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Historical Reads: Stealing The Duchess Of Devonshire
Author Evangeline Holland tells the story of Adam Worth and of his most famous theft. To quote:For a large part of the late 19th century, one man confounded, outwitted, and bemused the police forces...
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Conundrums
While browsing the 1829 edition of The Ladies' Pocket Magazine, I came across quite a few conundrums. I thought it'd be fun to share a few with you and see how many of them you can guess. The answers...
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Victoria Becomes Queen
On 20th June 1837, a young Victoria became Queen. Here's the account of this special day, in her own words:"Tuesday, 20th June 1837I was awoke at 6 o'clock by Mamma, who told me that the Archbishop of...
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Short Book Reviews: Mrs Ronnie, The War That Ended Peace, & Not For Turning
More book reviews. Enjoy!Mrs Ronnie The Society Hostess Who Collected Kings by Sian EvansA short biography of Margaret Greville, one of the greatest society hostesses of the early 20th century. She...
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The Murder Of Martha Ray
The Earl of Sandwich, grandson of Charles II's Earl of Sandwich, and first Lord of the Admiralty during the North administration, had for his mistress a Miss Ray, whom he had rendered as accomplished...
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The Horrific Death Of A Friend
Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, was a good friend of Marie Antoinette, Queen of the French. The Duchess was horrified when she heard of her friend's death. She wrote:"The impression of the Queen's...
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Historical Reads: The Honourable Mrs Anne Damer
Mrs Anne Damer was a famous English sculptor. To quote:Anne was now a widow. A widow in a lot of debt. This put Mrs. Damer in an awful situation. But believe it or not, it was probably the best thing...
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A Description Of A Young Catherine II
The future Catherine II was thus described by a lady of rank who knew her when she was a young girl:"Her deportment was good; her figure large for her years; her countenance, to which her gaiety and...
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Rainy Day
Passer Payez, Louis Leopold Boilly, about 1803Rain Shower in Patenkirchen, Heinrich Bürkel, 1838Rue de Paris, temps de pluie, Gustave Caillebotte, 1877Entering the Bullring, Rain, Eugenio Lucas...
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Book Review: Jane Boleyn By Julia Fox
Eric Ives once said that “what we know about Mary Boleyn can be written on a postcard with rooms to spare”. The same could be said for her sister-in-law, Jane Boleyn. We know so little about Jane that...
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Death of King Frederick William IV Of Prussia
In a letter to her parents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, their eldest daughter Victoria discusses the death of King Frederick William IV of Prussia:The Princess Royal to Queen Victoria and the...
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Exhibition Stare Case
Victims of the steep staircase reveal all, says the heading of this satirical print. The steep staircase was located at Somerset House (now the Courtland Institute of Art) in Pall Mall, where members...
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Historical Reads: 11 Terrifying Childcare Inventions From The Early 20th Century
From Popular Science. To quote:Sleeping Porch: May 1916A baby porch suspended a hundred feet above ground? What could possibly go wrong? As city populations grew, people grew concerned about raising...
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Donkey Riding
When dauphine, Marie Antoinette was fordibben from riding horses in case she should fall and have a miscarriage (despite the fact that her marriage hadn't been consummated yet). So, she had to ride...
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Movie Review: It's A Wonderful Life
Can you believe that I saw It's A Wonderful Life by Frank Capra for the first time only last week? The movie's a classic, but for some reason or another, I always missed it. As there's been a serious...
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Book Review: Tudor The Family History By Leanda De Lisle
Most books about the Tudors start with Henry VII firmly on the throne, focus on his son Henry VIII and his granddaughter Elizabeth I, and briefly mention the sovereigns in between. Not this one. Tudor:...
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Marie Antoinette's Wardrobe
"The business of the chief Lady-in -Waiting was to see that the Queen was suitably dressed, and had all the dresses and clothes she required. She also paid the bills, an allowance o£ 100,000 francs...
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Anne Boleyn Places: Where She Lived, Where She Died
Where should you go if you wanted to retrace the steps of Anne Boleyn? Anne travelled quite a lot, and definitely a lot more than most women of her time, but there a few places that are most closely...
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Historical Reads: Sally Salisbury
Heather Carroll remembers Sally Salisbury, one of the most famous courtesans of the early 18th century. To quote:As a successful prostitute the viviacious and fiery Sally lived a typical hedonistic...
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Maria Cosway
Self-portraitMaria Hadfield was born on 11 June 1760 in Leghorn, where her father, an Englishman, acquired a fortune as an innkeeper (his three inns in Tuscany were frequented by noblemen taking the...
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