All summer I've been posting some of the most amazing images found in the pages of Ackermann's Repository; which was a well know publication in England during the Regency period. My favorite have been the fancy Evening and Ball Dresses. There is just something so romantic about balls from the days of old and I enjoy reading about them in the pages of romance novels. My pick of the 1826 Ackermann's Repository fashions I'm a big fan of all things Regency and love to scope out whats on the web regarding this time period. I especially love finding fun bits and pieces that shed more light on how people lived at this time. While puttering around I discovered a very interesting article on the use of chalk on Regency ballroom floors and could not resist sharing it with you. The full article can be found HERE and I have to thank Kathryn Kane of Regency Redingote for sharing this fun bit of insight on ballroom practices at this time. I constantly read in the pages of Regency romances how thin and soft the soles of ladies dancing slippers were and it appears that mens dancing shoes seemed to be a bit slick on a freshly polished wooden floor as well. This being the case it was not uncommon for dancers to "chalk" the bottoms of their shoes to gain a bit of traction to keep from slipping excessively while they danced. In some cases the entire ballroom floor was lightly chalked to ensure the safety of all the dancers. And for extravagant balls artists were hired to chalk beautiful pattens on the ballroom floor that would then be slowly worn away as the dancers enjoyed themselves till dawn. (That must have been an amazing site) What a fun bit of Regency trivia. And now when I look at some of the amazing Regency Ball Dresses I'll think about a beautifully chalked floor to go along with them. Maybe one day I'll even read about a chalked ballroom floor in a romance novel. I might even create a fun Regency scene using some of the Ackermann ladies and the concept of a "chalked" ballroom floor - giggles. Now on to the fashions - Enjoy! Ackermann's Repository 1826 Fashion Plates 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 7 - January Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 7 - January Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 7 - February Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 7 - February Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 7 - March Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 7 - March Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 7 - April Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 7 - April Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 7 - May Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 7 - May Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 7 - June Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 7 - June Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 8 - July Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 8 - July Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 8 - August Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 8 - August Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 8 - September Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 8 - September Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 8 - October Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 8 - October Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 8 - November Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 8 - November Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 8 - December Issue 1826 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 8 - December Issue And for those who can't get enough period information on these dresses, here is the actual Ackermann's fashion article for the two September fashion plates. Fashion descriptions for the the September 1826 fashion plates I 'm a bit sad that the fashion plates for Ackermann's Repository are coming to a quick end - just two more years left to post. However I still have many other great Ackermann's finds to post in the up-coming months. I even have several period ghost stories that they published that will be perfect for the month of October, so please keep checking back in to see all the other fun Regency stuff yet to be shared. ***************** If you missed any of the previous Regency fashion plates here are some quick links to for you. Ackermann's ran series 1 from 1809 - 1815 Series 1 - Vol 1 & 2 - 1809 Series 1 - Vol 3 & 4 - 1810 Series 1 - Vol 5 & 6 - 1811 Series 1 - Vol 7 & 8 - 1812 Series 1 - Vol 9 & 10 - 1813 Series 1 - Vol 11 & 12 - 1814 Series 1 - Vol 13 & 14 - 1815 The Ladies of Ackermann's Regency Fashion (this is a fun digital art piece I did using many of the above ladies) Ackermann's ran series 2 from 1816 - 1822 Series 2 - Vol 1 & 2 - 1816 Series 2 - Vol 3 & 4 - 1817 Series 2 - Vol 5 & 6 - 1818 Series 2 - Vol 7 & 8 - 1819 Series 2 - Vol 9 & 10 - 1820 Series 2 - Vol 11 & 12 - 1821 Series 2 - Vol 13 & 14 - 1822 Regency Garden Party with a Roaring Rogue (this is a fun digital art piece I did using several Ackermann's Repository images from series 2 and one fun lion man from J.J. Grandville, who was another Regency period illustrator.) Ackermann's ran series 3 from 1823 - 1828 Series 3 - Vol 1 & 2 - 1823 Series 3 - Vol 3 & 4 - 1824 Series 3 - Vol 5 & 6 - 1825 Series 3 - Vol 7 & 8 - 1826 - current post Series 3 (1827 & 1828) still to be posted Till our next Regency adventure... Thanks for visiting me here at EKDuncan.blogspot.com If you have enjoyed seeing these images from Ackermann's Repository and would like the opportunity to see and read an original for yourself they are are available on line at www.archive.org Click HERE then choose the volume you are interested in. You can then see and read them online or download them to your computer for future reference. Enjoy!