Elizabeth Kerri Mahon

Everyday women are inundated with advertisements promising to remove fine lines, miracle creams to make skin youthful and dewy, to turn back the hands of time.   We all know that there is no miracle cure for aging, but we continue to buy, and to seek out new beauty treatments like Botox, chemical peels and fillers.   But none of this is new; women (and men) have been seeking the fountain of youth since the dawn of time.   However, in the 19 th century, with the advent of daily newspapers and the increase in literacy, a new way was found to reach the masses, advertising.   And no one did it better than Madame Rachel, a con artist who operated a prominent beauty salon, from which she personally guaranteed her clients who used her fabulous preparations, everlasting youth.   Among the money items for sale were magnetic rock water that was allegedly from the Sahara desert and water from the River Jordan in Israel.   For almost ten years, Madame Rachel had ...

Recently a friend and I were talking about Jesse James and his affair with the stripper Skittles.  The lovely and talented Hope Tarr thought we were talking about another Skittles, Catherine Walters, the last Victorian courtesan. I had totally forgotten about Skittles, probably because she was less flamboyant than some of the other Victorian courtesans. Skittles wasn't necessarily interested in being famous, unlike Cora Pearl, who seemed to court notoriety. Imagine if there were trading cards for courtesans! I imagine that the one for Skittles would look this. Name: CatherineWalters Nickname: Skittles or Skitsie to her intimates. Born: June 13, 1839 in Liverpool at No. 1 Henderson Street, in a drab and dirty street near the docks. Died: 1920 Parents: Edward Walters, a custom employee, and Mary Ann Fowler Siblings: 3 rd of 5 children.  Religion: Baptized a Catholic Appearance: Small and slender, with grey-blue eyes and chestnut hair....