Historical Humor

 

You know, I'm not much of one for these sorts of memes, but this one struck me as funny; and in light of all that is stressful in the world at the moment, couldn't we all use a bit of laugh? 

As an American who used to live in Britain as a child, I can kind of see the road to the revolution both ways. Of course, the British were only too happy to fight to protect their economic interests in the colonies, as the colonists were happy to have the help. C'est l'histoire. 

Burgundy Riding Costume In Progress

 

As with many places and programs, we had to cancel two of our shows this year and find digital alternatives for the others. Sadly, one of the shows that had to be canceled was the production of Amadeus which has been an absolute wishlist show for me for years. Worse still, since the students who were most going to benefit from the opportunity to work on that show are graduating this year, we won't simply be able to reschedule it for next year, and because of leadership changes in the program we aren't likely to be able to do it for the foreseeable future. Join me in mourning.

There's always a silver lining though, and I picked one costume from the designs to have some of my more advanced students work on. It's a burgundy velvet riding jacket and skirt for the character of courtier Strack, who is usually played by a male, but which in our production was intended to be female. Students worked on panniers as part of their exploration of structured garments, and we utilized the mock-up of the jacket bodice to discuss draping and fit techniques. The wine velveteen over one shoulder in the photo is the fabric that the jacket will be made out of. 

One precocious student cut and put together the quilted velvet skirt using accurate 18th-century methods which, once hemmed, will be more or less finished. There's still a lot of work to do to make the jacket, trim it all in silver and purple passementerie, and create a little tricorn with plum silk veil, but I think they'll enjoy the process. Updates to come. This will likely take the better part of the semester to do as the students involved and I are only in the Costume Shop one day per week owing to Covid restrictions. It'll be like a slowly-unfurling flower. 

For Your Chateau

 

If you're in possession of some holiday funds you're itching to spend, here are a few 18th century themed ideas for your home and personal enjoyment!

Starting the Year With A Laugh

 

December 8th, 1786

Received a considerable shock this Thursday last when, who should show up on my doorstep, but the Chevalier. Evidently he did not take my lack of communication as intended to indicate that his presence was no longer wanted at Portaberaud, and came to visit, as was his original plan. Being that he was already there I could hardly turn him away into the cold night, so he was permitted to stay, which led to us engaging in a rather frank discussion. In truth it hearkened back to the kinds of talks we used to have when we first began this misadventurous romance. It meandered through topics, dear and distant; and we expressed the deepest fears of our hearts as well as our cherished dreams. He insists that his relationship with that actress is naught but a fond friendship and asked if I would wish him to abandon her as a friend; to which I responded that I should wish for him to abandon her as a potential lover. He said he already had, and swore again that nothing of that nature had passed between them. I for my part shall continue to monitor all correspondence I may find access to, and toward this end I have enlisted the aid of my maid, Marianne. 

The Chevalier is to remain on with us for some weeks, departing again for Paris and his father's house just before Christmas. During that time Marianne will assist me in locating any letters, diaries, or notes which are between he and the actress or any other woman who is not already known to me. Nor am I so foolish as to overlook anything which may be addressed to a false name, or a coded reference. I wish to trust, but I find it necessary that I should protect myself from future pain and embarrassment by taking the reigns now and ensuring that my trust is deserved. I will find ways and reasons of separating him from his room and belongings, and Marianne will, in the guise of her duties, search for anything which seems potentially suspicious. These she will bring to me, taking care to note their position so that they might be returned as if undisturbed, and I will explore their contents for signs that he is or has been false. 

Should no cause for concern be found, so much the better. If something of note is discovered, it will be all the proof needed to cast aside his hollow oaths and banish him from my company forthwith. I will then need never wonder if I have been hasty or unkind; and he will be unable to defend his actions as misunderstood rather than sordid as they will have been indeed. I do not like having to pursue this course of action, but I think it must be done. It is too easy for my gentle heart to be abused, I do owe it protection where I am able. 

-Olympe

Mantle Project Update 1

I've been promising to do this for a while, and we are so close to having this project done so it seems like the perfect time for an update. First of all, you may be wondering why it's taken this long to actually make significant progress on the mantle. The main reason is simply that the majority of the work is being done for me by my partner who does not live with me full time, so we can only really do most of the tasks when he's in town certain weekends. We also had to pause when it turned out that I didn't have as many tiles as I thought I did and had to order more and wait for them to come in. All that being said, we have made it to a great place now and the project is looking splendid!

It started with a plan for how the fireplace insert and mantle would need to be connected in order to create the right look while still allowing us to pull out the insert for maintenance or to unplug it if, for instance, it needed replaced. My idea, after watching some tutorials and checking out DIY blogs, was for a sort of U-shaped shell attached to the back of the mantle, with a platform for the insert to sit on, and a thin flat behind the mantle that the tiles would be attached to. My partner quickly chucked this idea (and my measurements) when he realized that there was all kinds of crazy woodwork shenanigans going on behind the 19th century mantle. The platform remained a good idea though, and once the tiles came in we were able to adhere them to the simple backing panel, though they are admittedly more uneven than desired. Perfection was never the goal, on the other hand. 

The insert came from Wayfair, and originally I picked up one that was too small. I was trying to keep things as economical as possible, but it showed up looking absolutely diminutive compared to the hulking mantle and had too much space on the sides, so in the end I went for the Gibbs Flat Electric Insert at 19.9" H x 28" W x 8.5" D, which I paid just under $300 for (it's now a bit higher so I'm glad I got it on sale when I did).

My main contribution to this project, other than the research and purchasing, has been the sanding, of which there has been a lot! As an antique this mantle was never going to be perfectly smooth and unscarred, which is perfectly okay because I love its history and character. That being said, I did want to repair some of the peeling areas of paint and get rid of residual plaster from old finishes. There were quite a few areas that needed work, as you can see from the photos. The duck egg blue is obviously not original, but it is one of the things I liked about the piece when I first saw it online, so that stays. I found an interior paint at a local retailer that was pretty close to the existing color, and bought my first electric sander just for this (again, I went for a cheap model because I wanted to make sure I wasn't overspending on something I might not use frequently). Of course some of the areas are flatter and more accessible than others so I also had to buy a small hand-sander for the tight places and after that it was just a lot of elbow grease, which I don't mind. The holes in the top of the mantle were where it was originally fixed to the wall, and will be re-used here before being puttied and painted (probably, we'll see how visible they end up being). In recent days the repainting has been my main task with this, as my partner has been back home for a few days.

No sooner had he put together the box and attached the tiled panel than I was dying to try it all out together just for a sense of the finished project, but he was still cursing the odd dimensions. Not only was there a lot of patching on the back of the mantle that supported weaker areas, but it was very uneven meaning that one side stood out further than the other although not visible from the front. There are also standard sizes for things today, like an average height for a fireplace mantle, and that wasn't really true 200 years ago, so standard cuts of woods weren't lining up easily. Bless his heart, he dealt with it, adding a lip to the edge that the mantle slots onto and carving off fractions of inches to ensure that it all lined up. I should take a moment to mention that in his daily work he is NOT a carpenter and that this is not a typical kind of project for him, so I am extremely grateful and I think he did admirably well. And that's where he left it as he headed home Monday morning...

Of course I couldn't resist dragging the parts together to see how it was all going to look, more or less. 

Stay tuned as we're planning to finish this project this coming weekend, just in time to hang some stockings!

For Your 18th Century Gifting

 

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!