Regency Era Pockets
Reticule or Ridicule - the Regency woman's cute hand purse She was clearly a gentleman’s daughter. The spilled contents of her ridicule included a sandalwood fan, smelling salts, a folded prayer card, two gold guineas, and a handkerchief with the initials C.E.W. picked out unevenly in primrose silk. Alverstone by Beatrice Knight "...When, however, neither kind words nor gestures could prevail on Mansell to accept the cakes, he thrust them into her ridicule and respectfully kissed her fair hands..." Ackermann's Repository. January, 1815 With the shift to flimsy muslin Empire line gowns in the late 18th Century, pockets became [...]
Regency Mourning
Mourning customs have differed widely between societies and classes throughout history. Because mourning was very strictly observed in Victorian England, there seems to be less awareness of the somewhat looser conventions that prevailed during the Regency years. Regency Mourning In the early 1800s, life was short. War with Napoleon left no village untouched by battlefield losses, and the mortality rate for children was painfully high. This reality has always been poignant for me, personally, as I have a miniature of a female ancestor who had thirteen children between 1804-1820. Only three reached adulthood. I think [...]
Why Regency Brides Suddenly Loved White Wedding Dresses
The white wedding dress is often dated back to Queen Victoria, who made it must-have bridal attire. But by the time she went up the aisle, Regency brides had been rocking white for twenty years. Regency Brides Imagine you are a young Regency woman, living the dream--the Honorable Miss Somebody from country gentry and you've just gotten engaged to an eldest son of rank. Once you are married, you'll make your curtsey to the Queen at one of her 'Drawing Rooms,' and you and your dashing new husband will be invited to the most glittering events of [...]
