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Historical Reads: Why Did Men Stop Wearing High Heels?
The BBC has an interesting article about the history of high heels. To quote:And high heels don't tend to be very comfortable. It is almost as though they just weren't designed for walking...
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A Modest And Unconceited Princess
Unlike many princesses, Princess Augusta, the second daughter of King George III and Queen Charlotte wasn't vain and didn't care much about her appearance. English novelist Fanny Burney thus recalled...
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The Best Confessor That Ever Woman In My Position Had
In the period between Arthur’s death and her marriage to Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon had grown very close to, even dependent on, her new confessor, Fray Diego Fernández, whom she described as the...
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Book Review: La Vita Di Napoleone Bonaparte by Lorenzo Vincenti
I've been debating for a while now on whether I should review La Vita Di Napoleone Bonaparte: L'Uomo Che Cambiò Il Volto Dell'Europa (The Life Of Napoleon Bonaparte: The Man Who Changed The Face Of...
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The Distressed Poet And The Enraged Musician
The Enraged Musician and The Distressed Poet are two prints by English painter, satirist and cartoonist William Hogarth. The Enraged Musician is actually the older of the two. It was completed in 1740...
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How They Spoke: The Regency Era (Part 2)
One of the first posts I've written for this blog was about words commonly used in the Regency era that have now been forgotten, but can still appear in old books and classics, confounding modern...
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Historical Reads: Masquerade Dresses
Isis' Wardrobe has posted a series of prints depicting 18th century masquerade dresses. Here are a couple:Aren't they beautiful? To see the rest of the costumes, click here.
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Bleaching Of Old Books
Book pages can become yellow with age or when exposed to smoke. Ink-spots can contribute to ruining them too. To bring them back to their original splendor, our nineteenth century ancestors used this...
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Mary Eleanor Bowes
Born at Streatlam Castle in Streatlam and Stainton, County Durham, on 24 February 1749, Mary Eleanor Bowes was the daughter of George Bowes, a wealthy coal magnate. He died when Mary was only 11,...
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Short Books Reviews: The Ground She Walks Upon, So Worthy My Love & The...
Hello everyone,it's been a while since I last posted some short reviews of historical romances, so here are three for you. Enjoy!The Ground She Walks Upon by Meagan McKinneyIreland, 19th century....
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Fashions For 1829 (Part 3)
Hello everyone,here we are again with more prints of morning, evening and fancy dresses from the year 1829. What do you think of them? Do you like the styles that were popular back then?MAYENGLISH...
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Rosalie Lubomirska
Rosalie Lubomirska, nee Chodkiewizc, was a Polish princess guillotined during the Terror. Born on 16 December 1768 at Chernobyl, then in Poland, Rosalie, who was described as "beautiful as a painting...
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Historical Reads: The Morning Toilette
The Fashion Historian discusses the ceremony of the toilette, which was an important part of fashionable society in the 18th century. To quote:The toilette is often called a ritual, bringing a...
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Etiquette Of Gifts
Wedding presents should be chosen with due reference to the circumstances of the bride. For the daughter of wealthy parents, who weds a husband of large means--and to whom all desirable useful things...
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Jane Austen's Pelisse Coat?
Very popular from the late 18th to the early 19th century, the pelisse was a coat dress, or overdress, that was worn over a dress. Depending on the materials with which it was made, and the season, it...
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Book Review: Rose Bertin, The Creator Of Fashion At The Court Of Marie...
Rose Bertin, dressmaker to Queen Marie Antoinette, is one of the most famous couturiers in history. Born in a small village in a family of small means, the ambitious Rose soon decided to go to Paris to...
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Mortality Of Infants
I was browsing the 1829 edition of The Ladies' Pocket Magazine, when I came across this article about the mortality of infants at the time and its causes. The article was republished from another...
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An Uncaring Fiancé
When Georgiana Spencer agreed to marry William, Duke of Devonshire, she erroneously believed he had the same character as her father: distant, cold and awkward in public, but warm and affectionate in...
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Historical Reads: Matters of Fact in Jane Austen, by Janine Barchas
Jane Austen's World reviews a new book about Jane Austen. To quote:Janine Barchas, author of Matters of Fact in Jane Austen, points out that in addition to Jane’s wit, intelligence , humor, and...
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Lady Fanshawe's Ship Attacked
Lady Fanshawe was travelling to Spain with her husband, English poet and politician Sir Richard Fanshawe, when their ship was about to be attacked by a Turkish galley. Here's her account of this...
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