April 2025

March came and went in a whirlwind of activity. From events, and product launches, to photoshoots and catalog designs, we crammed it all in. If early spring has been as wild for you as it has for us, then we tip our tricornered hats and raise to you a hot toddy.  At the end of this month we leave our home in the Midwest to spend time in Maryland and northern and southwestern Virginia. 

With long trips like this we want to remind you that you can preorder items for “show pickup.” That means we hand deliver the package to the event and you are sure to get exactly what you need. To secure your order with this option, click “show pickup” at checkout and save on shipping costs!

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Cap it all off

We now have 8 different women's caps! With styles spanning from the 1750s into the Regency era, there is a cap to fit your personal style and impression. A personal favorite are the new line of linen organdy caps. These are easy to trim with some silk ribbon and hold a beautiful shape making them easy to dress up or down depending on your outfit.

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Fort Frederick and Beyond...

Fort Frederick Market Fair has us chomping at the bit year after year. The trip to Big Pool, Maryland is one we look forward to as both a family and a company. For the Samson team, that means stocking up on products, ramping up production, and taking care of any needed repairs or adjustments. Preparations this month stretch into April, with the Samson Historical and Sign of the Red Lion tents continuing on from Maryland to Mount Vernon and then down to Martin's Station. At the moment, we’re packing our gowns and waistcoats, double-checking the road snacks, and loading up the trailers. Best wishes and safe travels to everyone—we can’t wait to see you there!

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An Instrument of Writing Without Ink

In our year of improved vocabulary, there have been and continue to be changes to what certain products in our collection are called. The most recent change is what was previously referred to as the porte crayon. This term was most likely French. To be more accurate in our verbiage for colonial America, we have changed the listing to “Brass Pencil.” According to Samuel Johnson 1768 and 1792, a pencil is “...a black led pen, with which, cut to a point, write without ink...” While a crayon, in English, seems to be more often made of hardened colored paste, similar to a modern oil pastel crayon.

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Don’t Miss Out on Mom’s Perfect Gift

It is only April but Mother's day is coming up on May 12^th and you don't want to be caught scrambling. Even if your mother isn’t a history buff, things like tea, handmade mugs and bakeware, and jewelry are always thoughtful ways to show her you care. Remember to get your orders in early, but if you are in a pinch, we can ship directly to Mom!

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A Merry Hoax

You may consider yourself a world class prankster every 1^st of April, but I would bet this 18^th century writer has you beat. Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, was well known in his day for his political commentary and social satire. Swift's favorite festival was well known to be All Fools’ Day, or April Fools’, as it is known today. In February 1708, Swift started to lay the groundwork for what would be one of his most famous hoaxes -- an April Fool’s prank that would decimate someone’s career.

John Partridge was an astrologer and contemporary of Swift who released a yearly almanac with predictions of the following year based on his observations. He was known for his inaccurate predictions of the deaths of notable figures, many of whom were political enemies. He first drew the attention of Jonathan Swift in one of his editions of the Merlinus Almanac, where he sarcastically referred to the Church of England as the “infallible church.”

In retaliation, Swift assumed the pseudonym of Isaac Bickerstaff, an astrologer who, like Partridge, would write an almanac of his predictions. The hoax was set into four separate parts by Swift, with the first being the publication of Predictions for the Year 1708. In this almanac, Bickerstaff predicted Partridge would die. He made several other predictions, too, presumably to avoid casting any suspicion as to this being the main reason for the almanac’s release. Even Swift’s wording points to the triviality of this prediction: “My first prediction is but a trifle, yet I will mention it, to show how ignorant those sottish pretenders to astrology are in their concerns. It relates to Partridge, the almanack-maker. I have consulted the stars of his nativity by my own rules, and find he will infallibly die upon the 29th of March next, about eleven at night, of a raging fever; therefore, I advise him to consider of it, and settle his affairs in time.”

Predictions went on to sell thousands across London, and soon many were eagerly awaiting March 29th to see if Bickerstaff’s predictions would come true.

The second stage of Swift’s plan was The Answer. However, Swift did not need to publish it at the time, as Partridge himself wrote Mr. Partridge’s Answer to Esquire Bickerstaff’s Strange and Wonderful Predictions for the Year 1708. He accused Swift of being a Jacobite, or a supporter of the deposed James II and his descendants. Swift’s The Answer would have come from an anonymous source to further back the prediction, but with Partridge’s blustering response, the story was kept alive in the papers as March came ever closer. The Answer was discovered much later when it was published by Deane Swift, the grandson of Jonathan Swift’s uncle.

In the third act of this drawn-out hoax, Swift wrote Elegy, a verse about the death of Partridge that closely resembled a poem Partridge had written himself. It was immediately disbursed on London’s streets on the day of Partridge’s supposed death. What’s more, the anonymous source had reported going to Partridge’s deathbed to hear the confessions of being a fraud and only making predictions to support his family.

The finale was as well-planned as the rest of the hoax, with a pamphlet being passed around a day or two later titled The Accomplishment of the First of Mr. Bickerstaff’s Predictions. The pamphlet informed the public further that Bickerstaff’s prediction had come true but that the timing had been off by four hours. Meanwhile, Partridge was enraged by the entire scenario, as people stopped him in the streets to say he looked like a deceased friend of theirs. He published his own pamphlet to declare he was alive but was rebutted by Bickerstaff, who quoted Partridge’s wife as saying that her husband had “neither life nor soul.”

It was only later determined that this hoax was the work of Swift, who had wanted to discredit the astrologer. In this, he succeeded and ultimately shut down the publication of Partridge’s almanac. While this may seem like the hoax of a lifetime to “kill” someone, it was not the first, nor would it be the last, of the elaborate schemes Swift would cook up. He was often known for his April Fool’s pranks and even more for his satirical publications at others’ expense.

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Fort Frederick 18th Century Market Fair

If you are looking for the best collection of 18^th century artisans and goods on the East coast, the Fort Frederick Market Fair is where you are sure to find it. Four days of sales and comradery can be found at this special event, and beautiful historic site.

April 24 - 27
11100 Fort Frederick Rd
Big Pool, MD 21711