Matrimonials had a bad reputation.  All the critics thought it was only gold-diggers and scalawags, or people who were totally desperate, who would ever use such a crass and horrible means of trying to find a spouse.  Now I argue, quite convincingly (if I do say so myself), that in re…

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Why do all these men only want to marry orphans?  Okay, one other guy.  But I feel like I've seen this elsewhere.  Anyway, one man or twenty men, it's weird and I want to know why.

An American gentleman, thirty years of age, wishes to form the acquaintance of… Read full post »

I find this ad both charming and a little weird.  There's something a little...romantic and even heroic, I guess...about what this man is trying to do, but I have to wonder what lady would take him up on this offer.  See for yourself:

Matrimonial. - A young unmarried cavalry… Read full post »

These are two funny missed connections that were from the same day.  They both seem just a little out of the ordinary, in that in both cases there is a decided brush-off involved.  See for yourselves:

Will the lady that the car stopped for in Greenwich avenue on Tuesday last,… Read full post »

 Well, hello there!  I haven't written in quite some time!  Can't believe how time flies.  Well, despite the fact that I am teaching today and still haven't finished my lecture (please don't tell my students), I feel so bad about being so remiss that I'm putting up an entry anyway…

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Friends, I only wish I had this option today.  Clearly I would no longer be single if I had someone like Madame Morrow to consult.  Look at what she promises!  This is for reals, guys.

Astonishing to all. - Madam Morrow, the seventh daughter, has a natural gift to tell… Read full post »

These make me sad.  But the second one, at least, makes me fascinated.

D - Any night but Wednesday; write at once; come this week; for God's sake, pity.

D.M. - Last delivery made, but no mail for Pennsylvania.  Have you no mercy?  A dreadful calamity… Read full post »

My dissertation begins with the 1860s (actually 1850s a little) so I didn't spend much time doing research in the preceding decades.  A girl has to start somewhere, and for a variety of reasons that aren't very interesting, this is where I chose to begin.  So, every now and then, I…

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That was my first reaction when I saw these two ads sitting right next to each other. Ha ha ha haha hahahah!! What's so funny, perhaps you ask? See for yourself:

A cultivated gentleman of 40, said to be of agreeable address, desires the acquaintance of an amiable little… Read full post »

A scroll of the mouse wheel landed on a day with several correspondences and missed connections that I found interesting so I'm posting them all today.  Two of them don't have to do with love at all (or at least not romantic love, I assume), but sometimes the other personals can…

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A friend saw this and I thought it was too cool not to point out.  Tomorrow is the 200th anniversary of New York City's famous grid plan!  Perhaps no other document in NYC history has had such an effect on the city's growth and population.

And it does connect to…

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The paper I gave at the conference this week was specifically about a particular type of advertisement from the turn of the twentieth century, so it seems appropriate that I should write a blog post about them too – especially as it’s been awhile since I’ve written about any of these…

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Did you know that this it is the sesquicentennial anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War?  And can you pronounce "sesquicentennial"?  Say that ten times fast.  Yes, folks, it's been 150 years since the war began and it's just as fascinating a topic as ever, and it gives me an…

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I'm currently on my way to Houston, TX for the OAH Annual Meeting  (literally on my way, like, I just paid $10 for in-flight internet access.  Just closing my eyes to the amount of money I'm spending today), and downloading a tv show to watch from iTunes is taking waaay longer…

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I went to something of a ball last night at The Salon, where there were lots of beautiful people dressed to the nines and dancing the night away - so it seemed fully appropriate to put up some missed connection ads from people who were in my shoes over 100 years…

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Perfect for a rainy day in Brooklyn today.  Seriously, these are sooo depressing.  They're almost enough to make you think, you know, there are worse things than being single.  Like being in a completely doomed and wretched relationship!

D.M. - I admit error, for which I am sufferin… Read full post »

Hey, look, it's been a week and a half since I've posted!  How did that happen?  Man time flies.

Anyway, ran across these two ads in a newspaper I don't use much, under the "To It May Concern" heading.  First time I've ever seen matrimonials in anything other than their…

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I can't help it; I like the depressing ones best. Does that make me a bad person? It's not that they're so funny, exactly; I mean, they are sort of, but they are definitely more interesting. (Plus, they are way easier to find.)  So here are a few, all…

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Here's the link as promised for the interview that aired today on WHYY in Philadelphia. Looks good to me!

©2011 Pam Epstein

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Well, I have no op-ed in the New York Times today, but I will be airing on the radio station WHYY in Philadelphia at some point during the day.  I actually forgot to ask what time!  But there will be a link on their website and once I have it I'll…

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I was searching for some good ads to write about tomorrow, and while online ran across these.  Wow, do I ever wish I'd found this pair when I was working on my dissertation (book? Maybe? One day?).  What an awesome find!!!

Jack - Darling, my life is yours. … Read full post »

Not by a man.  Even better: with a press release!  Check it out at the Council on Contemporary Families.

©2010 Pam Epstein

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I realized it's been some time since I've posted...well, anything really...but in particular, I've neglected those 'round the town pick-ups that are so amusing and funny. So here are a few, which run the gamut from sorta charming to a just a bit frightening...

Will the young lady who… Read full post »

I spun my mouse wheel and double-clicked on the first ad I saw and this was what I found. Not such bad luck for spin-the-bottle (as it were).  I can't read all of it because the left side's been cut off, but I can make some good educated guesses:

…

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Anyway, that's what the weather is right now in New York, so appropriate enough for the random ads I've got today.

Well the last two weeks have been mad busy...I didn't even realize how long it's been since I'd last posted.  Hopefully things'll calm down and (as I've been saying for…

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