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Historical tidbits you didn't know you needed to know

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billyfridge:

In George Washington's days, there were no cameras. One's image was either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington showed him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back while others showed both legs and both arms. Prices charged by painters were not based on how many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted. Arms and legs are "limbs," therefore painting them would cost the buyer more. Hence the _expression, "Okay, but it'll cost you an arm and a leg."


 :D
 

MinLo:
 :D :D I always wondered about the arm and the leg expression........

cissie:
Thank you Billy, as they say, you learn something new every day, and that is another lesson learnt.. thank you kind sir. :-*

billyfridge:
As incredible as it sounds, men and women took baths only twice a year (May and October)! Women kept their hair covered, while men shaved their heads (because of lice and bugs) and wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford good wigs mad e from wool. They couldn't wash the wigs, so to clean them they would carve out a loaf of bread, put the wig in the shell, and bake it for 30 minutes The heat would make the wig big and fluffy, hence the term "big wig." Today we often use the term "here comes the Big Wig" because someone appears to be or is powerful and wealthy.

 ;D

cissie:
Yukk... could you imagine the stench.... omg.. thank goodness i live now.

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