1807-1817 ca. Man’s Leather Breeches, American. These are the sort of pants that the men Jane Austen knew would have worn for riding or in the country. Drop front buttoned flap at the waist, a drawstring at the back waist to adjust waist size, and drawstrings and buttons at the calves to keep the breeches secure when worn with high boots. via Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org
19th Century Cross Letter or Cross Writing or Cross Hatching. The writer reached the bottom of the page, turned the paper sideways and adds a second layer of text. During the 19th century, paper was expensive and postal delivery was charged per page, or by the size of the paper. Cross-writing was a way to save paper and postage in Jane Austen and Bridgerton times, and many of Jane Austen’s letters were written this way. Once it becomes familiar, the mind adapts easily and cross-writing letters are surprisingly legible. Charles Darwin also favored this technique.
Rates of Postage of single Letters in Pence.
From any post-office in England or Wales, to any place not exceeding 15 miles from such office – – – 3
For any distance above 15, and not exceeding 30 miles — — 4
For any distance above 30, and not exceeding 50 miles — 5
For any distance above 50, and not exceeding 80 miles – 6
For any distance above 80, and not exceeding 12O miles — 7
For any distance above 120, and not exceeding 170 miles – 8
For any distance above 170, and not exceeding 230 miles — 9
For my distance above 230, and not exceeding 300 miles — — 10
For any distance above 300, and not exceeding 400 miles – 11
For any distance above 400, and nut exceeding 500 mites — 12
1802 Picture of London Printed for R. Phillips via Google Books (PD-180)
And so in proportion; the postage increasing progressively one penny for a single letter for every like excess ok distance of 100 miles. 1802 Picture of London Printed for R. Phillips via Google Books (PD-180)
The Twopenny Post- Office.
There are two principal offices, one in the General Post—office yard, Lombard—street and the other in Gerrard-street, Soho. There are also numerous receiving houses in both the town and country.
There are SI X collections and deliveries of letters in town daily, (Sundays excepted) and there are two dispatches from, and three deliveries at, most places in the country, within the limits of this office.
1802 Picture of London Printed for R. Phillips via Google Books (PD-180)
1826 The Dinner Party. Social Life. From 1826 The English Spy By Robert Cruikshank. via Google Books (PD-180).
An older lady usually controlled the servants and the serving of meals. For more about this, take a look at Older Lady’s Day Regency Life Series Book 5 by Suzi Love. Overview of what an older lady did, wore, and how she lived in the early 19th Century. Information for history buffs and pictures for readers and writers of historical fiction. books2read.com/suziloveOLD
Want To Know More About Georgian Era Men’s Fashions? Try History Notes Book 2 By Suzi Love. Fashion Men 1700s Late. books2read.com/suziloveFashMen1700 What was fashionable for men in the late 1700s? Extravagant colors and fabrics and outrageous styles. Take a look at their suits, hats, accessories and bedroom fashions.
What was fashionable for men in the late 1700s? Extravagant colors and fabrics and outrageous styles. Take a look at their suits, hats, accessories and bedroom fashions. Strictly speaking, the Georgian Era might include all the years that a ‘King George’ ruled in England, but for the purposes of this book the ‘Georgian Era’ is primarily the late 1700s when mad King George III ruled. His son became Prince Regent in the early 1800s, therefore creating the years known as the Regency, and became George IV on the death of his father.
The Georgian years officially ended with the death of King George IV in 1830.
1771 Tattersall’s Horse Training School, London, U.K. via Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection.
Tattersall’s was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall (1724–1795), the Duke Of Kingston’s stud groom in premises near Hyde Park Corner, London. Two Subscription rooms were designated for members of the Jockey Club and became a meeting place for sporting and betting men. ‘Old Tatt’ conducted sales for the Duke of Kingston’s stud in 1774 and the Prince of Wales, or Prinny, in 1786. The prince often visited Richard Tattersall who was succeeded by his son, Edmund Tattersall (1758–1810), who extended the business to France.
Do you need more factual and visual information for your historical fiction? Try History Notes Books 1-28. Non-fiction Series: Fashion, corsets, Regency Era, music and social manners in the 18th and 19th centuries e.g.
1780 Rolltop Desk, With Removable Legs Germany. By Master Furniture Maker, David Roentgen,German. Numerous woods including oak, pine, walnut, cherry, tulipwood, mahogany, plus gilt bronze, brass, steel and iron, marble and partially tooled and gilded leather. Marquetry motifs of flowers and gardening. Interior pigeonholes and drawers, exterior handles shaped like lion masks holding gilded rings. via Metropolitan Museum, N.Y.C., U.S.A. metmuseum.org
1800-1805 ca. White cotton petticoat of the sort worn by Jane Austen in the early 1800s. Worn under a sleeved, trained dress and over a loose knee length chemise and corset which covered the exposed bust area. The skirt of the petticoat has an apron front open down the side seams. Drawers were not commonly worn at the time. via The John Bright Collection. thejohnbrightcollection.co.uk
Petticoats were made to fit under the low cut bodices of the early 1800s fashions, and to not be seen under a wide and square bodice. This meant thin ribbons were sometimes attached at the shoulders so the petticoat would be virtually without a bodice.
1819 White Percale Dress, French. Deep hem of bubbly muslin, matching Percale Spencer or jacket, pink parasol and flowered straw hat. Spencer has short puffed sleeves over long straight sleeves and military style trimmings. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien. Even though this a French fashion plate, this is typical of the outdoor outfit worn by Jane Austen and her contemporaries when going outside. An Empire style, or high-waisted white cotton dress worn under a Spencer, or jacket, for warmth and with a parasol to protect fair complexions from the sun.
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.
Definition Percale or Perkale: From the Persian word pargalah. Fine cotton fabric, or cambric muslin of good quality, originally from India, generally bleached, printed and finished without gloss. Contains more dressing than ordinary muslin, but without the glossy finish of cambric and is printed in fancy patterns on white and colored grounds. In May 1816, Percale was commented on in Rudolph Ackermann’ Repository Of Arts, “Perkale, as they call cambric muslin, is now almost the only thing worn in the morning costume: you must not, however, fancy that this proceeds from a wish to encourage English manufacture, but partly from a love for novelty, and partly because it is less expensive than cambric, and equally fashionable.”