A little bit ago we went to the citadel as they were having an event honoring the 17th century. It was super neat, they had booths about the vegetables and herbs used during that time, they had a fashion show which I unfortunately couldn't get good pictures of, a display of sword fighting, a concert of a piano and cello duo, and toys of the 17th century which I didn't get any pictures of.
In the 17th century a lawyer named Jean-Baptiste de la Quintinie decided to leave the bar for the grand career of gardening. He was in charge of Louis XIVs garden and basically introduced out-of-season gardening and the precursor to greenhouses in France. So it was the 17th century when some more variety was seen on the plates of the Frenchmen year-round. The most common produce were peas, followed by potatoes, lettuce, strawberries, and asparagus. Due to his system, melons, figs, and oranges became easier to grow and therefore more abundant as well. The use of herbs and pepper was abundant, and tobacco was used for many ailments.
Fashion in the 17th century was characterized by rapid change. The more military-esque style got replaced with a more decorative flair after the 30 Years' War, but then quickly sobered back down again. Ruffs were replaced with lace or linen and the broad, high-waisted silhouette was replaced with a long, lean look. For men, this eventually evolved into the coat, waistcoat, and breeches combo that would reign for the next century and a half. It was also at this time that, after a respite of 2 centuries, wigs became in vogue again.
Toys were mostly for the rich in the 17th century. Many games were large and took up space that most people did not have room for. A lot of these games were "knock 'em down" type games where you try to get your ball through certain conditions to be able to knock down certain objects. It could range from something as simple as ninepins to a multiple chambered contraption with obstacles along the way. A notable game that you still see played today became popular at this time, good ol' "ball in a cup" where you have a ball attached to a cup by a long string and you try to flip the ball into the cup.
So that is my short entry as I gather my pictures together of other events we went to. I take a lot of pictures via my iphone and then email them to myself so I can download them onto my laptop, but I can only email 5 pictures at a time and they get "lost" along the way a lot for some reason. I'll have to send the same email 3 or 4 times before I receive it. So if anyone knows what the deal with that is, please tell me because I have a lot of pictures and it takes forever to get them all sent!
Fashion in the 17th century was characterized by rapid change. The more military-esque style got replaced with a more decorative flair after the 30 Years' War, but then quickly sobered back down again. Ruffs were replaced with lace or linen and the broad, high-waisted silhouette was replaced with a long, lean look. For men, this eventually evolved into the coat, waistcoat, and breeches combo that would reign for the next century and a half. It was also at this time that, after a respite of 2 centuries, wigs became in vogue again.
Toys were mostly for the rich in the 17th century. Many games were large and took up space that most people did not have room for. A lot of these games were "knock 'em down" type games where you try to get your ball through certain conditions to be able to knock down certain objects. It could range from something as simple as ninepins to a multiple chambered contraption with obstacles along the way. A notable game that you still see played today became popular at this time, good ol' "ball in a cup" where you have a ball attached to a cup by a long string and you try to flip the ball into the cup.
So that is my short entry as I gather my pictures together of other events we went to. I take a lot of pictures via my iphone and then email them to myself so I can download them onto my laptop, but I can only email 5 pictures at a time and they get "lost" along the way a lot for some reason. I'll have to send the same email 3 or 4 times before I receive it. So if anyone knows what the deal with that is, please tell me because I have a lot of pictures and it takes forever to get them all sent!