Interview with Rachel McMillan, author of The London Restoration
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of reading an advance copy of Rachel McMillan’s much-anticipated new novel, The London Restoration. I loved every word of it. The lush descriptions of post-World War II London. The impeccable sense of time and place. And the romance—as much between the author and the city’s architecture as it is between protagonists, Brent and Diana Somerville, a married couple who must reconnect and rebuild after having each served their country in life-altering ways.[…]Continue Reading
Interview and Giveaway with Historical Fiction author Clarissa Harwood!
It’s release week for Fair as a Star, and I’m thrilled to share it with one of my favorite historical fiction authors, the brilliant Clarissa Harwood. Clarissa’s book Bear No Malice is being released this week in paperback. To celebrate, she’s here with a special interview and giveaway![…]Continue Reading
Tea and Sympathy: A Prescription for Nineteenth Century Invalids
(Sheffield City Art Galleries)
A cup of tea is the cure for any ill. And, in times of shock, the more sugar the better. This maxim was as true in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as it is today. There was no illness, personal loss, or otherwise calamitous event to which tea could not be applied with sympathy—and vigor.[…]Continue Reading
Easter Bonnets of the Late 19th Century
“The Easter bonnet has long been recognized as woman’s particular weakness.”
The Illustrated American, 1886.
(Met Museum)
In the nineteenth century, Easter Sunday was an occasion for ladies of all classes to don their most fashionable bonnets. Some of these bonnets were specially bought for the holiday. Others were old bonnets made up with new trimmings. In either circumstance, Easter bonnets were as essential to celebrating Easter as were eggs and bunnies. An 1889 edition of the Ladies Home Journal even went so far as to declare that it was “an accepted fact that every woman who can buy or make a dainty bonnet for Easter-day must wear it.”[…]Continue Reading
The Dogs of Alexandra of Denmark: A Tour of the Kennels at Sandringham
Alexandra of Denmark married Queen Victoria’s son and heir, Albert Edward, on March 10, 1863. She was a noted dog lover marrying into a family of noted dog lovers. The resulting menagerie of canines which she accumulated as Princess of Wales was a diverse collection which rivalled even that of her royal mother-in-law. There were Basset Hounds, Wolfhounds, Dachshunds, Collies, Samoyeds, Fox Terriers, Pugs, Pekingese, and Japanese Spaniels – to name just a few. They were housed in luxurious kennels at Sandringham House, the Prince and Princess’s home in Norfolk.[…]Continue Reading
