One of my favourite comments about cold weather is contained in my ancestor Richard Hall’s diary for 1780. It reads: “Exceeding sharp; snow, froze very… Read More »Brrrr! Freezing! Rowlandson’s Dance of Death – the Skaiters – plus a Gillray and an oil painting by Henry Raeburn
In the Eighteenth century lotteries were often used to raise money for specific “good causes” – such as the construction of a new bridge across… Read More »Odds on for a lottery win, 18th Century style.
Nowadays there is little to be said for Twelfth Night other than that you should take down your Christmas decorations. But if you live in… Read More »Twelfth Night parties – and cake!
I remember it was a tradition in the family sixty years ago that we would play parlour games on Christmas Day in the afternoon after… Read More »A Game to play on Christmas Day…. the Old Family Coach
I always follow Enfilade, the mouthpiece of the Historians of Eighteenth Century Art and Architecture, although I must admit it is generally asking for the… Read More »John Smart – a talented painter of miniatures (as opposed to a painter of miniature talent!).
Following on from my recent blog about Ms Southcott, and a caricature by Rowlandson, here are a few more also featuring Joanna Southcott, her devoted… Read More »More caricatures about the not-so-pregnant Joanna Southcott ….
One of the things I like about the Georgian Era is that it threw up some wonderful characters who were, how shall I put it,… Read More »Rowlandson’s take on the delusional Joanna Southcott…
It has been a topsy-turvy year in many respects, but one of the highlights has been to cross the Pacific from North to South as… Read More »Going back to the 18th century, in the Pacific….
I was intrigued to see that the British Museum is sending out a touring exhibition based on the remarkable floral collages of Mary Delany –… Read More »Mary Delany images on tour – after 250 years….
I was fortunate enough to spend a few days in the Cotswolds last week – giving me a chance to re-visit the lovely little eleventh… Read More »Inglesham Church – a thousand years of history