Victorian Tea

My mother and I went to a Victorian Tea. As soon as Mom told me about it weeks ago, I said I would love to go. As soon as we got to the Community Center where it was going to be held, there was a 1920's fancy white and brown car parked in front of the building. A man wearing old fashioned pants, a vest, a stop watch{I guess he dug deep for that!} and a black top hat was getting out of the car. The man was friendly when Mom and I walked past.

Mom and I entered the building and there was a mannequin dressed up in a gold dress, red fancy hat, gold scarf and white buttoned boots. She had a fur coat and pearls. She looked like she was in first class on the Titanic. There were red hats, blue hats, brown hats and a pink hat sitting on stands. A woman dressed in beige with a beige hat was taking our tickets. She reminded me of Jane Austen. There were Barbie Dolls dressed in 1800's and early 1900's clothes in colors of blue, brown, red, green with hats of the same color next to the Barbies. I felt like I was back in the past. Mom had on a black dress and hat to match. I had a white, blue print summer dress with a blue sweater on and a large white hat with a lavender bow and a long ribbon to match and ivory colored gloves that was my great grandmothers. Our elderly minister was the host of the ceremony and he was dressed in a pure white suit that looked like the early 1900's. I asked him if I could have this dance and he gave me a hug. Mom and I chose a table that had a Barbie wearing a lavender dress, hat and pearls and she looked like she was out of the early 1900's or 1800's. There was a lavender hat next to her. I found out later theses were called hat stands. To me, they were Barbies. There were hat napkin holders and the hats looked like 1800's and early 1900's. The other tables had Barbie dolls. I told Mom I felt like I was in Jane Austen's time. Mom isn't a Jane Austen fan and she has never read any of her books.

There was a table full of items to bid on. There was a sheet of paper and ink pen by each item. There was a Victorian Doll with black hair wearing a blue dress, big Teddy Bear, raccoon plate, brown comforter bed in a tote, three Barbies in colors of pink, gold and yellow with hats to match{hat stands again!}, a basket of lotions,big porcelain red rose Tea Set{I was going home with this!}, cherished teddys figurines, wooden seed box with a painted brown rabbit on it, some plants and I can't remember the other items. I bid on the Teddy Bear, doll, Barbie in a pink and white dress and Mom bidded on the Tea Set. I got out bidded on the doll and Barbie. Mom and I kept bidding on the Tea Set. The lady at my table wanted the Teddy Bear for her granddaughter and I quit bidding for him. Mom and I got the Tea Set. It looked like a tea set Jane would have drank tea out of. I was happy. Other women had bid on it as well but I got the last bid in.

A man walked in wearing a black iverness cape with red trim on it, pants of the 1800's, a top hat and had bright red hair. He carried a sliver head cane and I thought he looked like a magician or a vampire. He had my attention. Our minister introduced him as Jack The Ripper. Mom and I got to meet him later and got our picture taken with him. He was nice but somewhat shy. A woman from our church was dressed in beige wearing a hat to match said he is her husband. She said she is married to Jack The Ripper! We laughed. I never see him at church. Jack The Ripper. Never know who we will meet.

The dinner consisted of chicken salad and ham salad sandwiches, meatballs, grapes mixed with pudding, pasta bow tie salad, peas, onions and green beans mixed together, red velvet cake and cookies.

Not all women there had old fashioned dresses on. Almost every woman wore a hat. Some of the hats were old. The Red Hat Women's Society were there and they wore their red hats. A woman who was four foot nine wore a gold strapless formal and black hat. I talked to her. She was so cute and she reminded me of a doll that I wanted to take home and put in my Doll Room. They had an Auction and auctioned off some of the Barbies. Not the one at my table. Mom knew the lady who made them and asked if she would sell the lavender Barbie at our table to me. She told me no because the woman who made the Barbie dress was her friend who died of cancer. It was a keepsake from her. I understood. There was another Barbie wearing a purple outfit who remindedd me of Avon's Mrs. Albee. She asked if I wanted that one and asked if I would mind bidding for her. I told her yes and that I would love to bid for her. Guess what? I got the highest bid and paid for her and she is mine now. Mom said she could sew a lavender dress like the other one and we took pictures of the other Barbie in the lavender dress. For those of you reading this and don't know me, I collect Barbie dolls, tea pots and a few other things.

It was time to go home. I grabbed my treasures{including two hat napkin holders in the colors of purple and hot pink}, my tea set and Barbie as Mom helped me. A big lady wearing a white skirt, red vest , pink shawl and red hat was sitting in a red winged tip back chair lookled all crabby and she was yelling for her husband. She reminded me of a Queen. Off with her head! I felt like I had went back into the past for a day. Like I was Jane Austen. I will have pictures to scrapbook and be putting my treasures up in my Doll Room or other room that looks like a sitting room. I really enjoyed my day and my mother and the other ladies did to I am sure.