Leisure Activities in Leisure Activities in America: 19America: 19thth Century Century

By Sylvia MarohnBy Sylvia Marohn

Everyone Went HuntingEveryone Went Hunting

(fox hunting in Charlottesville, Virginia, circa 1870)

Hunting was practiced by the upper class and farmers

-farmers hunted a lot for food and sometimes for sport

-the upper class hunted mainly for sport

WHAT THEY HUNTED

Fox

Pheasant

Grouse

Americans occasionally hunted exotic animals like Puma

Quality Printing After the Civil Quality Printing After the Civil War Influenced Leisure War Influenced Leisure

ActivitiesActivities Advances in advertising led to Advances in advertising led to

“trade card” publications “trade card” publications (equating to modern day calling (equating to modern day calling cards or business cards)cards or business cards)

Nicer books with better picturesNicer books with better pictures Advertisement of Opera, Advertisement of Opera,

Theatre, and Minstrel ShowsTheatre, and Minstrel Shows

Gardening Wasn’t Just for Food Gardening Wasn’t Just for Food AnymoreAnymore

Consider the famous Victorian Flower Consider the famous Victorian Flower GardensGardens

In the Late Part of the 19In the Late Part of the 19thth Century Edison’s Phonograph Century Edison’s Phonograph

Opened Up a Whole New World Opened Up a Whole New World for Americafor America

Thomas Alva Edison, 1877

Leisure Time Activities Leisure Time Activities

BicyclingBicycling FishingFishing WalkingWalking CanoeingCanoeing SwimmingSwimming SkatingSkating BobsleddingBobsledding

(From the 1800’s)

WomenWomen

Took part in few sports but most leisure Took part in few sports but most leisure activities took place around the homeactivities took place around the home

visitingvisiting Sewing bee’sSewing bee’s CorrespondenceCorrespondence Singing and playing musical Singing and playing musical

instrumentsinstruments• (Nice girls didn’t sweat)(Nice girls didn’t sweat)

DancingDancing

Lower classes had country dancesLower classes had country dances The waltz in high society dances led The waltz in high society dances led

to criticism that dancing perpetuated to criticism that dancing perpetuated ‘licentious’ behavior‘licentious’ behavior

The Polka came from Germany to the The Polka came from Germany to the US around 1844. It was wildly US around 1844. It was wildly popular.popular.

By the End of the 19By the End of the 19thth CenturyCentury

High Society Balls shifted emphasis High Society Balls shifted emphasis from dancing to German influenced from dancing to German influenced parlor games called “Cotillion parlor games called “Cotillion Games.”Games.”

They featured expensive prizesThey featured expensive prizes

The Next Wave of Popular The Next Wave of Popular DanceDance

Occurred in the end of the 19Occurred in the end of the 19thth CenturyCentury

Came from the lower classesCame from the lower classes Introduction of RagtimeIntroduction of Ragtime

Scott Joplin

Popular SportsPopular Sports

BoxingBoxing CricketCricket BaseballBaseball SkatingSkating GolfGolf

One of the earliest “moving pictures” of American boxing (circa 1880): Gloves have been worn by boxers only since 1892.

CricketCricket America’s first bat and ball sportAmerica’s first bat and ball sport Sometimes animals would stop the Sometimes animals would stop the

play of the game (like when pigs play of the game (like when pigs would run across the “field”)would run across the “field”)

Baseball overtook cricket by popular Baseball overtook cricket by popular demanddemand

BaseballBaseball Popularity of the sport inspired semi Popularity of the sport inspired semi

and fully professional baseball clubs and fully professional baseball clubs in the 1860’sin the 1860’s

By the 1870’s newspapers referred By the 1870’s newspapers referred to baseball as the “National Pastime”to baseball as the “National Pastime”

SkatingSkating

In the middle part of the 19In the middle part of the 19thth century, century, E.V. Bushnell of Philadelphia, PA E.V. Bushnell of Philadelphia, PA invented a lighter, sharper all steel invented a lighter, sharper all steel blade to add speed to what was once blade to add speed to what was once a leisurely activity. a leisurely activity.

Jackson Hines, a famous American Jackson Hines, a famous American skater invented a two plate all metal skater invented a two plate all metal blade in 1865, and in the 1870’s he blade in 1865, and in the 1870’s he added the first ‘toe-pick’ to skates.added the first ‘toe-pick’ to skates.

GolfGolf

St. Andrews was one of the oldest St. Andrews was one of the oldest golf clubs in America. It was golf clubs in America. It was established in Yonkers, New York in established in Yonkers, New York in 1888.1888.

Golf was for the elite.Golf was for the elite.

Card PlayingCard Playing Card playing was very popularCard playing was very popular The “Joker” was an American The “Joker” was an American

inventioninvention Decks of cards printed before the Decks of cards printed before the

Civil War contained religious Civil War contained religious symbols.symbols.

A Civil War Card Game.

Images CitedImages Citedhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.charlottesville-area-real-estate.com/Geo%2520Washington.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.charlottesville-area-real-estate.com/Fox_Hunting.html&h=580&w=463&sz=47&hl=en&start=16&tbnid=8vV6bF8cE1DF1M:&tbnh=134&tbnw=107&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhunting%2Bfor%2Bfox%2Bin%2Bamerica%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

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http://www.theflowerexpert.com/media/images/miscellaneous/flowersandhistory/victorian-flowers.jpg

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lyricsvault.net/history/edisonhome.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lyricsvault.net/history/EdisonCylinderPhonograph.html&h=200&w=198&sz=6&hl=en&start=5&tbnid=tiRx103tm7YQqM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=103&prev=/images%3Fq%3DEdison%2527s%2BPhonograph%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

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http://www.thevillager.com/villager_187/box.gif

http://home.columbus.rr.com/doclawson/vbb/londonbb.JPG

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2173/2443469651_dbd623fd50.jpg

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http://www.old-picture.com/civil-war/pictures/Card-Game.jpg

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Information Obtained from:Information Obtained from:http://www.lancasterhistory.org/collections/exhibitions/Baseball/baseball1.htm

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