1818 December 11th A dandy fainting or – an exquisite in fits. Scene a private box opera. A dandy lies back fainting in a chair, his limbs rigid, supported by three others while a fourth (left) draws the curtain, cutting off a view of the (distant) stage where a singer is posturing. Via British Museum, London, UK. britishmuseum.org (PD-Art)
1815 ca. Travelling Inkwell. Made from gilt brass, pewter and glass. #Regency #History #Antiques
Continue reading →1818 September ‘A Nice Gentleman’ By George Cruikshank. A grotesque dandy walks outdoors sucking a cane. Inscribed with names of food, e.g. red carbuncled rose is ‘Currant Jelly’, shallow broad-brimmed hat is ‘Calves Head Jelly’ and ‘Pancake’, cravat which covers neck, cheek and chin is ‘Puff Paste’, loose short trousers are ‘White Sugar Bags’, handkerchief ‘Blow Monge’ and long spurs ‘Gilt Gingerbread’. Via British Museum, London, UK. britishmuseum.org (PD-Art)
1809 June Evening Full Dress, English. Lemon dress with white underskirt, short sleeves, braid decorated bodice, zig-zag hem, long white gloves, plumed headdress, full Parure of necklace, bracelet and earrings, evening slippers and a fan. Fashion Plate via John Belle’s La Belle Assemblée or, Bell’s Court and Fashionable Magazine, London.
Definition Full Evening Dress – Ball, dinner, evening and opera gowns but with every possible accessory added to make the most impressive display possible, such as adding a Grand Parure, or full jewelry set and including headpieces as with the feathered headdress above.
1807 February 15th ‘Miseries of Travelling’ in Jane Austen’s times. The Overloaded Coach Series By Thomas Rowlandson. Publisher Rudolph Ackermann, London (active 1794–1829). Hand colored etching.
1800s Early Tattersall’s Horse Auctions, London, U.K.. Top sporting venue for Regency Life in London. ‘A mixture of persons of nearly all ranks’. By Pierce Egan. Via Wikimedia Commons (PD-ART)
In Jane Austen’s and Bridgerton times, or the Regency Era, horse riding was a vital mode of transport and Tattersall’s was the best place to buy and sell horses. Tattersall’s was established in 1773 near Hyde Park Corner for the sale by auction of horses, carriages, hounds and harnesses. Sales during the winter months were every Monday and Thursday, and on Mondays only during the spring and summer. On the mornings when there was no sale, Tattersall’s was a meeting place for fashionable sporting gentlemen.
Pierce Egan’s Description of Tattersall’s
A masquerade could scarcely exhibit more motley groups than the attendants of this place of fashionable resort. There were Peers, Baronets, Members of Parliament, Turf gentlemen and Turf-servants, Jockies, Grooms, Horse-dealers, Gamblers, &c. There you might see the oldest and some of the best blood in England, disguised like coachmen.
From: 1820 Sporting Anecdotes by Pierce Egan via Google Books (PD-150)
As the Duke of Stirkton, Max was well accustomed to being watched. Young pups copied his dress style. Toad-eaters mimicked his behavior in futile attempts to ingratiate themselves into his life. Conservative groups applauded his somber public behavior, while cartoonists ridiculed his straight-laced demeanor and suggested he take a mistress. Or two.
Whichever way people viewed him, no one had dared ridicule him to his face. Until this evening. The Countess had side-stepped his butler and marched into his drawing room as if an unannounced call upon an unmarried duke was something she did regularly. Max had informed her, in great detail, of the extensive search he and his cousin had undertaken to locate her and the other women. She’d huffed and rolled her eyes.
Normally, his month-about- mistresses gleefully accepted his proposal because sharing a duke’s bed for a month would set them up for the rest of their lives. Apart from the financial benefits, he was a generous lover. One benefit of his abnormal upbringing had been an early and full education into what women wanted in a bed partner. Until the Countess had laughed at him, he’d never had reason to doubt his sexual prowess. In the brief time she’d been in his house, she’d challenged several of his beliefs.
“It’s the ideal solution.” And something he needed. “I will help you search my grandfather’s boxes by day and, in exchange, you’ll make yourself available to me in the evenings.” Max waited, unsure what to expect. An odd situation for a man who prided himself on reading adversaries as easily as he tallied the accounts. books2read.com/suziloveFTAV
Four Times A Virgin: The Duke of Stirkton was accustomed to being watched, but no one had dared ridicule him before tonight. #HistoricalMystery #RegencyRomance #EroticRomance #ReadARegency books2read.com/suziloveFTAV Share on X
Lover of Jane Austen and the Regency Era fashions? History Notes Book 25. #JaneAusten #RegencyFashion #HistoricalFashion books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1801-1804
Continue reading →1826 Cartoon: A squeeze at Carlton Palace in Bridgerton and Jane Austen times. From Regency Social Life. #JaneAusten #Bridgerton #Cartoon #England https://books2read.com/suziloveYGD
Continue reading →1816 August. Morning Dress in Bridgerton or Jane Austen style, English. White high-waisted dress worn with a blue striped spencer, blue boots, and a white hat white blue trim. Fashion Plate via Lady’s Magazine.
Description Spencer: Short jackets worn for warmth over the high-waisted Empire style gowns that were popular after the French Revolution, where there was a shift away from opulence and decadence to simpler fashion. This jacket with very short bodice and long sleeves was known as a Spencer and was named after the male coat made famous by the Earl Spencer and said to have originated in accident to Lord Spencer in hunting when coat tails torn off and a cropped jacket was invented. The dresses in the early 1800s therefore became looser, lighter, and flowing and women became cold due to their very low cut and short bodices. Short fitted jackets that went easily over the dresses and provided extra modesty and some warmth. As Europe and many other parts of the world were deep in wars in the late 1700s and early 1800s, men in uniform were found everywhere. In support of these military men, fashions leaned towards military style shoulder paddings, shoulder embellishments, loops, buttons, and braids.
