Byron and His Beautiful Words

I have a confession to make. I have never read the poetry of George Gordon, Lord Byron. Until now. Early in the week I was looking for material for a tweet and pulled out a book of Byron's poems. I found the poem "When the Moon is on the Wave" and excerpted a couple of lines. Here is the whole stanza:

"When the moon is on the wave,
And the glow-worm in the grass,
And the meteor on the grave,
And the wisp on the morass;
When the falling stars are shooting,
And the answer'd owls are hooting,
And the silent leaves are still
In the shadow of the hill,
Shall my soul be upon thine,
With a power and with a sign."

I find those beautiful words remarkably powerful.

Lord Byron's life is the stuff of fiction. Biographies and collected works abound; my public library has thirty books on its shelves at the moment, Amazon.com lists twenty on the man and his writings. He is the sort of historical personage who crops up everywhere as soon as you look at the period.

I knew many details of his life without ever having read a biography or his work. Indeed I always accepted that his work was good, perhaps a little dated, I thought, but worthy of reading some day.Then, quite by chance, I read "She Walks in Beauty Like the Night" and it has become my favourite Regency poem:

"She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies."

Byron was by all accounts a difficult man, a man of many conflicting parts. Two hundred years ago, in 1809, he was just approaching the height of his powers. By 1824 he was dead. He captured the imagination of his time, and still appears regularly in Regency fiction written today.
I have never been a great lover of poetry. But I am learning, and growing. I read Robert Burns, Sarah Teesdale, John Keats, Helen Maria Williams and William Wordsworth. And now I read Byron.

Listen as you read "So We'll Go No More A-Roving":

So we'll go no more a-roving
So late into the night,
Though the heart be still as loving,
And the moon be still as bright.

For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul wears out the breast,
And the heart must pause to breathe,
And Love itself have rest.

Though the night was made for loving,
And the day returns too soon,
Yet we'll go no more a-roving
By the light of the moon."

Beautiful words indeed...

'Til next time,

Lesley-Anne

Regency Fashion 1809 'Ladies Dresses on Her Majesty's Birth-Day'

"Ladies Dresses on Her Majesty's Birth-Day" is the headline of an article in the January 1809 issue of "The Lady's Magazine' which is subtitled 'Entertaining Companion for the Fair Sex Appropriated solely to their Use and Amusement'.

Her Majesty in this case is Queen Charlotte of England, Queen Consort of George III for fifty-seven years. On this birthday in 1809 she was sixty-five years of age. Her birthday was May 19; she was born in 1744. The portrait, right, by Beechy shows her in a lovely gown in 1796.

The particular birth-day celebration mentioned in 'The Lady's Magazine' in 1809 is not reported upon in any way. The reader, it is assumed, knows about the event. It seems evident that it was a ball, and that it was a winter event from the preponderance of velvet gowns that were worn. Queen Charlotte's Birthday Ball became an important event in the social calendar, but I am having difficulty discovering the dates on which it was held over the years.

This unflattering portrait of Queen Charlotte (left) was painted in 1807 by Stroehling. It shows a considerable weight gain over the above picture, but of course the lady did have fifteen children! That would take its toll on the figure without question.

Although the circumstances and the location of the birth-day event are not described in this article, the gowns worn by the ladies in attendance are, and they are wonderful. There was a great deal of velvet worn, especially by the royal princesses. Head-dresses seems mostly composed of diamonds and feathers, although pearls are mentioned once, and even a 'bonnet a l'Espagnol'.

I've chosen a selection of the descriptions though it was a difficult choice. The Queen herelf wore scarlet and gold velvet with black lace, and the Princess of Wales (the later disgraced Caroline of Brunswick) was gowned in gold tissue with white and royal purple details. Other ladies included:
Countess Effingham--Body and train of moss-velvet, trimmed with point and gold; petticoat of purple crape, intermixed with draperies of orange, fastened up with bands of gold chain at the bottom, a border of the same to correspond.

Lady Macclesfield--Wore a rich chestnut brown satin robe and petticoat, richly embroidered in gold, snake pattern, in angles most tastefully dispersed across the petticoat, and elegantly enriched with massy embossed border, and ornamented with fine gold balls. Head-dress, diamonds and white feathers.

Lady Mary Parkes--A puce-colored velvet robe and petticoat with drapery embroidered with gold, in a most magnificent style, elegantly trimmed to correspond and tastefully looped with superb tassels. Head-dress, white feather and diamonds.

Lady Radstock--Brown Merino cloth petticoat and drapery; the border of the petticoat and drapery of scarlet and black velvet, with coral beads, and tied up with scarlet cords; the body and train to correspond. Head-dress, scarlet velvet and feathers.

Lady Bruce--A white satin petticoat, trimmed with swansdown and matted gold beads; crape drapery, intermixed with satin, richly embroidered in bright and matted gold, tastefully ornamented with gold beads; white satin train, trimmed with swansdown; body and sleeves, ebroidered to correspond. A white satin cap, embroidered in gold and plume of ostrich feathers.

Hon. Lady Hood--A violet velvet, splendidly embroidered with wreaths of gold oak, and festooned with robes of the richest gold, supported with gold doves. Head-dress, feathers and diamonds.

Countess of Carlisle--A most superb dress of ruby velvet and white satin; the draperies in every part trimmed with a rich imperial gold border, and a profusion of splendid gold tassels, rope, etc.; robe trimmed with point-lace. Head-dress, ruby turban, jewels, and feathers.

While there is a great deal of white satin and white crepe detailed, there are likewise many extremely colourful and heavy fabrics used as well. The article is a fascinating microcosm of high-end fashion in 1809. If you would like to read the descriptions in their entirety, go to Google Books and search for 'The Lady's Magazine' 1809.

I would love to wear a gown like one of these. I wonder if I am old enough for a turban--or shall I just stick to diamonds and feathers? Which would you prefer?

'Til next time,

Lesley-Anne

Regency Domestics II: The Housemaid

“The house-maid, in a regular family, will find it necessary to rise about five o’clock,...”¹

And from then until she retires at probably nine or ten o’clock in the evening, she will accomplish a prodigious amount of work. Reading contemporary accounts of her duties is absolutely mind-boggling.

“Her principal business is to keep the furniture clean, under the direction of the housekeeper; great industry and natural cleanliness is requisite in this department.”² But her work involves much more than this. She starts the day in the main floor apartments—the morning room, dining room, library, etc. with cleaning stoves and fireplaces, brushing carpets and sweeping floors, shaking curtains, dusting ornaments and mirrors as well as picture frames, and finally polishing furniture, unless there is a footman to do so. She does the same in the first floor public rooms—the drawing room and its like.

Then she prepares the dressingrooms so that her master and mistress may rise and find hot water and the like awaiting them, and after that she may finally go for her breakfast! Following her meal, the bedrooms will be waiting her attention. She opens the beds for airing, and while they do, she cleans the fireplaces, sweeps, dusts, rubs up the furniture and empties the slops. Then she puts on a clean apron and makes up the beds. And moves on to cleaning the passages, staircases, and landings—again brushing, sweeping and dusting.

“If the house maid rise in good time, and employ herself busily, she will get everything done above stairs in time to clean and make herself comfortable for dinner, about one o’clock,...”¹

She then is permitted to sit down for a few hours while she does needlework, mending, hemming, all by hand and often in poor light no doubt. At four o’clock she lights fires and prepares dressingrooms for use. While the family is at dinner she cleans those same dressingrooms yet again, and turns down beds. Only then does she have her own supper, and if she can stay awake, enjoy a little free time.

For this she is paid twelve to sixteen guineas per year. If she is fortunate she has an under-housemaid to assist her.

The era of formal uniforms for housemaids was yet to come; in most cases maids wore print dresses and possessed several changes of aprons, as well as caps. Fabric for the frocks was usually supplied by the employer. In 1799 Susanna Whatman wrote from London to her steward: “I enclose a bit of callico. I should like to know the opinion the maids have of it. It is a finer one than I should have given them, but it is so pretty that if they fell in love with it as I did, I should be tempted to take it.”⁴ Some households were beginning to wear uniform garments. The photo is of a replica of a housemaid’s uniform of about 1820. This reproduction gown is modeled after an original garment in the collection of a British stately home, and is made by The Sutlers Stores in Poole, England and sold on their website.

As noted in my first column on Regency Domestics, household service was not for the faint-hearted. “The principal qualification in all servants (but especially in females) is a good disposition,...”² Given the length of their days and the nature of their work, I can only imagine that a ‘good disposition’ must have been akin to sainthood.

“The household work of a family will be found to afford almost constant employment for the Housemaid;”³ This must be, I think, the understatement of the last two centuries. I can think of no one today who would be willing to work sixteen hours a day for the equivalent of perhaps fifty to one hundred dollars per year. Still, in the uncertain Regency world (with no safety nets), domestic service provided a home and a wage--not to be sneered at in any age.

Until next time,

Lesley-Anne

¹The Complete Servant: Regency Life Below Stairs by Samuel and Sarah Adams, Southover Press, 1989

²Modern Domestic Cookery by Elizabeth Hammond, 1819, Google Books

³The Servants’ Guide and Family Manual, 1831, Google Books

⁴ The Housekeeping Book of Susanna Whatman, Century Publishing, 1987

A New Contest and all my Regency World news

I have been busy all week preparing for my new contest, so for this blog I thought I would bring you up to date on developments in my Regency World.

A New Contest for the Holiday Season

The winner of the September/October contest for the Regency Fancies' tote bag with artwork by Shakoriel from "Lost in Almack's" is Vanessa from the U. S. A. Congratulations, Vanessa! Thank you to everyone for signing the guestbook during the autumn.

The prize in the November/December contest is an out-of-print book "Panoramas of England". I found another copy of this great book, and thought you might enjoy a chance again to win it. And because it is the holiday season, and Christmas will soon be upon us, I will be including in the prize a delightful reproduction fan, in its own silk case. Visit my contest page to see larger pictures of both the book and the fan.






I hope you will sign the guestbook by December 30, 2009 to be entered for the new draw.

There is a new page added to my Regency World--Views of Regency London. London in the Regency era was very different from the present day city, and these pictures give the Regency reader a glimpse of the world we all would love to visit.

There is also a new picture on the Colouring Book page--of an English lady dressed for a showery day with her umbrella. This picture is period, not by Shakoriel, but I find it absolutely charming.


Perfect Christmas gifts for all lovers of the Regency World are available at Regency Fancies the store at CafePress.com that artist Shakoriel and I have established. You can buy the Fashions of Regency England Colouring Book and a variety of other products there all embellished with Shakoriel's Regency art. Christmas Gifts from Regency Fancies -- at CafePress.com

Now Available! - "Lost in Almack's"

I am delighted to announce that my new 'Novel Byte' short Regency fiction piece "Lost in Almack's" is now available from Uncial Press.

When Lady Genevra Haven becomes lost in the back corridors and staircases of Almack's she needs courage and ingenuity, as well as charm and confidence, to avoid social ruin and salvage her successful debut.

Romance Reviews Today says "a delightfully fun and lively foray".

Click here to purchase "Lost in Almack's"

And don't forget you can find me all over the Internet:
Facebook

MySpace
Follow me at Twitter for all-Regency tweets and my latest news!
My Book Videos at YouTube
and of course,
My Artist - Shakoriel

I'll be back next week, with more Regency research and information,

'Til then,

Lesley-Anne

Advertising the Regency World

Our present age is not the first to be inundated by advertising. The Regency era had its share of promoters, sponsors and hawkers.

The itinerant sellers displayed their wares in the street with ‘cries’ that became the stuff of legends and subject of books. The building owners painted their warehouses with messages in letters several feet tall. The prosperous manufacturers posted their advertisements on buildings and hoardings and hired men to carry signs in the streets touting their products. The merchants hung the exteriors of their shops with their wares, and posted ‘window bills’ to illustrate particular goods within the shop.

And merchants and manufacturers advertised their merchandise and commodities in magazines and journals. Ackermann’s Repository of Arts, Literature, Commerce, etc. of 1815 has—I was delighted to discover—advertisements in the back of each issue. They give a wonderful picture of the merchandising practices of the Regency period, and the products available to my Regency characters.
For example:

French Fashions
“BROWN and CO. Wholesale and Retail Silk-Manufacturers have the honour to announce to the Public, that they have commenced the Silk Trade, in all its Branches, at No. 15, Henrietta-Street, Covent Garden, where their Ware-Rooms will be found to contain a splendid assortment of Silk Goods of the most novel design—rich Satins, Washing Silks, Figured Sarsnets, and Satin Brocade Gauzes, from French Models, Lustres, Tabbinets, Satin Cloths, Gossamere Italian Nets, Scarfs, etc. etc...”

A Wonderful Saving in Silk Stockings
“The Nobility and Gentry are most respectfully informed, by purchasing at the original and old-established Nottingham Stocking Warehouse, No. 81, Charlotte-street, Fitzroy-Square, they will realize a saving of near 20 per cent in that fashionable and elegant part of dress, silk stockings.”

There is much more than fashions advertised...

“Malabar’s Dentifrice, or Indian Tooth-Powder, decidedly the best preparation in the university, for cleansing, preserving and beautifying the teeth and gums. This tooth-powder is astringent, cleansing, antiputrescent, a fine aromatic, a most excellent stomachic, extremely grateful to the palate and pleasant to use, and is so perfectly innocent that the contents may be eaten by an infant. 9d per box.”

“Pears’ Liquid Bloom of Roses gives a most delightful tinge to the female countenance, and to such a degree of perfection, that it may with propriety be said, that art was never so successfully employed in improving the charms of nature. 3s. 6d per bottle.”

“Stephenson’s Patent Filtering Machines are portable, never out of repair, and are the best invention ever produced for purifying water, at the unexampled rate of 200 gallons per day, rendering the water beautifully transparent.”

“Morgan and Sanders have, at a very considerable expence, established a large manufactory, and also built extensive warerooms, for the purpose of exhibiting for sale a great variety of Upholstery ad Cabinet Furniture, for the furnishing of houses; a great part of which are articles perfectly new in principle, extremely fashionable, and universally approved of.”

“Bayley’s True Essential Salt of Lemons, for taking Ink-spots and stains out of Lace and Linen. The genuine is signed ‘W. Bayley’ on the Box and Wrapper. Also his Scouring Drops, for taking Grease out of Silk, Stuff, Woollen Cloth, price 1s. Each”

More was advertised than simply Goods for Sale:
“Denis Jacob begs leave to inform the Public, he gives the full value, in ready money, for Diamonds and Pearls, at No. 57, Margaret-street, Cavendish-square.”

I find these advertisements fascinating! Do you?

If you would like to investigate advertising and trade cards a little further, visit the John Johnson Collection at the Bodleian Library, or download the Ackermann’s Repository from Google Books and read all the adverts yourself!

Until next time,

Lesley-Anne

"Lost in Almack's" A brand-new release!

I am delighted to announce the release today of my newest Regency romance novella "Lost in Almack's. It is available from Uncial Press; click here for further information.

The reviewers have been kind:

From Romance Reviews Today: "In only twenty pages, Lost In Almack's is a delightfully fun and lively foray...It's only one of the short and long Regency romances by Ms. McLeod, a talented and highly original author"

From Romance Junkies: "...a lighthearted humorous venture through the blurred vision of a young woman's introduction to the creme de la creme of the ton."

From Coffeetime Romance: "...a very well written short story...amusing...adventures for its main character."

From Mistress Bella Reviews: "...it's a great short story, a great regency theme story."

From Dear Author: "This is a delight of a short story."

Here is an excerpt to whet your curiosity:

Halfway through the assembly, Genevra had regained her happy insouciance. The lack of clarity to her evening seemed less important as her confidence grew. Several of the young ladies she knew were in attendance, and their nervousness eased her own. She had the satisfaction of being solicited to dance every set, and her mama nodded approvingly from her seat with the other mothers and chaperones. Finally she banded together with her friends and, after asking permission, they made their way to the withdrawing room opposite the ballroom. Their whispers were all about the young gentlemen they had met and the ensembles they had seen.

They entered the chamber on gales of laughter, and much primping and pinning took place in front of the half dozen looking glasses. They had all become good friends and mild rivals during their first season, and their conversation reflected their ease with each other. Genevra in her turn refreshed herself in a screened corner. As she splashed a little water on her hot cheeks, a sudden silence fell in the room. She rounded the japanned screen to find her companions had abandoned her. The chamber was quite empty.

A panicky anxiety clawed her stomach. She would have to make her way back to the ballroom alone. It sounded simple, but all of her unease about her abysmal vision was in an instant revived. Standing alone in the middle of the room, she revolved slowly. No more than an impression of gilding, nile green walls, and white plaster could she gain, even by squinting. And there were three doors. She had no notion by which she had entered the room; she had been chattering with her friends on her entry.

And don't forget--if you like the cover art for "Lost in Almack's" you still have time to enter the contest on my website for a Regency Fancies totebag with "Lost in Almack's" artwork.

"Lost in Almack's" was great fun to write--I hope you enjoy reading it!

Until next time,

Lesley-Anne

The Repository of Arts, Literature, Commerce, Manufactures, Fashions, and Politics

I have been aware of Rudolph Ackermann’s journal The Repository of the Arts, Literature, Commerce, Manufactures, Fashions, and Politics since I first began reading Regency romance novels a good many years ago. I have long wanted to hold one in my hands, read it as the folk of the Regency read the magazine, see for myself if it was interesting or charming or entertaining.

There are no major libraries near where I live holding such a periodical. To purchase an edition of the journal could cost anywhere from five hundred and five thousand dollars. For years, I was stymied—always hearing of The Repository, never able to see it.

But thanks to my friends at Google Books, I am now reading a copy of The Repository of Arts, Literature, etc. They have an entire year—1815—available and I downloaded the document immediately upon finding it.

The magazine is terrific. I can see why the ladies and gentlemen of the Regency enjoyed it from 1809 to 1829, and why it influenced public opinion. It has everything—just the sort of newsmagazine we enjoy nowadays. It compares very favourably I think to Time and Macleans. It has more meat to it than Us and People and enough variety to be enjoyed by every adult in the family.

For example, in the Intelligence (the word is used in the sense of 'news') column one can find book reviews, notices of publication, and advertisements for upcoming lectures.

“Mr. Singer will commence a course of Lectures on Electricity and
Electro-Chemistry, at the Russell Institution, on Monday, January 16, 1815 at eight o’clock in the evening. These lectures will include all the recent electro-chemical discoveries, and are to be illustrated by Mr. Singer’s powerful and exgtensive apparatus, which includes a series of electric columns, containing 50,000 zinc and silver plates.”

There is a Medical Report:

“As usual at this season, coughs and various affections of the lungs are prevalent. Some severe cases of small-pox have occurred, and the prejudice against inoculation with either vaccine or variolous matter, has proved fatal to many poor children.”

For those interested in fashion, there were both illustrations and descriptions, and in some issues of the magazine, swatches of the latest fabrics.
“Evening Dress (illustrated) – Light pink satin gown, trimmed round the bottom with a lace flounce, laid on richly, worked and beaded with tufts of the same; short full sleeve, trimmed with lace. A shell lace tippet. White kid gloves, drawn over the elbow. An Indian fan of carved ivory. Slippers of white kid, Full crop head-dress, ornamented with flowers.”

There are articles on the Congress of Vienna and the politics of each of the countries involved in it. Agricultural reports are followed by market reports, stock quotes, and meteorological (weather) reports.

The latest in fashionable furniture is discussed and illustrated –
as with this 'French cottage bed'.

And Musical Reviews are extensive. One article on the piano-forte discusses the great advances made in forty years of piano-forte development and suggests that more and more amateurs will become proficient with the instrument in the following years.

A short science article (I have read one on spiders and one on canines so far) is usually part of the contents, a biography might be included, an opinion piece (On the Marriages of Minors sprang to my notice) and letters to the editor were sometimes printed. A short story or historical article is often included in an issue. Occasionally notable buildings of London are pictured and their history recounted. This is St. Luke's Lunatic Hospital which replaced the Bethlehem Hospital (Bedlam). Each issue of The Repository was sixty-two pages packed full of information. It is a privilege to gain this insight into the world of the Regency which I love. Now if only I could visit Mr. Ackermann’s shop, also called Repository of Arts, and located at 101 Strand, I should be perfectly happy. According to the illustration I have seen, he handled a complete line of drawings, pictures, silhouettes, books, journals, and some sculpture and stationery. All the things I love best...

It is two hundred years since Mr. Ackermann’s journal first rolled off the presses. Have you seen a copy of The Repository of Arts, Literature, Commerce, Manufactures, Fashions, and Politics? Or are you like me, only now able to experience what Regency folk knew two hundred years ago?

'Til next time,

Lesley-Anne