History Patchwork FAQS from Barbara Brackman

Kansas Troubles: This Week in Territorial History
2004 was the sesquicentennial anniversary of the Kansas Territory. I wrote a weekly column on the events of 1854---what we in Lawrence consider the beginning of the Civil War---for the Kansas State Historical Society. This year-long series followed Kansas history week by week beginning with the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the relationship between Missouri and the Kansas Territory. The series provided a context of the times as told in the words of individuals. You can read all 52 installments by clicking here: Kansas Troubles.

Dogs & Cats in the Picture
My sister, quite the authority on the dogs, and I have published two gift books on the history of pets. We combined her collection of antique photos and my research into diaries and letters to write The Dog in the Picture and The Cat in the Picture. The Cat book is hard to find but we printed A LOT of the dog books.

You can find them both on Amazon: The Dog in the Picture,
and The Cat in the Picture .

Read more from my little sister Dr. Jane Brackman, a "leading expert on the cultural history of domestic dogs," at Bark Magazine.

My Short Movie Career: Ride With the Devil
I was the historical consultant for director Ang Lee's film Ride with the Devil. Click here to read about the movie, which as they say, got mixed reviews. Ride with the Devil.

The film was a fictionalized account of the Civil War in the west, particularly Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence, Kansas, my home town. My job was to teach the actors nineteenth century manners, decide what kind of curtains a cabin would have and help the carpenters re-create Lawrence before the raid. I also complained about the accuracy of the costumes---when I showed them a picture of a proper Missouri belle in 1863 as a suggestion for what the star Jewel should be wearing, everyone said, "No Way. She'd look like a little butterball!" Little butterballs were considered cute in 1863, but notice Jewel's costumes---she does NOT look like a butterball. We did, however, win an award from the History Channel for accuracy.