A Shopping List From the 1897 Sears Roebuck Catalog

By The Hairpin January 28, 2014

by Kira Garcia

1. New school blouses for Walter and Alfred. $2.85 x 2

2. Internal cure for my Catarrh, which is worsening. 1 doz. bottles, $5.00

3. False beard. If I am to continue illicit relations with Mr. Fitzheathearington, a disguise will be necessary. $1.75

4. Imitation rosewood Zither. Spilled laudanum on the old one and now it can’t hit the high notes in “On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away”. $3.70

5. Complete Works of George Eliot. Cannot keep pretending I’ve read Middlemarch at dinner parties. $3.25

6. Uterine Supporter. Best not to speak of this. $2.75

Previously: It Was Hard Out There in the ’80s, Too

Kira Garcia enjoys puns, feminism, textiles, and history. She lives in beautiful Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn with her girlfriend and two handsome cats.

1. Bye