1896 Sainted Prince Vladimir. Porcelain egg. Oval medallion on a golden background depicts Vladimir-wearing crown, a red mantle, and holding a cross. https://books2read.com/suziloveEasterAfter the painting by Victor Vasnetsov. Imperial Porcelain Factory, St Petersburg. Porcelain, overglaze polychrome painting and gilding/ Height: 11.4 cmOn the one side in an oval medallion on a golden background with plant ornament is a depiction of the Sainted Prince Vladimir wearing a crown and red mantle and holding a cross. The green frame is embellished with a garland of leaves. On the reverse, in another green frame with a garland of leaves on a pale blue background is an ornamented Greek cross with Christ Pantocrator in the centre. A pattern of stars and rosettes surrounds the cross.The prototype for the painting was the image of St Vladimir created by Victor Vasnetsov in St Vladimir’s Cathedral in Kiev.
The Palace of St. Cloud belongs to the Duke of Orleans, is situated on the declivity of a mountain washed by the Seine. . . . The view from the house is delightful. By Harry Peckham, A Tour through Holland and Part of France
The 1789 inventory of Saint-Cloud records the entire suite in the queen’s Cabinet de Toilette, or dressing room. The set is upholstered in white cotton twill, embroidered with a small floral ornament in silk. Known to have worked on needlepoint projects all her life, Marie-Antoinette did the embroidery herself. The colorful floral embroidery on the light cotton ground conveys a sense of summer, the season Marie-Antoinette preferred to spend at Saint-Cloud. via Epigraph. Peckham 1788, p. 199.
1890-1900s Porcelain Easter Egg. Inscription “Christ is risen!”. The Kornilov Brothers Factory, St Petersburg. Via Hermitage Museum Faberge Easter Egg, Russia. books2read.com/suziloveEaster
A porcelain Easter egg from the 1890–1900s featuring the inscription “Christ is risen!” was a traditional Russian Orthodox Easter gift. They were produced by both the Kornilov Brothers Factory and the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St. Petersburg. The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg has a large collection of Imperial-era porcelain Easter eggs. These eggs were exchanged, hung on ribbons, or placed on stands during Easter as a symbol of life’s renewal. The words “Christ is Risen!” was a traditional Russian Easter greeting.
1930-1939 ca. Louis Vuitton Wardrobe Trunk. Monogrammed coat hangers, leather handle.1930-19391930-1939 ca. Louis Vuitton Steamer Trunk.18th Century Late – 19th Century Early. Hide covered, two tier traveling chest or box. Via Bonham’s Auctions.17th Century Iron Trunk With Locking Mechanism. 1900s Early Bags and Suitcases.
1st Dibs Auctions. 1859 ca. Packing Case or Trunk By Louis Vuitton, French. Iron trim, wooden slats, brass studs and locks.17th – 20th Centuries Luggage For Travel. #RegencyEra #VictorianEra #EdwardianEra books2read.com/SuziLoveTravel Share on XHN_10_D2D_RetailerBuyLink_ History Notes Book 10 books2read.com/SuziLoveTravel
1899-1903 ca. Spring Flowers Imperial Surprise Faberge Easter Egg. Gold, platinum diamonds, bowenite, white agate, demantoid, garnets, and enamel. By Mikhail Perhkin. Via Viktor Vekselberg Collection in Russia. Faberge Easter Egg, Russia. Faberge Easter Egg, Russia.
While writing about perfumes and oils, a favourite subject of mine, for my book, Scenting Scandal, I sniffed out some fascinating snippets on the history of early perfume suppliers in London. I have a nose for these things ( He He!) as in my past life I also blended oils and perfumes.  One name stood out in historic London- Juan Floris.
He opened his shop at 89 Jerym St. in the elegant quarter of St. James’ London soon after his arrival from the Mediterranean in 1730. After starting as a barber and comb-maker, he missed the aromas of his Mediterranean youth and began blending oils, essences and fixatives, from Europe, into the first Floris fragrances.
‘ Purveyors of The Finest Perfumes & Toiletries to the Court of St James’ Since the Year 1730.’
In the same manner that Fortnum & Mason held Royal Warrants to supply groceries to the Royals, Floris held Royal Warrants to supply perfumes, shaving items and toiletries.
The first Royal Warrant granted to J.Floris Ltd was in 1820 as ‘Smooth Pointed Comb-makers’ to the then newly appointed King George IV. Then, the social elite followed the court until the Floris ledgers held accounts for an array of public figures, including practically every European Royal. Combs, tooth brushes and mouth washes were greatly valued by the company’s elite clientele.
These days, and at the same premises, Floris still supplies royalty and world celebrities with an array of fragrances and bathroom accessories.
The Floris archives hold letters from famous customers detailing their preferences and their thanks, including the following examples:
Winston Churchill, according to records held by Floris, purchased Special No. 127 Eau de Toilette and Stephanotis in 1934.
Marilyn Monroe was also known to have purchased from Floris on at least one occasion, having made a purchase of Rose Geranium while staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel, California in 1959.
Florence Nightingale wrote a 25 July 1863 letter thanking Mr Floris for his ‘sweet-smelling nosegay’.
Mary Shelley, whilst abroad, sent friends instructions to purchase her favourite combs and toothbrushes from Floris.
Beau Brummell in the early 19th century would discuss his current fragrances at length with Mr Floris.
Between 1820 and 1840 textile printers began to produce designs that were based on the woven silk dress fabrics of the 1750’s. Designs showing curving trails of lace or ribbons between bouquets of flowers became as popular in the 1830s as they had been in the 18th century.
Roller Printed Cotton.
The pattern on printed cotton was made with an engraved metal roller and additional colors were built up by wooden surface roller. Roller printing on textiles was introduced in the late 18th century and at first used mainly for small-patterned dress fabrics. By the 1830s, roller printing was highly mechanized process and had largely replaced block printing for fashionable furnishings.
Materials and Making The development of roller printing coincided with a radical transformation in the dyestuffs available for printing on cotton. Until the beginning of the 19th century printing had been based on the use of vegetable dyes. In Britain, France and Germany new chemical processes were developed and mineral colors produced that transformed the palette of colors available to the printer and made combinations such as shades of pink and orange possible.
Design and Designing The false trails of lace and bouquets of flowers in the fabric are inspired by the patterns of woven silks from nearly a century earlier. Changing taste made this design suitable for furnishing a room in the 1830s, while the 18th-century silk that was its inspiration would have been intended for a woman’s gown.
Time The styles considered fashionable in 1830s furnishings were widely diverse. Among the more recognisable historical references were Rococo, Elizabethan and Gothic. A design such as this seems to be relying on novelty of effect for its success.
1911 Orange Tree, or, Bay Tree Faberge Imperial Easter Egg. Gift to Maria from her son. Automaton nightingale emerges and sings when the correct orange is turned. Gold, jade, diamonds, vitrines, amethysts, rubies, pearls, agates, and bird has feathers. Faberge Easter Egg, Russia.
1806 Silver and silver-gilt vinaigrette, Birmingham, England. Commemorating the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Rectangular with a hinged lid and a suspension loop. Gilded, pierced inner cover depicts HMS ‘Victory’ in relief inscribed ‘VICTORY’, ‘TRAFALGAR OCT 21 1805’. Via National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, U.K.
Vinaigrettes were used from the late 18th century through the 19th Century to revive a person who had fainted, having the vapors, or to mask unsanitary odors. Small containers, often a silver hinged box, held a tiny sponge dipped in an aromatic substance which had been dissolved in vinegar. The sponge was held beneath a grill or perforated cover so, by a flick of the fingers, the container was opened and the restorative substance held directly beneath a person’s nose. Jane Austen and her family and friends would have been very familiar with the use of vinaigrettes because Regency Era ladies were noted for having the vapors or fainting in hot ballrooms or dramatic situations. Ladies in the Romantic and Victorian Eras would have used them when tightly laced corsets became popular and ladies fainted because they were unable to draw in enough oxygen.
Both men and women used vinaigrettes in the late 1700s when people encountered foul aromas on a daily basis, but by the 1820s vinaigrettes were mainly used by women.These tiny containers were carried in a pocket, a reticule or bag, or suspended from the waist by chains as part of a chatelaine. Their sterling silver interiors were gilded to prevent discoloration from the acetic acid. Birmingham produced 90% of England’s silver vinaigrettes. As gold wasn’t affected by vinegar, craftsmen created some elaborate and decorative boxes on the container’s exteriors.
