Free Republic

This fascinating series of vintage photographs shows how New Yorkers were preparing for Christmas over a hundred years ago. The pictures - taken between 1900 and 1916 - feature everyday scenes of people in The Big Apple during the festive season. They document Manhattan streets thronged with shoppers, as well as images of street hawkers selling their seasonal wares. Other highlights include children eagerly window shopping and crowds gathered around an outdoor Christmas tree in Madison Square Park.

When I saw news articles come out that the BBC was going to produce a new version of "War of the Worlds" that takes place during the Edwardian period I was quite excited. To get technical, HG Wells' book was published as a serial in 1898 when Queen Victoria was still alive. As a cherry on top the gorgeous Eleanor Tomlinson was cast as the main female lead. I was so excited to see Miss Tomlinson in Edwardian finery. Well I caught the mini-series via someone a pirated copy on YouTube and what a bitter disappointment it was. The story...

Maybe some of my Freeper acquaintances have noticed I have decided to just post items regarding period dramas from the Regency to Edwardian periods. To be totally honest, my psychological back broke weeks ago as I just have enough with the world we live in. My attitude is Let it Burn. So instead of joining a monastery, I decided to just focus on things that bring me joy. One aspect of that is I finally am taking advantage of my Amazon Prime status and am catching up on all the wonderful content available. Being interested in period dramas I have...

New York City has gone through a lot of changes - and now people are getting a the chance to see what the Big Apple looked like more than 100 years ago. The Museum of Modern Art released surprisingly clear footage of what life was like in New York in 1911. The video, a part of the museum's June 2017 collection, was filmed by a team of cameramen with the Swedish company Svenska Biografteatern. The cameramen were sent around the world to take photos and videos of well-known places.

She is best known for her role as Peggy Carter in the Captain America movies - as well as the hit television follow-up. But Hayley Atwell has now taken on another period role, filming scenes for the glamorous BBC adaptation of E.M. Forster's 1910 novel Howards End. The 34-year-old covered up in a checked red shirt and black button-up maxi skirt as she was spotted in costume for the first time in her role as Margaret.

If you're looking for a gripping new TV series with a superstar cast and a hefty dose of drama, an upcoming BBC 2 show could be just the ticket. TV aficionados are going wild on Twitter for the upcoming TV adaptation of E.M. Forster's 1910 novel, Howards End. The dark TV drama explores the changing landscape of social and class divisions in turn of the century England through the tales of three families: the intellectual and idealistic Schlegels, the wealthy Wilcoxes from the world of business, and the working class Basts.

A stunning Edwardian wedding dress is about to be auctioned after being kept in pristine condition by the bride's family for more than a century. But while it may have survived being bombed twice by the Luftwaffe and 104 years in storage unscathed, it appears the changing shape of modern women could mean the magnificent wedding dress is never again worn down the aisle. The delicate Brussels lace was worn by petite Ethel Dalziel when she married Ronald Cooper in Glasgow, and is smaller than today's UK size 4.

They are images of a nation in motion - of a country building its future with expanding railroads and industrial opportunities. These glorious black-and-white photographs, which have been released by the Library of Congress, reveal America reveling in its new-found productivity, at a time when steam engines and steamboats were forging the nation ahead. The images, taken between 1870 and 1920, capture the determination with which America tackled the new century - and how the country also began enjoying the fruits of the 19th century's industrial labour, in what was termed the Gilded Age.

Street blogging may be considered to be a modern phenomenon, but a series of images unearthed by Kensington and Chelsea Libraries prove that the practice may date as far back as the early 1900’s. The Library service has published several wonderful images by the late amateur photographer Edward Linley Sambourne, who was also the chief cartoonist for Punch, which give an amazing insight into the street style of the woman of London and Paris over a century ago. Sambourne’s beautiful street photography captures the casual side of Edwardian fashion in a manner which is rarely seen.

Angry, bewildered and shame-faced these Edwardian drunks stare into the lens of the police camera. They were 'habitual drunkards' whose offences included being caught while in charge of a horse, carriage and even a steam engine. Issued a century ago, the drunks were given the equivalent of modern-day Asbos in that they were banned from being served in pubs because of their past behaviour. Information was compiled by the Watch Committee of the City of Birmingham, which was set up by the police to enforce the Licensing Act of 1902. The act was passed in an attempt to deal with...

Paddling in the sea while smoking a pipe, dressed in a waistcoat, stiffly starched shirt and perky straw boater; out on a fishing trip with the family and gathering for an outdoor amateur production of Twelfth Night in an age before large screen TVs and games consoles. These beautiful pictures provide an intimate spyglass into the life and leisure time of an Edwardian family - and a valuable glimpse of a bygone era.

A historian has discovered film footage of Edwardian London that includes fascinating snapshots of people going about their everyday lives. The film was shot in 1904 as a 'travelogue' for Australians curious about life in what was "one of the most exciting cities anywhere", according to Professor Ian Christie. He discovered the 12 minute reel while trawling through archives in Canberra. Prof Christie said: "It's a rather clever mixture of what we would expect to see - such as the Embankment, Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square - but it also has these wonderful close ups of individuals.