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.
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.
1840s Opera Boots, British. Black leather with suede leg and silk bow, hand and machine sewn. via
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
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.
1887 Resurrection Imperial Faberge Egg. Yellow gold, rock crystal, rose-cut-diamonds, pearls, brilliant diamonds and various colored enamels. One of Faberge’s masterpieces and is essentially a jewel.
Pleasure House ball Book 3 Irresistible Aristocrats books2read.com/suzilovePHB.
Lady Lillian Armstrong’s mind raced, scrabbling for an excuse for being here. Shock held her captive. Her best friend stood behind her and he’d recognized her, despite the pains she and Maggie had taken with their enormous masks and gowns purchased from the dressmaker who designed flamboyant gowns for courtesans. Lord Mallory, Brenton, was the last person she’d expect to meet at a ball for procuring a mistress.
Maggie, her companion and procurer of ball invitations, had assured her that the majority of gentlemen attending tonight would be vetted acquaintances of Lord Browning’s. Gentlemen on the lookout for a new mistress, young men eager to exchange their quarterly allowances for a brief affair with a rising star in courtesan circles, or men with aspirations of wealth who hoped to afford a full time mistress in the next year or two.
Brenton didn’t fit any of those categories, or perhaps she was mistaken and he lived an entirely different life than the one she saw. He’d barely ventured ten miles from his estate in the past five or six years and preferred evenings at home with his daughter to roaming London’s streets with his peers, gambling at clubs, or getting drunk and visiting brothels. She lifted her fan to her face and waved air across her heated cheeks, not wanting her male admirers to notice her distress. Maggie had promised that all conversations and connections were incognito, so Lillian wouldn’t be recognized as the duke’s disgraced daughter, giving her an opportunity to let the repressed side of Lillian to fly free.
The last thing she needed was a serious conversation with Brent, or to have him criticize or interfere in the outrageous night she and her companion had planned. Maggie’s twelve months of wearing depressing black and pretending to grieve for a man who’d been cruel and abusive had almost destroyed her, so she’d urged Lillian to avoid her mistakes. Advised Lillian to avoid spending months in seclusion and under censure from ignorant family members. Urged Lillian to do something rash and abnormal. Something to clear her mind and soul of the stink of her husband’s infidelity, uncontrolled spending, and irrational actions.
Pleasure House ball Book 3 Irresistible Aristocrats books2read.com/suzilovePHB.
1898 Lilies Of The Valley Imperial Faberge Easter Egg, Russia. An imperial Easter egg presented by Nicholas II to his wife, Empress Alexandra Fiodorovna, for Easter 1898. Gold, diamonds, rubies and pink guilloché enamel with lily-of-the-valley flowers (pearls/diamonds) and contains a hidden portrait. From The Fabergé firm, St Petersburg made by Michael Perchin. Height is 20 cm opened. Via Collection of the Fund ‘The Link of Times’.
The name Faberge is associated with the Russian Imperial family for whom most of the world’s most famous eggs were created. In 1870, Faberge inherited his father’s jewelry business and quickly became known for his brilliant designs. A display of his work and the gold medal he was awarded in Moscow’s Pan-Russian Exhibition of 1882 brought him to the attention of the Russian nobility.
In 1885, Faberge was commissioned by Tsar Alexander III of Russia to create an Easter egg for his wife, the Empress Maria Fedorovna. This became known as The Hen Egg, the first Imperial Faberge Egg, and is made of gold. The Empress was so happy with the gift that Alexander appointed Fabergé a ‘Goldsmith by Special Appointment to the Imperial Crown’ and the following year commissioned another egg. From then on, Faberge was given complete freedom with future Imperial designs which become even more elaborate every year. A famous Fabergé egg is one of sixty eight jeweled eggs made by Fabergé and his assistants for the Russian Tzars and private collectors between 1885 and 1917.
After the Russian Revolution, the House of Faberge was nationalized by the Bolsheviks and the Faberge family fled to Switzerland where Peter Carl Faberge died in 1920. Several of the Faberge Imperial eggs are still missing.
1818 Brown Silk Dress, English. Regency Fashion. Empire style, high-waisted dress with long sleeves, and with dark brown velour trim on the square neckline and hem. via The Metropolitan Museum, New York City, USA. metmuseum.org
Definition Empire Style Dress: Named after the First Empire in France. Empire dresses had a low neckline and skirts started directly under the bust and flowed into the classical relaxed wide styles of Greece and Rome. This style of dress is associated with Jane Austen and her contemporaries as a high-waisted dress was worn most days. Cotton, silk or taffeta were the popular fabrics. Only the very wealthy could afford white dress in this style as the cottons were imported from India and had to be carefully cleaned, usually by a lady’s maid.
19th Century Second Half. Paper Mache Easter Egg, Russian.#Easter Resurrection of Christ, Cathedral of Christ the Savior. via Hermitage Museum, Russia. hermitagemuseum.org
