Talent, nerves and European splendour: Clara Schumann in 1844

A powerhouse sister's job description: Katharine Wright, 7 March 1909

You’ve probably heard of the famous Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville who invented, built and flew the world’s first flying machine, and achieved the first controlled, sustained flight. But you may not have heard of their sister, Katharine, who was the steady, brilliant force that enabled her brothers’ business venture to ‘take off’ while she took care of things on the ground. In this Walks episode, you put yourself in Katharine’s shoes as she leaves behind her steady job as a teacher and travels across the Atlantic and into Paris to be with her injured brother Orville, in order to be the secretary, PR manager and personal stylist of Wilbur and Orville.

Talent, nerves and European splendour: Clara Schumann in 1844

Episode Overview: 1844: Petersburg. In this episode, you put yourself in the shoes of classical pianist and composer Clara Schumann, and wife of composer Robert Schumann. Hear what it was like for the Schumanns experiencing Russia in the 1840s, including the grand castles and landscapes, and put yourself in Clara’s shoes as she steps up to the piano to perform for a Grand Princess. Episode Highlights & Timestamps: * 00:00 – Introduction to Clara * 01:24 – Lodging at the Station Inn * 03:10 – Why Clara must walk * 04:15 – Russian support of European musicians * 04:43 – Off in a carriage to see the Tsarskoye Selo – a palace town surrounded by gardens * 05:55 – Travelling in the park in a ‘Long line’ * 06:48 – Visiting the castles, including the preserved bedroom of Emperor Alexander, the arsenal and what Clara thinks of the artificial ruin * 08:30 – Dressing for the performance – what Clara and Robert wore * 09:45 – Arriving at Grand Princess Helene’s elegant palace: even an experienced pianist feels nerves when arriving at the performance venue! * 11:20 – Sitting down at the piano to perform * 12:51 – An evening at the Henselts' * 14:00 – Clara’s tensions remain but she will sleep well. References & Further Reading: * The marriage diaries of Robert & Clara Schumann : Robert Schumann [https://archive.org/details/marriagediarieso00schu/page/4/mode/2up] * The complete correspondence of Clara and Robert Schumann : Schumann, Clara, 1819-1896 [https://archive.org/details/completecorrespo0000schu/page/n29/mode/2up] Credits: * Opening and closing music: 'Esmerelda's Waltz' from Dusan Bogdanovic's Book of Unknown Standards, played by Daniel McKay, used with permission of the performer. * Background music includes Scenes from Childhood (Robert Schumann), Arabesque (Robert Schumann), Notturno in F Major (Clara Schumann) and Violin Concerto in A minor BMV 1041 – 1st Movement (JS Bach), royalty and copyright free from PixaBay with a number produced by Gregor Quendel. * Copyright and royalty-free sound effects self-created or from Pixabay. Contact & Feedback: * Email: walksintime@gmail.com [walksintime@gmail.com]

Devotion and advocacy: Barbara Wilberforce, wife of William Wilberforce, 1820 London

Episode Overview: 1820: London. In this episode, you put yourself in the shoes of Barbara Wilberforce, the wife of British trans-Atlantic slave trade abolitionist and politician William Wilberforce. Hear about the impact of typhoid on 1820s London society, including Barbara’s own ongoing health, the role of women in society and William Wilberforce’s long arduous fight to abolish slavery. Episode Highlights & Timestamps: * 00:00 – Introduction to Barbara * 01:35 – Gore House, and the architectural features of the time * 02:07 – Barbara’s noble heritage contrasted with the poverty and injustice in 1820 London * 03:57 – Breakfast with William and the underpinning forces of the Wilberforce marriage * 05:27 – Barbara’s place as a woman in society – caring, supporting, and managing the household * 06:57 – Typhoid and its ongoing impact on Barbara’s life and others in London * 08:18 – William’s long arduous fight to abolish the slave trade * 09:50 – Barbara’s daily chores including caring for her children, including wayward William Jnr * 12:04 – Evening solace in the garden References & Further Reading: * ‘A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians: In the Higher and Middle Classes in this Country, Contrasted with Real Christianity’, William Wilberforce 1829 https://books.google.com.au/books?id=-usOAAAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y [https://books.google.com.au/books?id=-usOAAAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y] * https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/wilberforce-william-1759-1833 [https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/wilberforce-william-1759-1833] Credits: * Opening and closing music: 'Esmerelda's Waltz' from Dusan Bogdanovic's Book of Unknown Standards, played by Daniel McKay [http://www.danmckay.net], used with permission of the performer. * Background music includes Meditation Charch Music by Natalia [https://pixabay.com/users/nnchannel-42645685/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=301066]; Fur Elise (Beethoven) by Clavier-Music; Amazing Grace William Walker Version 1835 arranged for piano by Gregor Quendel all sourced from Pixabay * Other copyright and royalty-free music and sound effects self-created, or from: freesound_community [https://pixabay.com/users/freesound_community-46691455/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=27730], Alexander Jauk [https://pixabay.com/users/alex_jauk-16800354/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=227014], Universfield [https://pixabay.com/users/universfield-28281460/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=352062], Scottish Guy [https://pixabay.com/users/scottishperson-16626294/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=248534]sourced from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=27730];  Contact & Feedback: * Email: walksintime@gmail.com [walksintime@gmail.com] * https://walksintime.podbean.com/ [https://walksintime.podbean.com/]

Dear mother: letters, loss and motherly love during World War I

1915, Paddington, London. Your 20-year-old son Dudley is serving on the Western Front in World War I. Most days he has written you a letter, requesting items and letting you know how he is going. But it’s been a few days since his last letter, which came with the alarming news that he was moving closer to the firing line. Experience a day in the life of Katherine Stewart-Smith, as she manages her emotions, family-life and life in late Edwardian Britain during the First World War. Episode Highlights & Timestamps: * 00:00 – Introduction to Katherine and the morning routine * 03:30 – Revisiting Paddington Station, where Katherine last saw Dudley * 05:04 – House and home: Katherine’s domestic life, Dudley’s most recent letters and keeping up appearances * 10:30 – A trip into town * 11:08 – News from the Western Front * 11:49 – Living in the present, with the children at your side * 13:49 – Dinner and evening routine References & Further Reading: * https://awayfromthewesternfront.org/research/soldiers-stories/dear-mother/ [https://awayfromthewesternfront.org/research/soldiers-stories/dear-mother/] Credits: * With thanks to James Stewart-Smith, grandson of Dudley Cauley Stewart-Smith for providing the transcribed letters between Dudley and his mother and his diary as a Prisoner of War to aide research for this story. * Opening and closing music: 'Esmerelda's Waltz' from Dusan Bogdanovic's Book of Unknown Standards, played by Daniel McKay, used with permission of the performer. * Other copyright and royalty-free music and sound effects self-created, or from: freesound_community [https://pixabay.com/users/freesound_community-46691455/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=27730], Alexander Jauk [https://pixabay.com/users/alex_jauk-16800354/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=227014], Universfield [https://pixabay.com/users/universfield-28281460/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=352062], Scottish Guy [https://pixabay.com/users/scottishperson-16626294/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=248534] sourced from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=27730]; other music: 'His eye is on the sparrow'; 'Schubert Moment Musical', 'Old Photo' sourced from ClipChamp.  Contact & Feedback: * Email: walksintime@gmail.com [walksintime@gmail.com] * https://walksintime.podbean.com/ [https://walksintime.podbean.com/] Thank you for listening. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. https://linktr.ee/walksintime [https://linktr.ee/walksintime]

Elizabeth Blackwell - January 1849, Geneva

Step into the shoes of Elizabeth Blackwell, a true trailblazer and the first woman to earn a medical degree in the US. In this episode, you'll experience a day in Elizabeth's life in January 1849. Take on Elizabeth's perspective as she awakes in her boarding house and takes a short walk to Geneva Medical School where she is the only female amongst her class of male students. Take time to consider Elizabeth's determination and discipline, standing against inequality or discrimination and the barriers she faced to education, which would otherwise have held her back from achieving.   Key Topics & Timestamps: * 00:00 – Introduction to Elizabeth Blackwell * 01:00 – Morning routine and life at the boarding house * 03:18 – Attending Geneva Medical School * 03:43 – Facing opposition and breaking barriers * 05:25 – Elizabeth's motivation for being a trailblazing female medical student  * 06:30 – Elizabeth as a student * 09:15 – Hospital visits and patient care * 10:18 – An evening walk in Geneva, dinner and further study * 11:33 – Elizabeth's thesis on 'Ship Fever'    Read Elizabeth's Blackwell's thesis on Ship Fever in the Buffalo medical journal and monthly review v.4 (1848-1849) – Blackwell’s thesis on ship fever p 523 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044103052585&view=1up&seq=535 [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044103052585&view=1up&seq=535]  Beginning and ending music 'Esmerelda's Waltz' from Dusan Bogdanovic's Book of Unknown Standards, played by Daniel McKay, used with permission. Other copyright and royalty-free music and sound effects self created, or from: freesound_community [https://pixabay.com/users/freesound_community-46691455/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=27730] from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=27730]; Mendelsohn Venetian Boat song Music by Gregor Quendel [https://pixabay.com/users/gregorquendel-19912121/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=227456] from Pixabay; [https://pixabay.com/music/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=227456] Nostalgic Sad Piano by Music by Music by Tunetank [https://pixabay.com/users/tunetank-50201703/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=348937] from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/music/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=348937].   Read more on the Walks In Time webpage: https://walksintime.podbean.com/ [https://walksintime.podbean.com/]