Queen Alexandra gives Maundy Money to the poor people in the Westminster area

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_jRHqY33yo

Scroll down on the post to view the embedded video.

This is a very charming video showing Queen Alexandra giving out Maundy money to the poor in Westminster. Queen Alexandra was the wife of King Edward VII until his death in 1910. Edward VII actually only outlived his mother Queen Victoria by nine years. Wasn’t Queen Alexandra wonderful? This lovely moment in time was likely taken shortly after King Edward’s death. It shows images of the Edwardian time, a period of extreme hat wearing. Please enjoy it!

It actually brought shivers to me. The people have such an enigmatic look. The elderly lady who reminded us of the Victorian years in the center of the shot at the 1.00 minute point particularly touched me. The older gentleman in the bowler hat who appears at the left shortly thereafter was also interesting. I wonder when these two were born? Likely they were about 70 (people looked older then) and it would put their birth dates in the 1840s -- truly truly wonderful -- eye candy for history buffs like me and to see them actually moving and their expressions. I am really in awe! Please tell me who you think was the most interesting character in this short clip.

The Beafeaters at the beginning of the clip were great. They wear similar uniforms even now and they are the Guardians of the Tower of London (Yeoman Warders). These specially honored former Servicemen -- they are former NCOs (Non Commissioned Officers)  and now act as tour guides -- they are great characters. The first woman Beafeater, Moira Cameron, was appointed in September 2007 -- see this Wikipedia entry. The guys in the Edwardian clip probably would be surprised (to put it mildly). It is a sign of the times as more women participate in active military service as I noted in yesterday’s Memorial Day post.

The people are all wearing hats except when they have them off in respect for the Queen or the Church. It was a very different time. Did you notice the Boer War veterans in their “cowboy” type hats? They spent a lot of time riding horses in that war. Many Canadians and Australians also fought in that war. Thanks to the Royal Channel on You Tube for sharing this wonderful vignette with the world. I love to see the Royal family with their great hats especially the current Queen of England.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_jRHqY33yo

What is Maundy Money?

Maundy Money is given to the deserving poor in a religious ceremony on Maundy Thursday, This is the Thursday before Easter.

The custom is based loosely on Christ’s humility in washing the feet of the poor. It has been in existence in various forms since about 600 AD. It continues to be observed.

The coins distributed are specially minted coinage. The coins minted after 1908 carry a premium. In 1908 Edward VII decreed the special coins were only to be distributed to the actual recipients. In Victorian times one could simply order a set from the Royal Mint and therefore the older Victorian coins are actually far more common. In the year 2005 the total mintage of each denomination of coin was only 1685. So the coins of particular years sell for a premium over their face legal tender amount. the worth of the coins may not be proportional to their value so be careful on E-Bay. Source: Wikipedia

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.

I recently obtained a copy of Punch Magazine from February 9, 1921. I love it when I find vintage material that contains predictions for the future. I will get to the prediction in a minute.

The prediction concerns the humble swim cap, or bathing cap. Why do you wear a swim cap when swimming?

• It keeps your perm in.
• It prevents your hair getting too wet and pool chlorine out.
• It is hygienic and prevents hair from getting into a pool’s filtration systems.
• It is necessary as a competitive swimming accessory to add a more smooth body line for speed and reduces drag on speed.

You can read more about swim cap history, including the effects of rubber shortages on swim cap availability in the Second World War at this Wikipedia link. Swim caps got quite glamorous in the late 1940s and 1950s. They were embellished with petals and the like. The wearing of swim caps has largely passed into history except for competitive and distance swimming uses.

You can see an example of swim cap glamor on the Life.com site where you will find a picture of Claudette Colbert from 1941 wearing a swim cap and holding a surf board. Time Inc., the owner of the rights to Life Magazine (now defunct), and Google have partnered to make images from Life magazine available for purchase. There are many pictures of people wearing hats in the collection which is being added to over time (no pun intended).

I know a cross dresser who swears by swim caps; he uses them under wigs and attaches duct tape for a face lift – yes really. Another use of a swim cap is to portray bald headed guys at Halloween. Perhaps you want to be Dr. Evil from Austin Powers?

Here is the prediction, included in an advertisement for Greys, the big cigarette with the choice flavour. Yes it was a different time!

The caption read: One of the London City Baths, A.D. 2500

We have 500 years yet. It seems that we will be back to wearing swim caps as a style statement and looking like Cleopatra. As I say swim cap Egyptian style. Oh yes people will be smoking again in a healthy environment. It is interesting since I had originally believed that the 1920s Egyptian Revival that was part of the Art Deco period started after Howard Carter’s discovery of the Tutankhamen tomb in 1922/3 (after this advertisement was published).

I personally cannot wait for this but sadly none of us will be around to prove the prediction one way or another. Who knows what will happen? Five hundred years ago was the Tudor period (Elizabeth I and Henry VIII – a completely different period to be sure. I wonder what their prediction would have been of the world in the year 2000? The question is that with our weapons of mass destruction will the world be able to survive to 2500 A.D.?

©2012 Many Hatty Returns. All Rights Reserved.