19th Century Rock-Crystal Desk-Seal, Russian. Fluted handle with domed top carved with oak leaves, matrix engraved with Imperial double-headed eagle within collar of Order of St Andrew, on ermine mantle and surmounted by the Imperial crown. via Christie’s Auction Rooms. christies.com. The type of seals that would have been on desks in Jane Austen’s times for sealing and identifying letters.
1806-1809 ca. Unissued One Pound Banknote. Issued in Alton, Hampshire, UK. The type of currency used by Jane Austen and her brother when dealing with the family’s finances. Issuer Alton Bank. Unissued banknote. (obverse) Emblem with initials, floral design and crown on top at left. Text at centre. Design printed in black. via British Museum.
A pound was a lot of money for the majority of people during the Regency, so the general population didn’t trust flimsy paper banknotes. A metal coin held its value in gold or silver, whereas paper banknotes were easily lost or damaged and very easy to forge. The original banknotes were merely a piece of paper that promised payment for a set amount and were issued by individual banks. The Bank of England used these notes from its inception in 1694 and regional banks continued issuing them until the changes to the Act in 1844. By the mid 1700s, notes started to become standardized, with ten and five pound notes appearing, but as they were all hand-lettered and signed they were viewed with skepticism. Most transactions were therefore done with metal coins, with many shopkeepers routinely biting down on a coin to ensure it was legitimate.
1800s Silver and Carved Mother of Pearl Writing and Desk Set, French. Wax Seal, Dip Pen and Letter Opener in the style that Jane Austen would have used to write her novels and her letters. via Ruby Lane Antiques. rubylane.com
1750 ca. Spanish colonial ‘escritorio’, or writing desk, Columbia. Bone and mother of pearl inlay, hand etched sgraffito and original hand forged iron hinges. Interior has checkerboard drop front and ten compartments, each with original 18th century drawer pulls. Facade over-layed in mother of pearl with hand etched city-scapes, cathedrals, geometric patterns and foliate motifs. Interior has hand carved and gilt wood columns. Via Live Auctions ~ liveauctioneers.com
1800s French Palais Royal Sewing Box and Twelve Mother of Pearl Enamel Tools. This is the style of sewing box Jane Austen and her family would have used in the early 1800s, or Regency years. via via suzilove.com and 1st Dibs Auctions 1stdibs.com
Definition: Palais Royal: Name of an area around the Royal Palace in Paris, France, that specialized in making small and exquisite works of art during the 18th and 19th centuries. Palais Royal sewing tools were elaborate and usually feature mother-of-pearl, often intricately carved or engraved. During the 19th century, workboxes were often works of art with engravings, carvings, mother-of-pearl, and elaborate gilt metal mounts. Most popular were scissors with steel blades and gilt mounts, thimbles and needle cases which were often shaped like animals or other natural forms. Workmanship was exceptional and the tools almost too fragile to use.
1810 Sarcophagus Shaped Inkstand, British. Inkstand is made in the shape of a sarcophagus. Ink pots and a tray for the quill. In Jane Austen’s time, young gentlemen went on their “Grand Tour’ to gain education and experience and they sent, or brought back, unique and decorative items to represent their travels. Often, these decorative items were copied by British manufacturers to sell for the home market. via Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. mfa.org
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1800s Typical Food Served and Table Settings Used. Historic food from Mrs. Beeton’s Household Management, 1882 Warne’ s Model Housekeeper, London, U.K., 1892 Cassel’s Dictionary of Cookery.
1805 Lady With Her Sketching Portfolio In Half Dress, French. White, At-Home, High-waisted, relaxed & flowing dress with white cap and pink flowers to match, long gloves, slippers. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien. Definition Caps: Worn as morning caps, night caps, or under other hats. Jane Austen and her family and female friends would have worn caps like these, sometimes during the morning at home, to bed to keep their long hair from becoming knotted, or under a bonnet to hold a hairstyle in place. Caps sometimes had hanging ties, or tails, and were also called ‘follow me lads’, or ‘flirtation ribbons’. Or flaps covering theirs called Lappets. Magazine Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien, French. French fashion magazine published between 1797 and 1839 and second oldest fashion magazine published in France. Pierre de la Mesangere was editor and published every five days, which is why there is an abundance of French fashion plates from these years in France and internationally.
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19th Century Inkwell and Tomb of the Scipios Grand Tour Souvenir, Italian. The type of Grand Tour souvenir collected by travelers in Jane Austen and Bridgerton Times.
Siena marble with ink wells and pen holder. Lid removes to reveal pair of ink wells and pen holder. Scipios were a family of Roman war heroes and generals. Tomb of Scipios erected around 150 B.C.E and copied many times. 18th-19th Centuries, tomb models were favorites of Grand Tour souvenir hunters. The sort of exotic item a gentleman in Jane Austen’s times might send back to England during his Grand Tour of Europe and Asia. via 1st Dibs Auctions 1stdibs.com
