Free Printable Vintage Illustration for Mixed-Media Collage, Journaling, Papercrafts or Wall Art: A Stitch in Time Saves Nine, 1866

If you choose to not deal with an issue,
then you give up your right of control over the issue
and it will select the path of least resistance.
― Susan Del Gatto

The sooner a problem is recognized and acted upon
– the less damage there is.
― Mozammel Khan

Antique engraving from an 1866 issue of Peterson's Magazine. This vintage illustration shows a Victorian mother tenderly coaching her daughter in repairing a torn skirt.The original caption that appeared with the picture was "A Stitch in Time Saves Nine."

Free to download for use in mixed-media collage, journaling, and various papercrafts projects or simply print and frame as wall art. You can find the high-res 6" x 8" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


For personal use only. Not for resale. All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please cite RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Pattern for Needlecrafts, Scrapbooking or Wall Art: French Floral Design for Embroidery 2 (1904)

A French embroidery pattern from 1904 showing a Louis XV - XVI inspired design with leaves and ribbons for the bottom part of a screen. The pattern keys are outlined below the design. From my personal collection of antique La Mode Illustrée magazines.

Download and use for a needlework project but you can also incorporate this pattern into mixed media artwork, to embellish a scrapbook page or simply print and frame for wall art. You can find the free high-res 8" x 8" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


For personal use only. Not for resale. All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please cite RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Food History: 19th Century American Recipes for Spanish Buns, Sponge Cake and Seed Cake (from 1866)

Three 19th century American dessert recipes for Spanish buns, sponge cake and seed cake, all from an 1866 issue of Peterson's Magazine. The Spanish buns sound quite boozy, with generous portions of wine and brandy, and flavoured with rose-water and currants. You can download the free, high-res 8” x 8” @ 300 ppi recipe card here. Can be used as a gift tag, dinner invitation, place card or in junk journal and scrapbooking projects.


All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Vintage Illustration for Mixed-Media Collage, Journaling, Papercrafts or Wall Art: The First Step, 1866

If you are loath to take the first step, you will never get anywhere.
― Tomáš Gavlas, Karlaz: The Way of Freedom

To move forward, one must take the first step.
― Chase S.M. Neill
A black and white engraving from an 1866 issue of Peterson's Magazine. This antique illustration shows a Victorian toddler taking his first step, arms outstretched towards his mother, with a little push from his grandmother (or nurse?).The original caption that appeared with the picture was "The First Step."

Free to download for use in mixed-media collage, journaling, and various papercrafts projects or simply print and frame as wall art. You can find the high-res 10" x 8" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Food History: 19th Century American Holiday Recipe for Pommes au Riz (from 1866)

A 19th century American cookery recipe for Pommes au Riz from an 1866 issue of Peterson's Magazine. This looks like a delicious apple-flavoured rice pudding, a pleasantly light dessert or snack after heavier holiday fare. You can download the free, high-res 8” x 6” @ 300 ppi recipe card here. Can be used as a gift tag, dinner invitation, place card or in junk journal and scrapbooking projects.


All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Food History: 19th Century American Holiday Recipe for An Excellent Family Plum Pudding (from 1866)

A 19th century American holiday recipe for "an excellent family plum pudding" from an 1866 issue of Peterson's Magazine. Seems to be a deliciously rich dessert, a perfect ending to a any holiday celebration. You can download the free, high-res 8” x 6” @ 300 ppi recipe card here. Can be used as a gift tag, dinner invitation, place card or in junk journal and scrapbooking projects.


All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Food History: 19th Century American Holiday Recipe for Mince-meat (from 1866)

A 19th century American holiday recipe for mince-meat from an 1866 issue of Peterson's Magazine. Seems to be a favourite dish among many housewives at that time, with a good mixture of meat such as boiled ox-tongue, lots of sweet fruit and plenty of alcohol! You can download the free, high-res 8” x 6” @ 300 ppi recipe card here. Can be used as a gift tag, dinner invitation, place card or in junk journal and scrapbooking projects.


All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Vintage Illustration for Mixed-Media Collage, Journaling, Papercrafts or Wall Art: Victorian Children Playing Blind Man's Buff, 1875

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
― Mahatma Gandhi
A black and white engraving from an 1875 issue of Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine in my personal collection. This antique illustration shows a group of five Victorian children playing Blind Man's Buff.

Blind man's buff or blind man's bluff is a variant of tag in which the player who is "It" is blindfolded. The traditional name of the game is "blind man's buff," where the word buff is used in its older sense of a small push. A version of the game was played in ancient Greece where it was called "copper mosquito." The game was played in the Tudor period, as there are references to its recreation by Henry VIII's courtiers. It was also a popular parlor game in the Victorian era. The poet Robert Herrick mentions it, along with sundry related pastimes, in his 1624 poem "A New Yeares Gift Sent to Sir Simeon Steward":
That tells of Winters Tales and Mirth,
That Milk-Maids make about the hearth,
Of Christmas sports, the Wassell-boule,
That tost up, after Fox-i' th' hole:
Of Blind-man-buffe, and of the care
That young men have to shooe the Mare
Source: Wikimedia
The illustration is free to download for use in mixed-media collage, journaling, and various papercrafts projects or simply print and frame as wall art. You can find the high-res 11" x 8.5" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Vintage Illustration for Mixed-Media Collage, Journaling, Papercrafts or Wall Art: The Message, 1893

Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.
― Fyodor Dostoevsky
A black and white engraving from the November 19, 1893 issue of La Famille. This antique illustration shows a Victorian lady starting to write a message in a frosted-over window with her right index finger. The original caption for the image simply says: "The..."

Free to download for use in mixed-media collage, journaling, and various papercrafts projects or simply print and frame as wall art. You can find the high-res 8" x 11" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


All digitized work by Victorian Prints is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to VictorianPrints.ca as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Vintage Illustration for Altered Art, Graphic Design, Papercrafts or Scrapbooking: The Knitter, 1893

It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.
― Dale Carnegie
A black and white engraving from the cover of the November 19, 1893 issue of La Famille. This antique illustration shows a lady sitting by a sunny window, cooled by a refreshing breeze as she knits away in serene contentment.

Download and use in various altered art, graphic design, papercrafts, scrapbooking or wall art projects. You can find the free high-res 8.5" x 11" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


All digitized work by Victorian Prints is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to VictorianPrints.ca as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Pattern for Needlecrafts, Mixed Media Art or Scrapbooking: French Floral Design for Embroidery 1 (1886)

A French embroidery pattern from 1886 showing a floral design for a decorative border, either for a tablecloth, napkins or cushions. The pattern keys are outlined below the design. From my personal collection of antique La Mode Illustrée magazines.

Download and use for a needlework project but you can also incorporate this pattern into mixed media artwork or to embellish a scrapbook page. You can find the free high-res 11" x 5.25" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Victorian Childhood Games: Cat's Cradle

This illustration and the accompanying description of a popular Victorian childhood game of Cat's Cradle was taken from an 1875 issue of Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine.

I know this doesn't really have any relevance to the game but a phrase in the article (which I highlighted above) jumped out at me as I was reading it: "Shades of Verstegan - living soul of Richard Grant White, come to our rescue!" I find the sentence rather intriguing - I don't think I've ever read or heard anyone use that phrase before. Isn't it marvelously Victorian? I'm still hazy as to what it actually means! If anyone could shed some light on that turn of phrase? I would be delighted if you do.

Quick links to characters named:
[1] Verstegan
[2] Richard Grant White

For those who have not actually played Cat's Cradle before and would be interested in the steps, here is an easy-to-follow Youtube video from MomsMinivan:




All digitized work by Victorian Trends.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Free for personal use only. Please link back to VictorianTrends.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Food History: Victorian Recipe for Anise Cake from Young Ladies' Journal, February 1, 1898

A Victorian recipe for anise cake (although it sounds almost like a biscuit/cookie recipe) from the February 1, 1898 issue of The Young Ladies' Journal. No indication of how hot the oven should be so some experimentation required! You can download the free, high-res 4” x 4” @ 300 ppi recipe card here.


All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Free for personal use only. Please link back to The Real Victorian as your source when sharing or publishing.