Fairy Tales and Children's Stories

With Frozen heralding in the holiday season, the next generation of Disney lovers have fallen in love with another timeless fairy tale. Like Cinderella and The Little Mermaid before it, Frozen is a modern retelling of a story first written by Hans Christian Anderson in the first half of the nineteenth century. The Snow Queen was first published in 1845 and has been remade and modernized many times throughout the last 168 years. Victorian children would have the English translations of these stories, which were readily available beginning in the 1870s. The Morris County Historical Society has two such translations in our library, one published in 1870 and one in 1873. Both of these translations were donated to MCHS by Louise Weiss. 

Hans Christian Anderson was not the only author read by children throughout the Victorian Era. Louisa May Alcott's Little Women series was first published in 1868 and has remained wildly popular through the present day. Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass gained popularity on both sides of the Atlantic during the Victorian age. This Christmas, to celebrate a popular children's series towards the end of the Victorian Era, we will have a tree decorated with Peter Rabbit ornaments in the nursery. We'll also have Peter Rabbit memorabilia on sale in the gift shop, so that you can share the magic of Beatrix Potter's world with the next generation. 

Victorian stories continue to make their mark on children with each passing generation, proving that the magic those authors created really was ever-lasting. This holiday season, we invite you to visit Acorn Hall and immerse yourself in the magic of a Victorian home. Perhaps you, too, will be inspired to write a children's story that will withstand the test of time. We hope you take this chance to travel back in time and celebrate the holidays the way Benjamin, Augustus, Julia, and Mary would have during their first year in their new house in 1860.