A commode is an occasional table supported by a cupboard, sometimes also with drawers. They were very popular in the 18th century. The term is also applied to a bedside cupboard. Research Commode
A rent table was an 18th century English drum table with six drawers used by landlords for storing rent money and papers pertaining to their estate. Research Rent Table
A tallboy is a double chest of drawers, placed one above the other, the upper chest usually being narrower and recessed. Tallboys were popular during the reign of Queen Anne. Research Tallboy
A valet is a domestic servant performing a general role as a man's personal attendant and also superintending the other servants, a lady employing a waiting-maid in a similar role. Within the hierarchy of domestic servants, the valet was almost at the top, receiving orders only directly from his master, dressing him, accompanying him on his journeys, being a confidant and generally 'right-hand man'. In her book 'Household Management', published in 1861, Mrs Beeton describes the duties of a valet as follows:
His day commences by seeing that his master's dressing-room is in order; that the housemaid has swept and dusted it properly; that the fire is lighted and burns cheerfully; and some time before his master is expected, he will do well to throw up the sash [open the window] to admit fresh air, closing it, however, in time to recover the temperature which he knows his master prefers. It is now his duty to place the body-linen on the horse before the fire, to be aired properly; to lay the trousers intended to be worn, carefully brushed and cleaned, on the back of his master's chair; while the coat and waistcoat, carefully brushed and folded, and the collar cleaned, are laid in their place ready to be put on when required. All the articles of the toilet should be in their places, the razors properly set and stropped, and hot water ready for use.
Gentlemen generally prefer performing the operation of shaving themselves, but a valet should be prepared to do it if required; and he should be a good hairdresser. Shaving over, he has to brush the hair, beard and moustache, where that appendage is encouraged, arranging the whole simply and gracefully, according to the age and style of the countenance. Every fortnight, or three weeks at the utmost, the hair should be cut, and the points of the whiskers trimmed as often as required. A good valet will now present the various articles of the toilet as they are wanted; afterwards, the body-linen. Neck-tie, which he will put on, if required, and, afterwards, waist-coat, coat, and boots, in suitable order, and carefully brushed and polished.
Having thus seen his master dressed, if he is about to go out, the valet will hand him his gloves, and hat, the latter well brushed on the outside with a soft brush, and wiped inside with a clean handkerchief, respectfully attend him to the door, and open it for him, and receive his last orders for the day.
He now proceeds to put everything in order in the dressing-room, cleans the combs and brushes, and brushes and folds up any clothes that may be left about the room, and puts them away in drawers.
Mrs Beeton goes on to describe how some gentlemen are indifferent to their clothes and appearance, and how it is the duty of the valet to select suitable clothes for his master and to check and ensure all clothes are clean, paying particular attention to collars which often become greasy and dirty. In addition, the valet liases with the tailor, perfumer and linen-draper.
The valet also dresses his master for dinner and any other occasion, and is awaiting his master's return to the house, ensuring that the master's drawing-room is properly ready with fire lit and candles prepared. Research Valet
Infertility is the inability of a couple to produce children. The causes of infertility are numerous, and many strange suggestions have over the years been made as to how best to deal with the matter. In 1664 Samuel Pepys records in his diary the ten points of advice given to him by women in response to his questioning on how he and his wife could achieve children:
1) Do not hug the wife too hard or too much. 2) Do not eat a late supper. 3) Drink sage juice. 4) Be attentive to and praise his wife. 5) Wear cool holland-drawers (loose fitting underpants) 6) Keep the stomach warm and the back cool. 7) Make love when you feel like it. 8) The wife not to 'go too straight-laced', though whether this applied to not wearing tight corsets, or being more liberal and less prudish in love making and relationships with other men is unclear (adultery was very much a way of life in 17th century London). 9) The man to drink mum (a kind of beer) mixed with sugar. 10) To sleep with the feet raised and head lowered.
Since Samuel Pepys received such frank advice science has discovered that hot, tight clothing constricting the testicles does reduce the potency of the semen. Research Infertility
The Addressograph was an early 20th century addressing machine by which printed matter, not necessarily limited to addresses, could be put on paper by the use of embossed metal printing plates. Different matter was printed at each stroke of the machine at speeds varying from 500 to 7,000 items each hour, according to the particular type of machine used.
The printing plates were in one piece on which the type was embossed, or were made up of three parts, consisting of the embossed metal plate, a card printed from the plate, and a metal frame into which both the plate and card were inserted, the card being in the upper portion. The printing plates were filed into steel filing drawers and formed a complete card index.
The addressograph was provided with a magazine which was loaded directly from a drawer, which was then placed in position under the machine. At each stroke of the machine a plate was fed from the magazine, inked by means of pads, and then advanced into the printing position. After printing, the plate was returned automatically to the drawer in its original order. Means were provided for taking two or more impressions from the plate before allowing it to leave the printing point, and of skipping those plates not required. Also, if required a portion of a plate only could be printed. Automatic selecting means were provided which enabled which enabled the machine to print only those plates required, omitting all the others. The impression could be obtained through a typewriterribbon when it was required to match a typewritten letter for example.
The material to be printed on was usually fed into the addressograph by hand, but some types of addressograph machines were provided with the means for automatically feeding the material to the printing position and stacking it after printing. The magazines of these machines could be loaded and the plates that had been printed removed without stopping the machine. Machines were also arranged to print onto paper from a roll which was then automatically cut to the required size. Means were also provided for printing matter such as the title of a newspaper or magazine in addition to the address on newspaper wrappers. Research Addressograph
Drawers are a girl's or woman's undergarment, originally long legged knickers with an integral bodice, from the 19th century the bodices started to reduce. The hems were often decorative as they would show below the hem of the dress worn above them. Research Drawers
Hosiery is a general term for all kinds of knitted articles, including drawers, petticoats, night-dresses, etc, and fancy articles such as head-dresses, hoods, shawls, neckerchiefs, watch-guards, cravats, etc. The materials traditionally used for the purpose were cotton, linen, and wool, the last of which was sometimes mixed with cotton or silk. Silk was also frequently used alone. Now man made fabrics and cotton are typically used. Nearly all articles of hosiery, except some fancy articles, have been made by a knitting-frame of some kind or other since about 1900. Research Hosiery
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Commode
