They are gonna party like it’s 1899!
The sounds of the 19th century will sing out at the Old Stone House in Park Slope on April 24, with sea shanties, opera, and the tinny sound of an old wax cylinder. The music is part of the 19th Century Extravaganza festival and picnic. And not all of the Victorian-era tunes are as refined as people think, says one performer.
“We do a song called ‘New York Girls’ — a guy comes into port and goes to Bleecker Street and basically gets roofied by a bunch of prostitutes, and in his opinion the worst thing about it is he can’t remember if he had a good time or not,” said Kellfire Bray, of the sea shanty group the Picadilly Weepers. “Most people think ‘Oh the 19th century, they’re all proper,’ but it wasn’t the clean-cut, stoic time the Victorians would like you to think it was.”
Bray says the time period is more relevant than many people think.
“It’s incredibly necessary to understand that it’s part of this continuum of history. Most people don’t give a s—, they’re too busy wrapped up in the present to really care about where they come from,” Bray said. “Events like this try to give people a glimpse of it.”
The day’s festival is hosted by the New York 19th Century Society. Other music performers during the fest include opera singer Nicole Olivia, and Natalia “Saw Lady” Paruz, playing the musical saw.
Visitors will also be able to hear the actual sounds of the 1800s, as captured on a wax cylinder player invented by Thomas Edison — a precursor to the high-tech phonograph players of today. Those cylinders — and a host of other Victorian artifacts, including a bustle dress, model steam engines, and wind-up toys — come from a Museum of Interesting Things exhibit that will set up inside the Stone House. The show’s curator said that one need not be a Victoria-phile to have a good time at the festival.
“We don’t make it so exclusive that only someone who likes the 19th century can come, you don’t need a costume or anything,” said Denny Daniel, who is also a member of the 19th Century Society’s board of directors. “It doesn’t have to be people who are just into antiques, or the Victorian era, or history buffs — it’s a fun festival and a cultural event.”The day will also feature a Victorian fashion show with the latest trends of the 1860s, an introductory open air drawing class, which was all the rage with the mid-century young and hip, and a demonstration of the self-defense fighting style Bartitsu, which uses canes, cloaks, and top hats — everyday garb for the well-bred Englishman of the period.
“Nineteenth Century Extravaganza” at the Old Stone House (336 Third St. between Fourth and Fifth avenues in Park Slope, www.nyncs.org/
