Such Language! Part 26

More lexigraphic levity and laughter, courtesy of the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Enjoy!

Mulligrubs: Low-spirited, having an imaginary sickness. My sister has a  thorough case of the mulligrubs since she found out that she wasn’t invited to the Duchess of Glubley’s ball.

Sing small: To be humbled, confounded, or abashed: to have little or nothing to say for one’s self. She’s having to sing small now after she told all her friends that the duchess’s son had asked her to open the ball with him.

Low tide: When there is no money in a man’s pocket. I had planned to buy you a splendid birthday gift, but alas! It is low tide with me this month.

Peery: Inquisitive, suspicious. Rich young Miss Colquhon’s guardian is so excessively peery that no one may dance more than once with her at any ball in a given week.

The Go: The dash. The mode. He is quite the go, he is quite varment, he is prime, he is bang up, are synonymous expressions. Young Mr. Mortimer thinks himself quite the go, but I fear none of his more fashionable friends share his opinion.

Ribroast: To beat. My grandmother gave Papa such a ribroasting at chess once that he still winces at the sight of black-and-white tiled floors.

Altitudes: The man is in his altitudes, i.e. he is drunk. Uncle Seymour may have retired from mountain-climbing years ago, but he regularly achieves his altitudes at his club of an evening with the help of the brandy decanter.

Free for All

It’s a time when many of us are finding ways to help our family and friends, and authors are giving back. Normally, I save my free online reads for my newsletter readers, but I’m offering them for anyone who is looking for a fun, easy read right now.

Debonair gentleman-turned-valet, Peter Quimby, stumbles upon his long-lost love about to marry a duke in “The Marriage Campaign,” sequel to the Master Matchmaker series. 

At Christmas, impoverished Eleanor Grasland reminds her former love, retired Major Sir Percival Nightincourt, of “A Light in the Darkness." 

In addition, the following Regency-set Kindle books are free right now (but may not be by the time you read this blog, so always check!):

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice 

Lady by Chance by Cheryl Bolen 

Vanessa Riley’s The Bittersweet Bride (on my TBR pile!)

A Lady Never Tells by Lynn Winchester (also on my TBR pile!)

Brenda Hiatt’s Gabriella 

A Lady of Esteem by Kristi Ann Hunter (another on my TBR pile!)

Enjoy, stay safe and healthy!

Now That’s an Ackermann!

I’ve been posting images and content from Ackermann’s Repository for a loooong time now...looking back, I see his name was first mentioned on NineteenTeen back in November of 2007, about a month and a half after this blog began. Most of what I’ve posted here have been from prints or pages from the original magazine that I’ve picked up in various antique and junk stores both in person and on-line; occasionally I’ll post something from a copy of Ackermann’s from an online archive. I’ve often seen (and sighed over) bound copies of entire years of Ackermann’s—what riches!

But in the dozen or so years I’ve been at this, this is a first. May I present to you...

A copy of Ackermann’s Repository as it might have been purchased in Ackermann’s store in the Strand, back in 1824!

All of the complete copies I’ve ever seen, be they individual or bound in a book, have started with the table of contents. This copy includes an outer cover made of a sturdier paper than the inner pages: the front, as you can see, includes this decorative engraving with the date, issue number and price (4 shillings). There is some color (brown and a smidge of blue) in the engraving; the rest of the cover is black.

Speaking of which...the back contains (as do magazines today)...advertising! Price and Gosnell, Perfumers to His Majesty, sold toiletries, from soap and skin lotions to dyes to toothbrushes and toothpaste.

And as for the binding...the interior pages are sewn together, and the exterior cover seems to have been glued. There is no printing on the spine.

Inside the front cover are more advertisements, from publisher J.Harding of St. James’s-street, and Urling’s Lace, a neighbor to Ackermann in the Strand.

Inside the back cover, we have more book ads from J. Harding, and sheet music from J. Willis of Covent-Garden.

I’m thrilled to be able to share this with you...but I have a few questions. How was the Repository mailed to subscribers? Was it enclosed in an envelope of some description, or wrapped in a paper band with an address? Or were subscribers’ addresses written directly on each issue? Or were they sent in a bundle (or singly, if necessary) to local post offices along with a list of recipients?

Questions, questions...but in the meanwhile, I hope you are as geeked out by this as I am!

EDITED TO ADD: At the request of a reader, I'm adding a close-up of one of the ads on the inside front cover: here you go!

 

Reimagining the Regency Part 2: Edmund Blair Leighton

Besides the marvelous Charles Haigh-Wood we discussed previously, another artist made his living reimagining both the Regency and medieval periods. I found it interesting that, though he had far less critical acclaim than Wood, Edmund Blair Leighton’s pieces are still quite popular today. And he actually had his photograph taken.

Leighton was born in the fall of 1852. His father was already an established portrait painter who even had his work accepted for exhibition at the Royal Academy. Leighton attended University College School in Hampstead (what we in American would consider a high school), then went on to study at the Royal Academy. His work wasn’t deemed worthy of exhibition, however, until he was 26. Once he was deemed worthy, he had something in the annual exhibition for 40 years. He married at age 33 and had two children.

He specialized in paintings that told a story. Reviewers at the time called them “highly wrought.” There was no doubt, however, that they had high popular appeal. I think you can see why. In fact, you might recognize some paintings that have since graced the cover of Regency romance novels. Here are some of my favorites.

Courtship

The Request (love her collar!)

Adieu (because, sailing ship!)

The New Governess

A Wet Sunday Morning (Love her sisters and family watching from the church!)

Leighton was never made a member of the Royal Academy. He died just short of his seventieth birthday in 1922. But his paintings live on in the hearts of many.

Fobbed Off

Charm bracelets have been in fashion for decades, right up until the present day; girls (and women!) still seem to love them. But in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, they weren’t necessarily for girls...and they weren’t bracelets, either.  

Pocket watches began to come into their own in the second half of the eighteenth century, thanks to improvements in technology and metals science. A pocket watch usually is attached to one’s person somehow; the last thing you want is your expensive and delicate timepiece falling out of your pocket every time you chance to bend over. A length of ribbon or cord sufficed, but a chain or strip of chain mesh was both sturdier and offered more scope to show off with.

Originally, this fastener for one’s watch was called a fob (likely from a German word meaning “pocket”.) Then it was realized that hanging little dangly things from one’s fob added enough weight to aid in keeping it closer to the body, and therefore made it less likely for the fob (and watch) to catch on something and be yanked from the pocket. It made sense for one of those dangly bits to be, say, the key that wound the watch; then it was realized that the fob would be a useful place to hang one’s seal...and then the decorative and (ahem) show-off possibilities dawned on everyone. Hanging other things from one’s watch chain became the fashion...and in times, these gewgaws were referred to themselves as fobs.

Over the course of the 19^th century, a watch chain with fobs became a peculiarly masculine fashion (and chains themselves known by other names: an albert was a chain worn horizontally across the waistcoat from pocket to pocket, while a leontine was a short chain most often worn on dress occasions.) In fact, it became so fashionable that wearing a huge collection of fobs on one's watch chain probably meant that you were a dandy.

So what form did fobs take?

They could be senti-mental—a tiny miniature of a loved one or a snip of hair in a locket. They could be practical—a minute pencil or button hook for fastening one’s gloves, a tiny case for vestas (matches) or a wee vinaigrette like those shown in these photos of fobs from my collection. 

Those whose hobbies included mount-aineering or ballooning might have a small baro-meter or altimeter or a compass; members of sporting clubs or other organizations might have club badges or commemorative medals. Seals of course remained popular...but really, almost any small object could be and probably was turned into a fob and worn by someone somewhere.

 

The introduction of the wristwatch during World War I spelled the death of the pocket watch...and the delicious, tiny fobs often found their way onto women’s jewelry as necklaces or...as charm bracelets.

Though I love to wear bracelets and adore the concept of charm bracelets, I find them too clunky and distracting to wear. But a watch chain with fobs...that is a practice I could totally embrace.

How about you? Could you see yourself with a collection of these tiny, jingly treasures hanging from your watch chain? ☺

 

Dressing an Heiress: Cover Reveal!

So, what does a Regency heiress wear?

That’s what my cover designer, Kim Killion of The Killion Group, had to figure out when I asked her to create the cover for the second book in my Grace-by-the-Sea series. The Heiress’s Convenient Husband tells the story of outspoken Eva Faraday, orphaned daughter of a wealthy financier. Eva’s father was a self-made man, and he never wanted his daughter to lack for anything. As a result, Eva can have the most beautiful gowns and the most expensive jewels. Except, she’s not that sort of girl. And her late father tied up her inheritance until she reaches the age of 25 or marries, so she’s living on pin money while the Earl of Howland acts as trustee over her accounts and tries to force her to marry his heir.

Here’s how she described her recent clothing choices:

"Eva had always favored brighter colors, but the earl’s wife had wrinkled her nose and declared that young ladies wore pastels. So, Eva had promptly used her allotment of monthly pin money to buy a length of purple satin, purple embroidered gauze, and a sash the color of the fuchsias in Kew Garden. The countess had averted her eyes whenever Eva wore the outfit."

I hope you didn't avert your eyes!

The Heiress’s Convenient Husband is available for preorder now as an ebook at fine online retailers (print book coming shortly):

Smashwords  

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble 

Kobo  

Apple Books 

The book arrives April 20, 2020.

Children of George III: Adolphus Frederick, Duke of Cambridge

His Majesty’s seventh son, Adolphus Frederick (notice all the name recycling; by this time naming the kids must have been quite a chore) was born on February 24, 1774, at Kew, almost exactly a year after his brother Augustus...and like that brother, he would be a bit of a mold-breaker...but I’m getting ahead of myself.

As the third son in a sequence of three boys born within three years, Adolphus was lumped with his older brothers Ernest and Augustus and a pair of tutors into one household at Kew Green, which contained a whole set of houses for the royal children, for just about all of his childhood.

This lumping continued when the three brothers were sent to the University of Göttingen in 1786, when Adolphus was a lad of twelve. He seemed to thrive at the university and actually applied himself to his studies; being of such tender years, he couldn’t apply himself instead to the rowdier pastimes of university students like drinking to excess, dueling, or womanizing.

But by 1790 his college days were past, and Adolphus, like his older brothers, had entered the army. He saw active service in Holland, including being badly wounded and temporarily captured by the French in 1793 (though he was rescued by a timely sortie.) He returned to active military service until the Hanoverian forces withdrew in 1795, and returned with them to Hanover, where he lived for the next several years, still serving with honor and distinction in the army and generally charming everyone with his excellent manners and real interest in the arts and sciences (he was, it seems, an excellent violinist.) Napoleon’s advance across the continent forced his unwilling return to England—he would far rather have stayed to fight—after Hanover decided not to resist the approaching French forces

Adolphus (who had received his ducal title of Cambridge in 1801) lived quietly in London for the next decade or so. He spent much time with his parents and siblings and, unlike his brothers, lived within his means, proving to the world that not all of the king’s sons were “damned millstones” around the country’s neck (as the Duke of Wellington would at a later date describe them.) It is perhaps an indication of his character that even after Adolphus heartily promoted his eldest brother’s marriage to Caroline of Brunswick—an utterly disastrous marriage if there ever was one—the brothers remained the best of friends.

By 1813, with Napoleon’s fortunes on the wane, Adolphus was begged to return to Hanover and became its Governor-General, expecting to settle down and once more be of service to his family...until the death of Princess Charlotte a few years later kicked off the race for the king’s sons to produce a legitimate heir to the throne. Within two weeks of Charlotte’s death, Adolphus had proposed to and been accepted by Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel, all of twenty years old to Adolphus’s forty-three...but as it turned out, theirs was a very happy union. They duly produced a son in 1819, but the birth of children to Adolphus’s older brothers Edward and Ernest meant that the boy would likely inherit neither the throne of Great Britain nor Hanover. Two daughters followed over the years—Princess Augusta, who would be a close friend to her slightly older cousin Victoria, and Princess Mary, who would herself one day produce a queen for England.

Adolphus continued to serve Hanover until the death of his brother William in 1837 meant that the throne of Hanover would go to big brother Ernest, as Victoria, being female, could not inherit it. So he retired at last to England and spent the rest of his life doting upon his wife and continuing to do his duty for his family and country. Though his increasing eccentricities (he liked to sing along at concerts, make loud comments about sermons in church, and always wore a distinctive blond wig) made him a bit of a joke, they were harmless; and he showed his continued good sense by keeping out of politics (though he couldn’t resist trying to encourage a match between his son George and Victoria—neither of who were interested.) Family relations remained strained at times between him and Victoria (and Albert) because of a few small, foolish squabbles about nothing very important; eventually though, their relationship improved, and when Adolphus died in 1850, he was sincerely mourned by all.

Reimagining the Regency, Part 1: Charles Haigh-Wood

We are so blessed to have access through the internet to thousands of paintings from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Through them, we gain insights into clothing, accessories, buildings, and accomplishments. But later in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, several painters began recreating scenes from those years. While their work might be better termed a reimagining rather than accurate depiction, the paintings nonetheless convey that elegance and romance that defined the period for those of us who love it.

One of those painters was Charles Haigh-Wood. When he was born in 1856, the Regency was far behind him. But his father built picture frames and eventually began selling paintings to go in them. When Charles showed an aptitude for painting himself, his father enrolled him in Manchester Art College. By the time he was 17, he had been accepted to study art at the Royal Academy in London. He was elected a member at 21.

He promptly set off for a three-year tour of the Continent, studying Renaissance masters in Italy. When he returned, he set about doing commercial painting, creating works that had instant appeal. While portraits were his bread and butter, his scenes of polite society vaulted him into popularity. With names like "Love Will Triumph" and "The Keepsake," each painting told a story. I’m sure you can see why they were so popular.

He exhibited his paintings at the Royal Academy from 1874 to 1904. They found their way onto greeting cards and into galleries and collections around the world. His income grew sufficiently that he could devote himself to more “serious” works. This appears to be scenes of villagers laboring. Those paintings earned him more critical acclaim.

Though Charles Haigh-Wood passed away in 1927, in recent years, some of his paintings have come up for auction, one fetching above $70,000. 

People love the Regency, even reimagined!

Regency Fabrics, Part 28

Here’s another post in our ongoing series on Regency fabrics.

As I have in previous posts, I’ll be examining actual fabric samples glued into several earlier editions of Ackermann’s Repository, samples supplied by the manufacturers and published by Ackermann in order to boost the British cloth-making industry at a time when exporting British goods to Europe was almost impossible because of the Napoleonic war. I'll give you a close-up scan of each sample, the published description if available, and my own observations of the color, weight, condition, and similarity to present-day materials, to give you as close a picture as possible of what these fabrics are like.

Today’s three samples are from the September 1811 issue of Ackermann’s Repository. The overall condition of my copy is excellent; the page itself is free of foxing and is only slightly toned. One of the samples shows some foxing, but overall they’re in very good condition.

Here we go!

No. 1 and 2. A striped Persian dove-coloured chintz for window-curtains and bed furniture. The colour of this article is so chaste, and at the same time so perfectly neutral, that fringed trimming of any hue will suit it; a rich gold yellow, however, is particularly adapted to shew it to the greatest advantage. This pattern is supplied by Mr. Allen, 61, Pall-Mall, whose taste as a designer and printer of furniture is so conspicuously displayed in the elegance of all his productions, as to have procured him the most flattering patronage of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent.

My comments: Hmm. I’d always thought “dove-coloured” to be a grayish color, but this sample is decidedly brown; either it has changed over the years, or the definition has. It’s a nicely evenly-woven, not-too-heavily glazed chintz, which would drape well but would likely need lining to give it sufficient body for curtains.

No. 2. is a celestial blue waved gauze for evening dress. This article, equally novel and graceful, should be worn over white satin or sarsnet, and may be had of Messrs. Cooper and Co. silk-mercers, 28, Pall-Mall.

My comments:  Oops—some mis-numbering here. This is an airy net-like fabric, beautifully silky, with a pattern of zig-zags to give it visual interest. The pale sky blue would be lovely over white satin as suggested in the text.

No. 3. A sprigged chintz, designed for morning dresses. It combines a high degree of elegance with a pleasing simplicity; and is sold by Cooper and Co. 113, New-Bond-street.

My comments: Ah, another morning dress print fabric, perhaps for a Morning Dress like this one at left from Ackermann in February 1810. This chintz is woven of very fine thread which makes it sturdy yet supple, and the printing is neatly and accurately done.

What do you think of this month’s fabrics?