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See the other, less-bougie side of Lake Como.

Northanger Abbey, Vol 2, Chapter XIII + XIV Inquiring readers, In Volume Two, Chapters 13 & 14, the emotional drama that Eleanor Tilney and Catherine Morland share almost explodes from it…

Persuasion (1995) Lady Russell

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." ~ Titus 2:3-5 There are so many negative views in this modern world of homemaking that this little series was born. It shares the romantic side which hopes to encourage and inspire you to love your home and embrace your daily tasks. We are sharing all our past prose in one place so that you can make a visit when/or if the battle of the "homemaking blues" sets in. My hope is that some of these brief articles and sweet sentiments will be a blessing to you! “It’s amazing how lovely common things become, if one only knows how to look at them.” ~ Louisa May Alcott {titles shared below are linked} "She Riseth" Early ~ A Homemaker's Morning "Work of Our Hands" ~ A Homemaker's Wash Day "Swept and Good Order" ~ The Mistress of the House "She Strengtheneth" ~ A Homemaker's Health "He Praiseth Her" ~ The Contented Homemaker "Lemon Honey Marmalade" ~ A Homemaker's Musings {This is more than marmalade, it shares the versatility of being a keeper at home.} "Soul Enjoy Good" ~ A Homemaker's Day Inn "The Linens" {An Old Fashioned Day} ~ Whatsoever Thy Hands "O dear mothers, you have a very sacred trust reposed in you by God! He hath in effect said to you, “Take this child and nurse it for Me, and I will give thee thy wages.” You are called to equip the future man of God, that he may be thoroughly furnished unto every good work. If God spares you, you may live to hear that pretty boy speak to thousands, and you will have the sweet reflection in your heart that the quiet teachings of the nursery led the man to love his God and serve Him. Those who think that a woman detained at home by her little family is doing nothing, think the reverse of what is true. Scarcely can the godly mother quit her home for a place of worship; but dream not that she is lost to the work of the church; far from it, she is doing the best possible service for her Lord. Mothers, the godly training of your offspring is your first and most pressing duty." ~ Charles Spurgeon "There are many women who know how to keep a house, but there are but few that know how to keep a home. To keep a house may seem a complicated affair, but it is a thing that may be learned; it lies in the region of the material; in the region of weight, measure, color, and the positive forces of life. To keep a home lies not merely in the sphere of all these, but it takes in the intellectual, the social, the spiritual, the immortal." ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates." ~ Proverbs 31:28-31 This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays, The Scoop, Titus 2sdays, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Roses of Inspiration, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop, Wow Us Wednesdays, Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, From the Farm Blog Hop, Front Porch Friday Blog Hop, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these.

The beautiful myth of Psyche and Eros, a moving love story, has inspired countless artists all over the world throughout the centuries.

The old adage that if one must ask for the price of an item, one most likely cannot afford it probably holds true for the lovely furniture for sale in Chappell & McCullar, a fine antique shop. …

Restoring the grounds and its rare, heirloom crops recreated what was effectively the country's first seed bank.

A Regency lady might have worn very light fabrics (old-fashioned muslin was more like voile or batiste is today) but she did wear a few layers to compensate. It was said that a regency lady’s gown should be of such light fabric, she should be able to fold it up and have it fit into her reticule. It is no surprise that in wintertime, the mode of the period caused many a Regency lady to succumb to pneumonia. Because of their penchant for light, airy fabrics, they had to make up for the opacity needed to make them presentable (except for those shocking merveilleuses; ladies known to wear very little beneath their very sheer gowns; thin muslin shift at best) with the undergarments. Les incroyables et les merveilleuses This period image is of an outlandish early-regency dandy offering money for ‘services’, mistaking this merveilleuse for a prostitute. She wards off his payment (with crossed fingers); she is dressed in the most daring of period fashions. Oh those French! Shocking! Here is another images that shows less of transparent fabrics and more of the widening of the neckline. The stays were meant to present the lady’s assets on the proverbial platter. The gowns in this image surely support this idea to its best adavtage. Of course, on the most part ladies wore decent clothing. And here is a breakdown of what you might see if you stripped away the muslin gown. The Shift: This shift is the simplest of garments. It also acts as a dress-shield, keeping (on the most part) you from sweating on your outer layers. Shifts are about knee length to mid-calf-length. Patterns: http://www.kannikskorner.com/patwomen2.htm (Woman’s Shift 1790-1820) http://sensibility.com/patterns/regency-underthings-pattern/ (Sense & Sensibility Regency Underthings Pattern) The trickiest part of this garment is the gusseted sleeve. This youtube tutorial explains it wonderfully. This is a great garment for beginners to try. The neck should be adjustable with a drawstring. You see, the shift acts like the top half of the 'bra'. The regency stays will lift and cup the lady's assets, but the stays are shallow and they risk spillage if they are not contained. The shift's drawstring neck should gather an inch or two above the edge of the gussetted cups on the stays and rein-in those wild bosoms. The shift is very important and when dressing, one must spend some time making proper adjustments so that they are doing their job and not so tight that they risk closing in the neckline so much that they peep out from under the gown. See below. Stockings: Patterns: http://www.kannikskorner.com/patwomen2.htm (Scroll down to Stockings, Pockets and Mitts) Source for finished stockings; JAS Townsend. Pantalettes Pattern: http://www.mantua-maker.com/catalog.html (Scroll down to Regency section) Quoted from Dawn Luckham of the RSA board: "When pantaloons or pantalettes first began to be worn by adult women they were worn long enough to be seen. That was the whole point. C. Willett Cunnington writes in the “History of Underclothes” that they commonly extended down the leg to just below the calf, where rows of tucks and lace and pretty detail would be applied. Also from “History of Underclothes”: “From Lady Stanley’s letter of 1817 – ‘We were insulted by the presence of (Lady) Charlotte (Lindsay) in a green silk Spencer, green silk boots, and trowsers to the ankle much below the petticoat.’” As I mentioned before, pantalettes were generally just a couple of tubes of fine fabric (not usually wide legged – just straight tubes) fastened about the waist with a ribbon. They were not without their problems: And this funny little story written by a young lady comes from 1820. “ They are the ugliest things I ever saw: I will never put them on again. I dragged my dress in the dirt for fear someone might spy them. My first dimity pair with real Swiss lace is quite useless to me for I lost one leg and did not deem it proper to pick it up, and so walked off leaving it in the street behind me, and the lace had cost six shillings a yard. I saw that mean Mrs. Spring wearing it last week as a tucker….I hope there will be a short wearing of these horrid pantalets, they are too trying. Of course I must wear them for I cannot hold up my dress and show my stockings. No one does.” A footnote to this story indicates it comes from Mrs. Earle: 'Two Centuries of Costume in America'." Read more: http://regencysa.proboards.com/ These are an interesting set of garments, and I personally am not brave enough to go commando by any means, so I tend to make myself full bloomers rather than these interesting garments. However, there are die-hards out there who are determined to be accurate (in spite of the prospect of a chilly bottom). They do make for a nice aesthetic, when a lady lifts up her layers of petticoats to reveal the cuffs of a nice pair of corded pantalettes. Very cute. The Stays: Once the lady has her undergarments on, she’ll put on her stays. Now I’ve depicted a set of full stays with a busk, but there were many styles and varieties of stays during that period, ranging from the tiny short stays to the one pictured above. Here is a detailed post on the regency stays and corsets that could help you decide which set is best suited for you. It also includes pattern links. Update: 8/26/2011: Here is a lovely little video stolen from 'Undressing the Historical Lady, performed by Miss Maggie Waterman. This is a perfect demonstration of what regency undergarments look like in person. You can learn more about Miss Waterman by clicking here: Undressing the Historical Lady. (Note, Miss Waterman's shift appears sleeveless, which is perfectly correct). The Bodiced Petticoat Though rarer than just plain stays, there was such thing as a petticoat undergown that had some boning in it that would provide support in place of a set of stays. This works best for ladies that are a B-cup or lower. I think with a C-cup or more, you should probably think about getting a set of stays. However, bodiced petticoats also served another purpose when not boned. They also could serve as a means to smooth out all the lumps and bumps of your undergarments and stays. There are lots of ways to make one of these. The Ravenrook’s Mode Bagatelle pattern provides a pattern for it—however you can easily take the pattern of your gown bodice and modify it to create a bodiced petticoat. Widen the neckline, of course, and make it sleeveless, add some soft (minmal) boning for structure, and you’re good to go. Instructions on how to make a bodiced petticoat from a gown pattern. Pattern: http://www.ravenrook.com/clothier/bagatelle/regency.jsp (Mode Bagatelle) I’ve also seen people add a skirt to their short stays to create a bodiced petticoat. Check out Katherine’s bodiced petticoat, shift and pantalettes here: http://www.koshka-the-cat.com/regency_underthings.html The high-waisted simple petticoat: In the movie below you see Katherine wearing this. It is a regency skirt on a waistband with two arm straps. The pattern for which you can either take from a commercial pattern or you can 'McGuyver' one using some creative thinking. You can follow the basic directions for a round-gown (see my personal post on Regency Drop-front/bib-front gowns) and sew it onto a waist-band you’ve sized to your empire waist. Add straps and voila. It will add volume and shape to your gowns, in addition to some lovely layers. I suggest 3.5 - 4 yards of fabric if not less. It should come to the line just above your ankles. Dressing: Katherine, costuming maven extraordinaire has made a delightful movie of how to put on a drop-front gown. What makes this video relevant here is that you can see her in her regency undergarments, including the high-waisted petticoat. There you have it. Your regency underthings explained (for ladies, of course). Next post by me will be the men’s underthings explained. :)

Lady Russell is the widow of Sir Henry Russell, who left her a large fortune. She lives in Kellynch Lodge, near the family of her late friend Lady Elliot. She is especially close to Lady Elliot's middle daughter, her goddaughter Anne Elliot,[1] and once advised her to end an engagement with the man she loved. It was thought that Lady Russell and Sir Walter would marry after the deaths of both their spouses. They did not wed, however, remaining good friends instead.[1] She might be named "Anne" b

Other titles: Godey's lady's book and magazine; Godey's lady's book for 1862; Godey's magazine and lady's book.

According to Ball and Sunderland (2002), most hackney coaches in the Regency era were four wheeled carriages frequently castoffs from gentlemen. Because of a

The Exeter 'Change from London in the Nineteenth Century by Thomas H Shepherd (1829) The Exeter ‘Change 1 The Exeter Exchange, popularly known as the Exeter ‘Change, was on the north side of the Strand in London. It was built on the site of Exeter House, a residence of the Earls of E

Give up a hundred thousand quid? - The Adventure of The Mazarin Stone (MAZA) We, as modern American readers, have always had some problem in translating the British monetary system of the Victorian era into something more tangible, such as purchasing power.

The British feared Napoleon despite a temporary peace that was achieved between France and Britain in 1802 with the Treaty of Amiens that allowed Madame

The Life and Memoirs

The ‘household book’ of Martha Lloyd, who lived with the Austens, contains recipes giving an authentic flavour of the writer’s life

If you're a foodie who loves eating ethnic food, then Ann Arbor is the place for you. It's a diverse culinary destination in Michigan

Curricles, gigs and phaetons in the Regency

Bete Grise Beach in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula features unique “singing sand” and offers various outdoor

The Village doctor; or, The art of curing diseases rendered familiar and ..., 1825 I was reading about pimples in 1825, and stumbled upon this entry on green

I've been posting for several months now about images from the Regency era publication Ackermann's Repository; which was published in England from 1809 to 1828. These monthly issues were full of wonderful hand-colored plates of Fashions, Furniture, Curtains, Landscapes, Gardens, Architecture and more. In July 2011, I posted all the Fashion Plates for Ackermann's Series 1 (1809-1815) In August 2011, I posted all the Fashion Plates for Ackermann's Series 2 (1816-1822) In September 2011, I posted all the Fashion Plates for Ackermann's Series 3 (1823-1828) There were over 480 Fashion Plates published in the 20 years they were in publication and I've created png images from 41 of them to use in my digital art projects. This is a reference chart for the 41 png images showing a variety of fashions from 1809-1828 I've posted these to my deviantART account in an easy to download zip file to share with you all. Click HERE to go to that page and then click the Download button on the top right once there. I just could not resist sharing this ladies with you once more and I hope you will use them to create some fun digital art or craft projects of your very own. Here are some of the digital art projects I've created so far using many of the images from above. Beautiful Day for a Walk by EKDuncan Click HERE to view the original post and to find out about the other images in this digital scene. Regency Ladies with a Gothic view by EKDuncan Click HERE to view the original post and to find out about the other images in this digital scene. Regency Ladies with a Curtain View Click HERE to view the original post and to find out about the other images in this digital scene. Regency Beauties by EKDuncan Click HERE to view the original post and to find out about the other images in this digital scene. Midnight Garden by EKDuncan Click HERE to view the original post and to find out about the other images in this digital scene. Regency Ghost Scene by EKDuncan Click HERE to view the original post and to find out about the other images in this digital scene. Masquerade Ball by EKDuncan Click HERE to view the original post and to find out about the other images in this digital scene. Garden Party with a Roaring Rogue by EKDuncan Click HERE to view the original post and to find out about the other images in this digital scene. The Regency Ladies of Fashion by EKDuncan Click HERE to view the original post and to find out about the other images in this digital scene. I'm having so much fun creating with these images that I wanted to share these fun FREEBIES with you guys too. Enjoy!

Cognitive neuroscientist Christian Jarrett shares 5 key insights from his new book, Be Who You Want: Unlocking the Science of Personality Change.

These gowns appeared in the November 1818 issue of La Belle Assemblee with some hints on mourning attire.

Michigan was approved for $250.6 million from the Capital Projects Fund.

Half dyed-green calf; marbled paper over boards

High quality and affordable staples of your wardrobe.

We are eating in Enland during the Regency period today, which will be nice for a change. John Simpson gives a suggested menu for each day of the year in his book the Complete System of Cookery, published in 1816. Cook books of the time often showed how to set the dishes out on the table too, because the style of service was quite different to today, and the overall display as the diners approached the table was most important. There were generally two courses, each course containing a number of dishes which were arranged on the table with great symmetry. The guests certainly got to appreciate the spectacle, but the food must often have been cool before they got to it. There was no clear distinction between savoury and sweet dishes, although in the particular example today there is nothing that we would confuse with ‘dessert’. When the two courses were eaten, guests would then enjoy the ‘banquet’ – often in a different location. The banquet consisted of fruit and sweetmeats, and eventually all the sweet dishes moved over to the banquet ‘course’ – which eventually became ‘dessert’, from the French verb meaning to ‘un-serve’ or clear away. We are eating in Enland during the Regency period today, which will be nice for a change. John Simpson gives a suggested menu for each day of the year in his book the Complete System of Cookery, published in 1816. Cook books of the time often showed how to set the dishes out on the table too, because the style of service was quite different to today, and the overall display as the diners approached the table was most important. There were generally two courses, each course containing a number of dishes which were arranged on the table with great symmetry. The guests certainly got to appreciate the spectacle, but the food must often have been cool before they got to it. There was no clear distinction between savoury and sweet dishes, although in the particular example today there is nothing that we would confuse with ‘dessert’. When the two courses were eaten, guests would then enjoy the ‘banquet’ – often in a different location. The banquet consisted of fruit and sweetmeats, and eventually all the sweet dishes moved over to the banquet ‘course’ – which eventually became ‘dessert’, from the French verb meaning to ‘un-serve’ or clear away. There were two dishes ‘à la Flamond’ on this day, which seems to be taking balance a little too far, to me. Soup à la Flamond. Shred turnips, carrots, green onions, and one Spanish onion; add lettuce, half a pint of asparagus peas; put them into a small soup-pot, a little stock, and about two ounces of butter; put them on a slow stove to sweat down ofr an hour; put in as much flour as will dry up the butter; then fill it up with best stock, and let it boil by the side of the stove for half an hour. Make a laison of the yolks of four eggs (for two quarts of soup) beat the yolks up well with a spoon; put a pint of cream that has been boiled and got cold; strain it through a sieve, and put a large spoonful of beshemell to it: take the soup from the fire and put in the laison, keep stirring while putting it in, then put the soup on the fire; be sure to keep stirring it until it comes to a boil, then take it off: keep it hot by putting the soup-pot into a stew-pan of hot water Cauliflower à la Flamond Boil the cauliflower: when done take it up and lay it on the back of a sieve to drain all the water from it, then put it into a stew-pan with a little beshemell; when quite hot, dish it up, put parmasan cheese, then brown it with a salamander. Quotation for the Day … In cooking, clear as you go. Isabella Beeton.

The British Regency era lasted less than a decade, but it spawned a staggering number of unlikely fictional marriages.

The first Royal Circus, opened in 1760, was at the site of the Surrey Theatre. The Royal Circus featured a variety of acts, including the very popular pantomime

British history posts by authors of British historical fiction.