Ices at Gunters
If you were a celebrity wedding planner in 1812, you might want your wedding ices made by Gunter's Tea Shop. A foodie destination from the mid 1700s, Gunter's made a range of ice creams and confectionery that would rock a dessert aficionado's world today let alone at a time when no one had fridges, or even electricity. The public must have found the idea of an ice cream sundae astonishing. Obviously such luxury did not come cheaply. Trade card for then Pot and Pineapple Known initially as The Pot and Pineapple, Gunter's was established [...]
Mary Linwood – Stitchery Tycoon
There were few “respectable” self-made women in the Regency era. Mary Linwood made her fortune in needlework. At the height of her fame, Russian Empress Catherine the Great offered to buy all her “stitchery paintings” for £40,000. That’s about US$3,000,000 in today’s money. Mary Linwood - Stitchery Tycoon Mary Linwood, embroidery ca. 1798. Salvator Mundi, after Carlo Dulci When Mary died of flu at almost 90 years old, her entire collection fetched a mere £300 at auction. The “needlepainting” phenomenon had done its dash and no one seemed sure what [...]
