Downton Abbey electrical curling tongs.

I am obviously extremely shallow, I watch Downton Abbey for relaxing entertainment not for social history education…

grandtanteJE65

Even if the Americans did have electric curling tongs in the early 20th century, they probably had not made their way to England!

Even as late as my childhood (1950s) voltage varied from one country to another, which made using electic appliances made abroad either difficult or dangerous.

I’m not so sure.
Cora, being a wealthy American would presumably have had all the latest gadgets.
(pS I know it’s not real )

A lot of things were different for different people in different parts of the country. I remember in a trip to a living museum as a parent helper, one of the older teachers saying there were never electric hair dryers just after the war as the postwar house had.
But apparently it was an original very old hairdryer from that period, so some people had them. The teacher was probably correct in that many families wouldn't have had them, they would have been expensive for a family just scraping by.
Now sure how far back were going with socks, but as a small child in the 50s always has white (to start with) socks, but the boys had grey or fawn ones
I don't know if the display is still there but the science museum has some amazing early electrical items, some were plugged into a light socket, I remember some sort of tablecloth that you could plug small lights into, I guess first time someone spilt their drink at tablethat idea was shelved
I enjoy both factual programmes and actually Downton, although a very romantic used version of life at the time, was something I could watch to take my mind off some of the difficulties I was having at the time, my daughter and I would sit and watch it I'd and escape the stuff happening in my personal life for a short time each week

Cora’s hair was awful, as I recall.

(Sorry, Shirley McLaine, I assume it was a wig).

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202407/medium-220063-485d2990-c33d-4d31-9b05-0aeae7942845.png https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202407/medium-101815-64d4011c-4d7e-4a90-95c0-6b35d92cb47b.png

Really CalendarGirl ? I thought Cora/Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern) always looked rather elegant.
Did you perhaps mean her mother Martha played by Shirley MacLaine?

RosiesMaw2

Really CalendarGirl ? I thought Cora/Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern) always looked rather elegant.
Did you perhaps mean her mother Martha played by Shirley MacLaine?

Oh, apologies! I didn’t mean Cora!

Yes, of course it was her mother Martha, hence the Shirley McLaine comment.

Duh!

and

And Martha always looked quite sour, which didn’t help!

PS I know they’re not real!

Lady Carnarvon is regularly on Radio Berkshire, and has said that she has delicately had to point out to the production team that they got things wrong on Downton Abbey.

NotAGran55

Lady Carnarvon is regularly on Radio Berkshire, and has said that she has delicately had to point out to the production team that they got things wrong on Downton Abbey.

They will also have earned an arm and a leg from the TV company!

RosiesMaw2

NotAGran55

Lady Carnarvon is regularly on Radio Berkshire, and has said that she has delicately had to point out to the production team that they got things wrong on Downton Abbey.

They will also have earned an arm and a leg from the TV company!

Indeed. And she acknowledges that too.

My mum had a small old pr of curling tongs which they heated up in the fire.I inherited them but they seem to have dissapeared...🤔🙄

I am so glad that germanshepherdsmum has been slapped on the wrists and had her snide unnecessary comments removed by gransnet. It’s about time she learnt how to mind her manners !

It's interesting going on (-perhaps imo obsessively)about authenticity , and yet being tolerant of black actors in the dramas set in High Society circles in the 17th, 18th & 19th centuries. In reality they were very, very rare indeed, in High Society. ( Whilst thousands of thousands were in slavery )

If you are referring to “colour blind casting” why should actors of diverse ethnic backgrounds be restricted to playing minority ethnicity roles? It’s like saying only blondes can play blondes- only hunchbacks can play Richard III or black men Othello (Italians Romeo or Juliet, Scotsmen Macbeth etc etc etc ) surely in our inclusive age, we have progressed beyond that?

MatildaMay

I am just watching the Downtown Abbey series for the second time.

I was amazed to see a maid curling Lady Mary's hair with an electric curling tong which was not invented until 1959.

When I first saw the episode I thought where on earth was this curling tong when I was a teenager in the late 50's, I had to use rollers.

I know they used curling tongs which were heated on the fire like flat irons used to be but showing an electric curling tong in the Downtown Abbey series supposedly in 1919 is a gross error.

I have been reading all the comments about Downton Abbey and found a photograph of the ladies maid using electric curling tongs.

If you scroll back to my comment 20/07/2024 16:36 there's a link to a nice short paper about them HattieTopper

Yes, thank you I read it and I also read that some of the posters had not seen the series where the maid was using the tongs so I thought they may be interested to see them in action.

I also found this report.

Introduction of Electrically Heated Curling Irons

"In the 1950s, electrically heated curling irons came onto the scene. These irons eliminated the need for open flames or stoves, making curling hair safer and more accessible. Electric curling irons were designed with a heating element embedded within the barrel, which allowed for more precise curls."

It's a nice photo HattieTopper - I wasn't intending to sound "bossy" - I just thought you may have missed it.
Apologies!

NotSpaghetti

It's a nice photo HattieTopper - I wasn't intending to sound "bossy" - I just thought you may have missed it.
Apologies!

Of course you didn't sound bossy, thank you for letting me know about your earlier comments, I read most of the comments on the forum but not all.

I am new to the forums and noticed a lot of deleted comments. How do you delete something when you have made an error when typing or edit it before posting, I can't find anywhere to do that.

HattieTopper it's not possible to edit or delete your own posts. GN delete some posts that break forum guidelines, often after another poster has reported them. If a poster wants their own post removed then they have to use the 'report' button and ask for it to be removed, giving reasons. Sometimes GN agree to delete it, other times they don't.
Use the 'preview' option to check typing or to edit before actually pressing 'post'. Hope that helps.

Thank you so much Rosie, it is very kind of you.

I am so glad that{{(name deleted so as not to repeat the insult}} has been slapped on the wrists and had her snide unnecessary comments removed by gransnet. It’s about time she learnt how to mind her manners !

This is victimisation - unkind, and equally ill mannered. We are all responsible adults here, not naughty school kids to be slapped on the wrists.

I am reporting this, Maw. (Not you!).
This is NOT the type of post which shows Gransnet at its best.
We can do without it.