Posts by Fraser
10 December: Christmas in hospital
December 10, 2011
This photograph was taken on Christmas Day 1917 in a hospital ward in Nottingham. Although spending Christmas in hospital is never going to be fun, this black and white snap shows that hospital staff tried to make the day as cheery as possible. Christmas is usually a time for celebration but some people – as …
9 December: Christmas cards
December 9, 2011
This Christmas card from 1909 shows a traditional Christmas scene with a snow-covered roof and the bare branches of winter trees. True to the associations of the season, the use of a window on the card gives the idea of it being cold outside but toasty warm within. The card also illustrates indulgence with a …
8 December: A Christmas Croak
December 8, 2011
This is the opening to ‘A Christmas Croak’ which was first published in 1861 and is an alternative version of Christmas favourite God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. Robert Brough’s miscellany A cracker bon-bon for Christmas parties: consisting of Christmas pieces for private representation and other seasonable matter, in prose and verse, in which the song …
7 December: Dig for Victory – Grow for Winter as well as Summer
December 7, 2011
This Dig for Victory poster is from the University’s Collection of British World War II propaganda posters and was originally intended to encourage Britons to grow their own vegetables over the winter months – in addition to spring and summer. This was part of a necessary drive for increased self sufficiency and sustainability in the face of …
5 December: Snow Posset
December 5, 2011
While it sounds like a Christmassy drink that wouldn’t look out of place alongside mulled wine or eggnog, a snow posset was originally concocted in the hope of alleviating minor ailments. Written in 1743 by Henrietta Harley, Countess of Oxford, the recipe for snow …
4 December: Charity at Christmas
December 4, 2011
The Derby ‘Robin’ Christmas Dinner Society’s 10th annual charity event took place on 27 December 1907 – and this is a copy of the balance sheet and a report from the society’s Secretary TC Hill. The purpose of the dinner was ‘to provide a substantial meal of Old English Fare for the poorest and most …
3 December: A Winter’s Tale
December 3, 2011
This copy of DH Lawrence’s ‘A Winter’s Tale’ is from a notebook belonging to the famous writer while at University College Nottingham. Lawrence was at the College between 1906 and 1908, and the notebook was originally used for his Latin studies before he decided to use the space to draft his wintry poem. We recruited …
2 December: Robin red-breast
December 2, 2011
This beautiful illustration of a robin features in one of about 650 ornithological books that form part of the University’s Porter Collection. Out of all the birds in the extensive collection, the robin is by far the most heavily associated with the festive period – but why is that? And why exactly do we put …
1 December: Glee for Three Voices
December 1, 2011
This piece is taken from the University’s collection of early music and is the opening section of an 18th century musical interpretation by John Percy of winter from William Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour Lost (printed London, c.1795). Below is a video of a special performance for your viewing and listening pleasure by five of The University …
Countdown to Christmas
November 29, 2011
From 1 December through to Christmas Day, our e-Advent calendar will be showcasing festive and wintry items from the University’s Manuscripts and Special Collections department. And with the help of our daily blog, we’ll be bringing the pieces to life with videos, podcasts, interactive presentations, digitised books and photographs. Staff and students can get involved …
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