As we head toward another Superbowl Sunday, I thought a recent article in the Wall Street Journal that features this image of a football game from 1869 (the first ever face-off in America for this sport between Princeton and Rutgers) would be appropriate. I'm sharing the image here as an interesting example of very early "sportswear", though you should check out the link above to read the story because the story of the origins of American football are a hoot.

As for the "uniform", it's pretty irregular as you can see here. No fancy padding or helmets, no cleats, no mouth guards, etc. Just men in caps and knit shirts and cotton pants and regular shoes going at each other on a muddy field.

As for me, the holidays and a change of jobs has really waylaid me in ways I could not have anticipated. I am hoping to get back to regularly posting after the new year rings in, so I hope some of you are still out there checking in now and again and that I haven't lost you all to more steadily posting blogs! Thanks for your patience, those of you who have me bookmarked on your computers!

Alas, I have been recently waylaid by the holiday and sundry other boring woes about which I will not bother you. But I thought I had better stop in and post so that you will know that I am still alive and kicking (and working!). It's going to be a little touch and go between now and the new year, but I'm anticipating that 2010 will be bringing lots of exciting new things!

For now, I hope you will enjoy a link to another blog, The Period Movie Review: Historical Costumes in Film, that features reviews of some great (and not so great) period films and includes a particular emphasis on the costuming thereof. The blog covers a lot of time periods and has a nice section specifically on the 19th century. Sometimes the screen captures are not the best, but just the sheer volume of material to look at and the opportunity to check out some new movies you might not have seen before makes it well worth the visit.

I will try to do some film reviewing of my own once I get organized enough. Do any of you have a favorite period film?