That might make the rest of it of a duration she could bear, an end her family could cope with or justify why she’d never return to PEI.

Dear Una, You’re the best one to write to, I think. The one who’d mind the least, like it the most. The least awkward for me to imagine reading this, the least likely to tell me something I don’t want to know. I leave for France in a few weeks and now I don’t want to go. Or rather, I do and then I don’t. There’s something holding me in England now, something to do with Walter, a mystery. Men, who’ve died. A man who’s alive, very much so.

A man I want to know. His name is Foyle. Christopher. He knew Walter, said Walter knew him as Kit. Everyone calls him Foyle or sir or Superintendent. Christopher. Oh Una, I thought this was behind me. That it was something I’d never have to deal with, some sort of consolation of being a woman in a world missing a generation of men. I thought I wouldn’t know this and that was a relief, watching you and Rilla and Nan. Faith. Mary. I thought it was fair, that I’d never know heartbreak like this. And now there’s Christopher. A half-dozen dead men. Walter’s poem. And France, waiting for me. I have to go, I know that, but how do I go wanting to stay here, a place I can’t call home. Wanting to come back.

Christopher. I like writing his name because I oughtn’t say it often. That’s what a young girl does, lovesick, dull, embarrassing herself, making everyone around her smile behind their hands unless it’s Miss Cornelia, scolding you for making a fool of yourself and for what, a man? What’s a man worth, I ask you—can’t you hear her say it, tart, ready to wash her hands of us— I don’t care what a man’s worth, Una. Just Christopher. And I can’t answer the question, not to satisfy Miss Cornelia or you or myself.

You’d write me back something comforting, if you could. If you hadn’t died before your time, twice over, after the telegram, after the epidemic. I should have insisted you leave before me or with me. I should have told your father you were worth more than all the rest of them put together or made Dad send you away to convalesce, somewhere warm, where you might have lolled about, turning brown in the sun. I’ve said I’ll go to France and sew up the men who need sewing up. Cut off the parts that need cutting off. I’ve said that’s my life, my vocation, as important as Mother’s poetry, as Walter’s, as the babies Jem delivers and the columns Ken Ford writes, and it must be but now there’s murder and Christopher to contend with, a dozen mysteries at the heart of me. For it seems I’ve a heart after all, Una. It beats and beats and leaps when it oughtn’t. It will break, I know it shall.

Christopher. I’ll take a dream in lieu of a letter. A flower, out of place, in lieu of a word. Answer me if you can, Una. You can’t and I know that, but I’ll still hope, silly Di Blythe.

She put the letter in an envelope but left it unsealed and unaddressed.

Left the envelope in an otherwise empty drawer of the desk in her flat. If she didn’t return from France, well, that didn’t bear thinking about too closely. If her papers were sent back to Canada, her father would likely burn the letter rather than let her mother see it unless if gave it to Nan, thinking her twin would derive some comfort and, happily married to Jerry, the bonny wife and mother Di had not made of herself, could weather any pang it gave her.

If somehow it ended up with Christopher, he’d know how she’d once felt.

She could make that happen, writing his name across the white field of the envelope, but that was too much like a dare, and for all she was her father’s daughter, she still had her mother’s wise fear of the fey.

She’d written his name enough. She’d hope she’d come back to say it.

[samantha-and-nellie]

every outfit worn by rebecca mader as cornelia edwards in samantha: an american girl holiday (2004)

(check out what appears to be a repeat wear of her going-away suit with a different shirtwaist! she seemingly wears it a third time in fact, but it's with the same shirtwaist as the second time, so i didn't feature that. she also wears the purple suit twice, but it's worn in the exact same way, so i only included it once. finally, there's a repeat of the grey/black coat and matching hat, but i believe she has on a different shirtwaist underneath in the second wear, as well as a different purse)

[catilinas]

also didn’t cornelia sulla end up w marius’ sexy coastal villa via potentially nefarious means

or fausta. fausta was cool. also cornelia sulla didn’t she have an epic legal battle with i literally cannot remember who. edit: the epic legal battle was with her own son

[in-pleasant-company]

A lot of people have questioned how likely it would have been for a wealthy couple like Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia to adopt three orphan girls who weren't family members.

What's really fascinating is that in 1907, The Delineator, a popular fashion magazine in the 1900s, published an article on orphans in New York city, who grew up without the attention and love of family due to being raised in institutions, putting them on the path to become immoral adults.

The article had a response that the editors were not expecting - readers wanted to adopt the children! The attitudes towards orphans were different too - the women who wrote to the magazine were hoping to raise these children as their own children, not use them as labor in their homes. The idea of motherhood was also changing - women who had never given birth asked that they be equally respected as mothers as those who had. From then on, as part of the Child-Rescue Campaign, the magazine published brief biographies of orphaned children who could be adopted.

More than two thousand children were adopted through the Child-Rescue Campaign, which lasted from late 1907 to early 1911.

This campaign is a little more complex than I can explain here, so if you're interested, I encourage you to read the essay I sourced the information from. It's available to read for free on HathiTrust.

(Information adapted from Rescue a Child and Save the Nation The Social Construction of Adoption in the Delineator, 1907-1911 by Julie Berebitsky, printed in Adoption in America: Historical Perspectives edited by E. Wayne Carp)

[azelfandquilava]

Your honour, I believe Ms Edelgard von Hresvelg deserves a cuddle from her surrogate aunt, Ms Cornelia Arnim. As a treat.

(Commission by @platinumamiii)

[unpleasantcompany]

Ough what would Aunt Cornelia say about this

[desertdollranch]

How on earth did Samantha tell her Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia that she was keeping Nellie and Bridget and Jenny without shedding a single tear? I definitely couldn't have done that, even as part of the Samantha Hivemind.

Also. I've been neck deep in the Samantha Parkington content of my childhood. Her movie, and her keepsake treasury my grandpa used to read to me before bed when I visited. (I reread Samantha Saves the day, which was my favorite as a kid)

I can guess how she didn't cry. 10 year old me would be trying not to laugh because of the delicious feeling of "I know something you don't know!"

Samantha Saves the day was the second American Girl book I ever read, after Samantha's Surprise. I think I have them both memorized. And when I read the books and imagine the narrative, the images I see are the same that I imagined when I was 6 years old.

[emilybennettstan]

Update on the Unfortunate Name of Aunt Cornelia’s Dog

I think he must have been named after the dog of the same name in “David Copperfield”. Why Cornelia “Women Must Vote” Pitt Edwards would name her dog after the dog of the most helpless female character in Dickens, I do not know, but I think that is what she did. This does not erase the previous facts about the name being a racial slur and that being not okay, I just thought some added context might be interesting.