1812 Two Ladies, French. Orange sleeveless Redingote over a white dress with high neck frill and interesting sleeves. High-waisted white dress with blue pattern on the short sleeves and hem. Both with gloves, matching bonnets and shoes. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
1788 Armchair or bergère en cabriolet. Part of a set by Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené (French, 1748–1803). Made for Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, for her Cabinet de Toilette in Palace of Saint-Cloud, France. Carved, painted and gilded walnut; modern cotton twill embroidered in silk. Made for Marie-Antoinette’s dressing room at the château de Saint Cloud. The queen’s initials are carved on the top rail.
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
Louis XVI purchased the country residence of the duc d’Orléans a few miles west of Paris for Marie-Antoinette in 1785. Being in need of renovation, the palace was enlarged and altered for the queen, and many pieces of furniture were commissioned from Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené. A member of an important dynasty of Parisian chairmakers, Sené had been appointed menuisier to the Crown in 1784.
A 1788 description of this set, four matching armchairs and a stool, shows that it was for one of Marie-Antoinette’s private rooms at Saint-Cloud, her Cabinet Particulier. Frame of the daybed embellished with carving of ivy and garlands of roses, ionic capitals on the short legs and Egyptian female half-figures on tapering supports. These figures express the queen’s taste for ornaments from ancient Egyptian art, well before Napoléon’s North African campaign made it fashionable. The bergère, or armchairs, has a medallion on top with Marie-Antoinette’s initials framed by myrtle branches and roses. The matching screen has classical female figures on its feet and top rail.
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.
1840 London.
Lady Rebecca Jamison ticked off numbers on the fingers of one revolting brown glove. “First, I’m not a thief. Second, I’m not a courtesan needing coin. Third, I’ve never been your mistress.” She looked down at her maid’s drab clothes, shuddered. “And if the women you’re taking to your bed dress this shabbily, I suggest you raise your standards.”
The Duke of Sherwyn drew several shuddering breaths. “Correct, on all counts. Now, appease my burning curiosity. What deception did you employ to hoodwink my servant?”
One shoulder lifted in the semblance of a shrug. “Oh, that! A child’s ploy. I laid coins on the fourth step and paid a street urchin to knock on your door and then run. When your gatekeeper bent to retrieve the coins, I slipped around the door and inside.”
Incredulity, then infuriation, surrendered to mirth. The simplicity of her ruse, alongside her detached style of recounting her deception, startled him into a snort of amusement.
“Huh! My ever-vigilant butler diverted by the sight of a few pennies.”
“Oh, no, not mere pennies. Gleaming new gold coins. Rest easy. Your servant’s momentary distraction cost me a high price.”
He lifted his hand to hide his smirk. Since he’d become Sherwyn, Jenner’s behavior vacillated between extreme formality due a duke or nose-lifting disdain owed to the family’s black sheep. This chink in Jenner’s polished armor pleased him.
He dipped his head, and said, “I bow to your finesse as a trickster. Now for my next pressing question. Why are you here?”
“I need your assistance.”
He grinned. “Ah, so once again your white knight is being asked to draw an imaginary sword and defend your ladyship’s honor.”
She groaned. “If only things were still as uncomplicated as in our childhood games.”
Embracing Scandal, Book 1, Scandalous Siblings Series. https://books2read.com/suziloveES
Four Times A Virgin: “Are you suffering some sort of aliment in your abdomen, Your Grace?” #RegencyRomance #HistoricalMystery #ReadARegency #HistoricalEroticRomancebooks2read.com/suziloveFTAV
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20th Century Early Easter Egg. Side 1. The Resurrection of Christ. The Descent into
Limbo. Side 2. The Most Orthodox Prince St. Vladimir. Made By Lukutin Factory
Russia. Papier-mache and silk, painted in oil gilded and lacquered.
The production of the famous Fabergé jewelry firm that created eggs with surprises
from gold, silver and precious stones won the world recognition. Jewelry miniature eggs
were very popular gifts and objects of collecting among rich
Russians at the turn of the 20th century. They were used for making necklaces,
pendants and bracelets that were worn during the Easter Week according to the
well-established traditions.
Imperial and private fabrics and works, best artists, jewelers and craftsmen took part
in creating Easter souvenirs.
Wishing you a wonderful Easter from Suzi Love. French vintage Easter card.
1906 Swan Imperial Faberge Surprise Easter Egg. Commissioned by Tzar Nicholas II and presented to the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna for her 40th wedding anniversary. Faberge Easter Egg, Russia.
Captain Belling cleared his throat and turned to face Lady Melton. “I owe you an apology for not personally seeing to your comfort. I’ve not been at my most amicable recently. Our evacuation plans have changed five times in the past three days, because each messenger has brought worse news about conditions of the roads. Wellesley probably pictured us rounding up a fleet of comfortable carriages to transport the wounded to the coast, after which boats would magically whisk us across the Channel until, within a few days, the wounded would be under the care of a staff of competent physicians. Apparently, the first and largest batches of wounded soldiers managed that scenario and are, I hope, being loaded into the boats as we speak. Word is that the second group ran afoul of deserters on three separate occasions.”
“British or French?”
He shrugged. “Who knows? Men probably went rogue from many forces as soon as the battle turned and we became the winners. Napoleon was so confident of victory that he didn’t plan for retreat. So, retreating regiments were bottlenecked at the bridge at Sambre and soldiers ran away, rather than die during the chaos. Disenchanted soldiers from every country meet, form alliances, and will then kill without compunction, to stay free, or to appease their hunger for food and women. And every day, more will be on the roads.” When she stiffened, he said, “Don’t worry. Our messengers reported where they’d seen large groups, and we’ll avoid those roads.” She sat still as a statue and listened. “I’d like to get to London without killing anyone else, because I’m tired of the fighting, tired of wars.”
She shuffled a few inches back towards him and laid her hand on his knee. “I’m sorry that I’ve added to your problems.”
1807 Blue Walking Dress, French. Although this is a French fashion plate, this is the sort of dress that Jane Austen and her friends would have worn when walking together. Back bow, a train and black trim, a white hat with flowers and holding a looking glass. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
Definition Empire Style Dress: High-waisted white gown defined women’s fashion during the Regency Era. ‘Empire’ is the name given to the period when Napoleon Bonaparte built his French Empire. High-waisted, loose gowns were adopted by the aristocracy as a symbol of turning away from the fussy, elaborate and expensive clothing worn in the 1700s.
Definition Walking Dress: Worn for walking in a park or the country estate. This sort of outfit needed to be presentable and warm, but not overly accessorized.
Ordinary people began to celebrate Easter by sending postcards as gifts. At first, mainly religious pictures appeared on postcards. Then postcards images became more about real life and people. In the early 1900s, postcards became more fanciful and pretty for young children. Religious images were gradually replaced by images that children could understand and relate to about Easter.
Postcards then concentrated on images of chickens and eggs, symbolic of birth and rebirth such as chickens emerging from cracked shells as Christ emerged from the tomb. Children were then added to the images so cards became for something for the whole family. Children with chickens and eggs became very popular on postcards. Bunny rabbits became associated with Easter and children could relate to these as it fitted with their idea of the Easter bunny.
Ellen Clapsaddle (1865 – 1934). An American illustrator from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and recognized as the most prolific postcard and greeting card artist of her time. Her greatest success was single-faced cards that could be kept as souvenirs or mailed as postcards. These cards were highly prized particularly during the peak of the golden age of souvenir postcards from 1898 to 1915. She is credited with over 1000 designs in post cards and souvenir cards. Cards in the mid 1900s were created to send personal Easter messages to loved ones such as mothers and fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles and siblings. Artists from around the world began creating beautiful cards to share at Easter.
Jenny Eugenia Nyström (1854 – 1946) was a Swedish painter and illustrator who illustrated Easter postcards for, and about, children and happy ideas, especially European subjects.Jenny Nystrom (1884-1946)
