I hope all those who celebrate Thanksgiving have had a marvelous one, with or without company! In the United States the day after is pretty much an unofficial-official holiday for excessive expenditure, or a time to get hopping on those end-of-year gifts. Per the usual, mine have all been order and most are wrapped at this point because I find it less of a financial strain if I pick up gifts throughout the year instead of all at the end. But that just me. For those who might be inclined to get others (or themselves, no judgement here) a little 18th century something, here are a few suggestions. Bonus:- this fits in nicely with the Shop Small/ Support Small Businesses movement.
18th century cartridge box- A note of warning before you fall too much in love with this item; it ships from the UK and has a current expected delivery date of anywhere from December 8th-28th so keep that in mind if planning to gift this. That being said, what a delightful gift it would be! It comes in a variety of color options or even as undyed leather, and there's an available insert to keep bullets tidy for an additional fee. Pretty sure to wow the military reenactor on your list.
Brass Cannon Genuine 18th Century Toy- Then again, if what you want is the genuine article, this little toy will give a thrill to any collector or historian. Found originally in the river Thames in England, it now resides in the U.S. and ships closer to home if you are stateside.
Forget-Me-Not Buckle- It's no secret that SignoftheGrayHorse is one of my favorite Etsy shops, and you may recall that a month or two ago I bought a stunning stomacher jewel from them. So I can't recommend highly enough that if you are looking for the kind of buckles that ubiquitously adorned all manner of 18th century clothing, you might consider these charming reproductions which come in a variety of finishes. If that weren't enough to tempt you, they were created in collaboration with the talented American Duchess, whose fantastic line of shoes these would look fabulous on.
Shallow Crown Straw Hat- Another pretty dependably great supplier is FashionableFrolick and as usual they provide accessories that don't just approximate the time period, but really help take it from referential to real. It's easy to find cheap, plain straw hats in any craft store, but for the wide tightly woven kind with shallow flat crowns that you see in the portraits, you really do need to seek out a supplier of historical styles. The great thing about these is that they come in multiple widths and two colors, and can be styled trimmed to your heart's content.
Hair Powder Dispenser- LilBits has over 54K sales, and it's no wonder because some of this stuff is hard to find and their reputation for quality is truly excellent. One of the most authentic looks you can achieve for the 18th century is the powdered wig or hairstyle, and this is not easy to achieve by, say, sitting on your kitchen floor trying to filter flour over your locks from a sieve. Cough, not that I would know, cough. This little gadget would make things considerably easier for you or your favorite reenactor/costumer. This costumer gives it two flour-covered thumbs up!
Colored Hair Powder- Need powder for your dispenser? The HarriedHedgehog has you covered! Better yet, you can get it in a selection of period-appropriate colors like yellow and pink (though you may need to scroll through more of their stock for other options). It's organic and vegan and ships quickly. What's not to like?
Sadly the spinning top toys seem to be sold out already, but if you search for similar terms, you will still be able to find nearly identical items to keep your little tots appropriately entertained at your next event, even if they're in full public view.
18th century embroidered pocket pattern- PennyRiver has you covered if you're in the market for a gift for that crafter in your life. Their pocket pattern is affordable, comes complete with embroidery instructions and a guide to basic stitches, and will allow you or your loved one to make something uniquely all their own.
Brass Straight Pins- It's impossible to overstate the importance and necessity of pins to the Georgian wardrobe. Dresses closed with pins, trim was applied in places with trims, stomachers could be pinned to stays with pins and then dresses to the stomachers with pins. You can use modern pins, of course, but for that really stepped-back-in-time feeling you want to invest in authentic pins. At $8.25 for a 10-pack and free shipping, it's a pretty good deal.
Custom 18th Century Style Drawing- For my money, one of my personal favorite options is the personalized portraits offered by EmArtProject, but if you do go this route you'd better hop to it because they naturally take 2-3 weeks to execute. Send a photo and have yourself or your Rococo aficionado friend immortalized in a totally unique sketch that captures them in their preferred style. Surely this idea is hard to beat.
Used any of these services? Have other 18th century gift ideas? I'm always interested to hear them so drop me a comment!
No comments:
Post a Comment