Flappers & Fiction

Frank Carpenter chronicles Jerusalem during the extraordinary Easter of 1889, when Christian, Jewish, and Muslim pilgrimages coincided in the Holy City. He guides readers through narrow stone streets packed with worshippers from across the globe, past vendors selling rosaries and candles, into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where pilgrims kiss the sacred stone. Through vivid portraits of Ethiopian priests, Russian peasants, and Bedouin merchants, Carpenter captures the remarkable convergence of faiths in this ancient crossroads of devotion.

Frank Carpenter explores Peking, the northern capital of the Chinese Empire, from which edicts govern nearly four hundred million people across territory equal to one-tenth of the earth’s surface. The city contains the Forbidden City with its yellow-tiled imperial palaces, where the young Emperor lives surrounded by three thousand eunuchs and Manchu nobility. Carpenter describes the elaborate court ceremonies, the massive city walls, and the contrast between the imperial grandeur and the decay of unpaved streets. The article concludes by noting that Western innovations like electric lights and railways may eventually transform this ancient empire.

There are really two distinct Japans, you see. One is the sacred silence of Kioto, where the Mikado was once hidden behind silk screens; the other is the electric clamor of Tokio, where the new palace boasts seventeen hundred Edison lights. This author walked the streets of both, watching statesmen in ill-fitting frock coats rush past ancient temples. It is a vivid chronicle of a nation leaping from feudalism to modernity, capturing the awkward, fascinating moment when the fiercely old world meets the industrial new.

Under skies as blue as the Mediterranean, the people of Japan seem to have mastered the art of happiness. This vivid chronicle takes you from the quiet concentration of a street-side game of “Go” to the thunderous spectacle of the wrestling ring, where giants purify the earth with salt before the clash. You will sit among families sipping tea at day-long theater performances and perhaps even wince at the vigorous massage of a blind shampooer. It is a charming portrait of a world where joy is a serious, beautiful profession.

In the American Republic, society is a serious business, and the White House serves as our court. This vivid 1888 chronicle takes you inside the gas-lit East Room, where the young and captivating Mrs. Cleveland shakes hands with thousands, drinking only Apollinaris water amidst the champagne. From the stiff calling-card etiquette of Cabinet wives to the Louis XVI salons of the wealthy, this is a tour of a gilded capital. It captures a moment when a schoolteacher could become a queen, and where social grace mattered quite as much as political power.

It began with Washington’s cream-colored coach, outfitted with Venetian blinds and drawn by four spirited bays. This archival chronicle follows the evolution of the Presidential tour, moving from the dignified ruts of the 1700s to the calamitous rail journeys of the Victorian era. You will witness John Hancock feigning gout to avoid a protocol breach, Andrew Jackson deftly handling a dirty infant for political gain, and the rowdy disasters of later administrations. It is a fascinating look at how leaders navigated the dusty, dangerous reality of meeting the American people.