They’re a stock figure in fiction in and about the 19th century, from Charlotte Bronte to Georgette Heyer, who populated many of her stories with
Here, for your viewing pleasure, may I present Pocock’s Reclining Patent Chair, from the March 1813 issue of Ackermann’s Repository: Isn’t it a beauty? The
From the June 1819 edition of Ackermann’s Repository, may I present to you with mingled delight and horror… THE ROYAL WATERLOO BATH “This very elegant
Did you know that the first air conditioned building in London was Westminster Abbey…back in the year 1620? No? Well, it was a bit of
In these days when young women can participate in pretty much any sport they choose, it’s easy to forget that little more than a hundred
Just in case you think that media having a profound effect on popular culture is a modern phenomenon, I have five words for you: The
The early 19th century saw the birth of a new phenomenon in Great Britain: local tourism. Spawned by improved roads and transportation, the growth of
Queen Victoria, footloose and fancy-free? Really? Well, yes. As Queen of the United Kingdom, Victoria either had use of or personally owned dozens of houses
It’s May, and we’re in the height of the Season…or we would have been, two hundred years ago. And in addition to husband-hunting, the Season
I’ve been fortunate to acquire a number of issues of a 19th century British magazine called The Mirror, dating from 1824 and 1825. They make
One of the most engaging and romance-novel-like yet true stories of the 19th century has to be that of a lady named Juana María de
Spring. It’s just around the corner, right? Right? That’s what the little green pips of bulbs in my yard are trying to tell me. I’m
