“Bells are musics laughter.” By Thomas Hood (1799-1845), British poet and humorist.
Bells hold a long time association with Christmas. In Victorian times, carol singers used small handbells to play the tune of the carol. Sometimes there were bells without singing – Church bells are rung after sunset to signal the start of the Christmas Eve service, the first of Christmas. In England, the bellman goes round at midnight ringing his bell, and rattling off a stanza or two, for the gratuity which he confidently anticipates; while watchmen, firemen, rate-collectors, postmen, chimney-sweeps, street scavengers, the errand-boys of your baker, butcher, poultry merchant, and green-grocer, even to the hired singers in the churches all expect their Christmas-box. In Victorian times, carol singers used small hand bells to play the tune of the carol and sometimes there were bells without singing. Church bells are rung after sunset to signal the start of the Christmas Eve service, the first of Christmas.
The Bellman
The Bellman stands full face, shouting with wide-open mouth and ringing his hand-bell.
In his left hand he holds out his verses headed by a little figure of Napoleon wearing a huge tricorne and holding a gigantic sword:
‘This little Boney-says he’ll come At merry Christmas time,
But that I say is all a hum Or I no more will rhyme
Some say in Wooden house he’ll glide, Some say in air Balloon,
E’en those who airy schemes deride. Agree his coming soon.
Now honest people list to me, Though Income is but small, I’ll bet my Wig, to one Penney, He does not come at all.’ Hand-colored etching and aquatint.
At the end of the winter term, schoolmasters would set their pupils to work on Christmas Pieces, samplers of writing on superior paper with engraved borders, to show parents how they had progressed during the year. By about 1820, the engraved borders were enhanced with color and the children’s pieces became more decorative.
However, the custom of sending cards at Christmas was started in the United Kingdom in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole. Postage had been standardized three years earlier and Cole was a civil servant who had played a key role in initiating Uniform Penny Post. He wanted ordinary people to become more interested in the new ‘Public Post Office’. With his artist friend John Horsley, they designed the first card which was issued from a periodical, Felix Summerley’s Home Treasury, and were sold for 1 shilling each.
The card was lithographed, hand-colored, had three panels and was in a rustic frame of carved wood and ivy. The outer two panels showed people caring for the hungry and the naked. The centre panel showed a family of three generations having Christmas dinner, although the temperate classes strongly objected to the idea of a child being given a glass of wine with dinner.
1843 First Christmas Card ever Printed. Vintage Christmas Card.
New railways carried more post, and a lot faster, than a horse and carriage so the Post Office offered a Penny stamp. Cards became even more popular when they could be posted in an unsealed envelope for one halfpenny. Christmas cards became truly popular when printing improved and cards could be produced in large numbers, around 1860. By the early 1900s, the custom had spread over Europe and especially in Germany.
Early cards usually pictured Nativity scenes, but in the late Victorian times, robins and snow-scenes became popular because the postmen wore red uniforms and were nicknamed ‘Robin Postmen’. Snow-scenes were also popular because they were a reminder of the very bad winter of 1836.
Snow scenes reflected the snowy and often harsh northern hemisphere winters when opening and reading Christmas cards was an enjoyable family experience. In 1860, Charles Goodall & Son, a British publisher of visiting cards, began mass producing cards to be used for visits during the Christmas period. These Christmas and New Year’s visiting cards were decorated with simple designs such as a twig of holly or flowers.
Sales of cards grew and designs and sizes changed. The first cards were meant to appeal to the masses and encourage them to send large numbers by post, so rather than focus on religious images, they showed sentimental or humorous images of family and children, fanciful designs of flowers, fairies, or reminders of the approach of spring. Religious themes of nativity scenes, children looking at the manger, or angels and candles remain popular to the modern day.
Cards could be shaped like bells, a fan, a crescent, a circle, or a diamond and were folding, decorated with jewels, iridescent, embossed, and carried either simple Christmas and New Year greetings or had verses and carols written in them. The next year, Mr W.C.T. Dobson produced a sketch symbolizing the ‘Spirit of Christmas’ which sold many more than the previous thousand and the novelty caught on.
Many artists became famous for their annual illustrations that became postcards and cards. Printing technology became more advanced in the age of industrialisation and the price of card production dropped. With the introduction of the halfpenny postage rate, the Christmas card industry industry increased until in 1880 11.5 million cards were produced.
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
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.”
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
1799-1810 ca. Cotton Muslin Gown, Probably American. White cotton embroidered muslin, probably Bengal, all over sprigged broderie anglaise decoration,short sleeve with three pairs of inside ties to adjust the double-puff, ruffled edge, back tie at neckline and waist, ruched band above the slightly trained hem with scalloped sawtooth border and with cotton bodice lining. via whitakerauction.smugmug.com
These lightweight white cotton dresses were fashionable in Jane Austen’s times, but they were certainly not warm when a lady was out walking or when riding in a carriage. Numerous outer layers could be added for warmth and to brighten and personalize an outfit. These might be an overdress, pelisse or redingote, hat, shawl, gloves, or large fur muff.
The Empire dress which evolved in the late 1790s began as a chemise shift gathered under the breasts and at the neck. Named after the First Empire in France, by 1800 Empire dresses had a very low décolleté, or neckline and a short narrow backed bodice attached to a separate skirt. 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 simple cotton high-waisted dress was worn most days and accessorized according to the importance of the occasion.
Christmas pudding originated as a 14th century porridge called ‘frumenty’ , made of beef and mutton with raisins, currants, prunes, wines and spices. Often more like soup, it was eaten as a fasting meal in preparation for Christmas festivities. By 1595, frumenty changed into a plum pudding thickened with eggs, breadcrumbs, dried fruit and flavoured with beer and spirits. It became the customary Christmas dessert around 1650, but in 1664 the Puritans banned it as a bad custom. In 1714, King George I re-established it as part of the Christmas meal, having tasted and enjoyed Plum Pudding.
“In December, the principal household duty lies in preparing for the creature comforts of those near and dear to us, so as to meet old Christmas with a happy face, a contented mind, and a full larder; and in stoning the plums, washing the currants, cutting the citron, beating the eggs, and mixing the pudding, a housewife is not unworthily greeting the genial season of all good things.” Via 1861 Beeton’s Book of Household Management.
The Sunday closest to St. Andrew’s Day was Stirring-up Sunday, and the day to prepare the family’s Christmas pudding. The eldest member of the household or a visitor would give the first stir and charms were stirred into the pudding. A ring meant a coming marriage, a button was bachelorhood, a thimble meant spinsterhood, and a sixpence was good luck. Puddings were steamed in a pudding bag and stored in a cool place until Christmas Day.
1800-1820 ca. Man’s Everyday Oatmeal Colored Wool Suit With Breeches. Can you picture Jane Austen’s male relatives and friends wearing this? Oatmeal colored double breasted cutaway style coat with velvet collar, steel buttons, rear flap pockets, back vent flanked by stitched down pleats having top and bottom button detail, glazed linen lining. Fall front tan breeches having three button front, small side buttons, back lacing waistband with pocket, four buttons above buttoned cuff, front lined in green linen. via Whitaker Auction whitakerauction.smugmug.com
1836-1840 ca. Floral Print Cotton Dress With Silk Satin Piping, English. Cotton printed in soft pink, red, white, and green floral motif on light brown, edged with green silk satin piping and lined with linen and cotton. Sleeves tightly gathered, loose at elbow, skirt gathered from tight fitting bodice edged with green satin piping. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.From the Museum: Soft colours and floral patterns are a distinctive feature of many 1830s day dresses. Here, pink, red and white flowers harmonise with the brown ground and green piping. The construction of the sleeves is also interesting as they are tightly gathered at the top and loose around the elbow. This accentuates the slope of the shoulder and the tightness of the wrist.
1797 Elegant Couple Dancing At A Ball. Man: Bottle green tailcoat, yellow knee breeches, white stockings, red vest and black dancing slippers. Lady: White spotted dress with a pale pink overdress open at the front, high belted waist, red and green turban and a parure, or jewelry set. via Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.