1840: A Literature Reference to “Asbestos Young Ladies” Showing that Asbestos was well known by that Date. Keeping Ladies’ Reputations Secure
Typically, when someone asks about the year in which asbestos became useful, the answer given is “the late 1800s.” That answer is somewhat accurate, but I have found a number of historical asbestos related documents to believe that asbestos was widely known in society much earlier. I have already blogged on such early use as a medicine sold by apothecaries in Spain during 1640, (https://theasbestosblog.com/?p=12393), a number of uses by1845 (https://theasbestosblog.com/?p=11979), and others as can be seen in my prior blogs. Asbestos may not have been used a lot, but its ability to resist fire was well understood.
A good example is a 1840 book authored by Mrs. Gore titled Preferment: or, My Uncle the Earl. This book is fairly well known even today. As stated on Amazon:
“This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.”
The book is freely available to download off the Internet.
The interesting reference to asbestos is on page 288 as follows:
“These asbestos young ladies of Great Britain, flirt to their heart’s content without incurring a suspicion. When sold, they are warranted modest, in spite of half-a-dozen seasons ‘flirtations!’
In summary, the term “asbestos young ladies” means maidens who flirt to their heart’s consent without ever getting burned as eventually “they become blushing brides, with all the diffidence and confusion that a Brussels lace veil can impart.”
The use of the term “asbestos” in the context of maidens not getting burned for their flirting, as referenced in the literature of the time, would seem to indicate that the fire protection properties of asbestos, even if not being used in a wide group of products, were well known in society.
The more I research, the more I discover documents that support asbestos being in the public conversation. well before I originally thought. History, and specifically historical documents, can be amazing.
I hope that you found this discussion interesting. Please leave a comment or email me at TheAsbestosBlog@gmail.com with any questions. Thanks. Marty