1820 Lapdesk, English. Exterior covered in metal with a lacquer finish and edged with stamped and gold lacquered brass strips. Interior veneered in kingwood with plush velvet writing surface. walpoleantiques.com
1827 ca. Gentleman’s Dressing Box, London. Mahogany box with brass carrying handles, lid opens to velvet and leather interior with twelve engraved silver topped bottles, all with an engraving of an oak tree engraving, ivory handled cut throat razors, scissors, boot pulls, tongue scraper, section for letters etc. Top tray lifts out to another tray of tools. via Antique Tea Caddies, U.K.
Craftsmen created containers of precious metals, leather, and silks and decorated them with jewels and engraving. Jane Austen and her contemporaries would have used writing boxes, linen boxes when travelling, boxes to hold their food and drink supplies while traveling by carriage, and decorative boxes to keep letters, ribbons, gloves, hairpins etc. Boxes, Cases, and Necessaires By Suzi Love, History Notes Book 11. books2read.com/suziloveBoxesCases.
1808 Silver Wax Jack, Irish. By Robert Breading (active 1775–1822) Dublin. via suzilove.com and Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org
How did Jane Austen seal her letters? Wax was melted by lighting the tip of a coiled wax length. This is called a wax jack. The melted wax blob was placed on the outside of a letter or document. A personal desk seal or a fob seal was pressed into the wax to identify the sender or owner of the document. Aristocrat families had their own coat of arms and others may have had their initials or their name on the seal.
Craftsmen created containers of precious metals, leather, and silks and decorated them with jewels and engraving. Jane Austen and her contemporaries would have used writing boxes, linen boxes when travelling, boxes to hold their food and drink supplies while traveling by carriage, and decorative boxes to keep letters, ribbons, gloves, hairpins etc. Boxes, Cases, and Necessaires By Suzi Love, History Notes Book 11. books2read.com/suziloveBoxesCases.
How did people travel in Jane Austen and Bridgerton years? What did they take with them to make their long journeys easier? Travel by road, ship, canal, or railway all took a long time and had dangers so people learned to prepare. And then, in the nineteenth century, road improvements, inventions, and scientific developments made travel more pleasurable. Travel and Luggage By Suzi Love History Notes Book 10 books2read.com/SuziLoveTravel
Horse Power To Steam. Various alternatives to horse power were tested in London’s streets during the 19th century. Steam powered road engines and trams proved too heavy and damaged the roads. Stationary steam engines were used to haul trams attached to a cable but these were only really effective on hills that we too steep for horses. There were also experiments with trams driven gas engines and battery electric power. but was successfully developed. Petrol engines were still primitive and unreliable in the 1890s. In 1900 the reliable horse still dominated the streets of London but new technology was to revolutionize road transport.
19th Century Late. Sterling Silver Five Piece Writing or Desk Set, Peru (under German Company). Hinged cut crystal inkwell with beveled edges, wheel cut starburst at base, wax seal with blank matrix, blotter, dip pen and letter opener. Each with guilloche enamel featuring yellow rose with lush green leaves on pale blue background, trimmed with a lighter shade of blue enamel. Dip pen with allover pale blue guilloche enamel, pen nib marked 14k Gold Plated.
![19th Century Late SterlingSilverFivePieceWritingorDeskSetPeru_Dippenwithpaleblueguillocheenamel_pennib14kGoldPlatedbatch.jpg ]
19th Century Late. Sterling Silver Five Piece Writing or Desk Set, Peru (under German Company). Hinged cut crystal inkwell with beveled edges, wheel cut starburst at base, wax seal with blank matrix, blotter, dip pen and letter opener. Each with guilloche enamel featuring yellow rose with lush green leaves on pale blue background, trimmed with a lighter shade of blue enamel. Dip pen with allover pale blue guilloche enamel, pen nib marked 14k Gold Plated.](https://suzilove.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/writing_19th_century_late_writing-and-desk-setperu_lge-1_lge_sml.jpg?w=554)
18th – 19th Century Seals For Letters and Posting. Used to seal hand written letters in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Definition: Wax Seals: Pressed onto a letter or envelope to show that a document is unopened or to verify the sender’s identity. A signet ring or was seal is pressed into a dollop of hot wax to seal a letter or envelope closed.
What did the lady of the house use to pen notes in Bridgerton and Jane Austen’s years? What sat on the desk of Jane Austen’s male contemporaries when they managed household and estate accounts? books2read.com/SuziLoveWritingTools. Writing Tools, History Notes Book 13.
Love the charming chatelaines and chains women wore in Jane Austen’s and Bridgerton’s times? Check out this fascinating read! #bridgerton #janeausten #chatelaine #suzilovebooks books2read.com:SuziLoveChatelaines
The Bridgerton women and Jane Austen and contemporaries carried keys, writing tools, sewing items and other personal necessities on their person by long chains, or a chatelaine, that hung from their waist. Early chatelaines were simple essentials but later chatelaines were decorative and expensive. http://books2read.com/SuziLoveChatelaines
Definition Chatelaine: The word Chatelaine is French and means the keeper of the keys. Chatelaine” derives from the Latin word for castle. In Medieval times, the chatelaine was in charge of the day-to-day running of the castle. Women in charge of households dangled long chains from their waists to keep essentials within easy reach e.g. keys, notebook and pen, watch, sewing items, vinaigrette or perfume, or magnifying glass. Early chatelaine were simple essentials. Later chatelaine were decorative and expensive. books2read.com/SuziLoveChatelaines
What did a chatelaine do? Most important task was keeper of the keys. Also ordered supplies, did bookkeeping, supervised servants, taught castle children, and organized guests.
What were chatelaines used for?
