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Prints George

January 7, 2007 by Vic

What a fun and informative site. Click here to find out!

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On Dancing the Cotillion

January 4, 2007 by Vic

In The Mirror of Graces (1811), A Lady of Distinction writes

“The utmost in dancing to which a gentlewoman ought to aspire, is an agile and graceful movement of her feet, an harmonious motion with her arms, and a corresponding easy carriage of her whole body. But, when she has gained this proficiency, should she find herself so unusually mistress of the art as to be able, in any way, to rival her professors by whom she has been taught, she must ever hold in mind, that the same style of dancing is not equally proper for all kinds of dances.

For instance, the English country-dance and the French cotillion require totally different movements.”

The Encyclopedia Britannica describes the cotillion as:

“late 18th-century and 19th-century French court dance, popular also in England. A precursor of the quadrille, the cotillion was danced by four couples standing in a square set. The first and third, then the second and fourth, couples executed various series of geometric figures.”

In The Gentleman & Lady’s Companion, Printed by J. Trumbull, 1798, the author describes the cotillion as thus:

“Balance all eight, then half round, the same back again, 1st and 2d couple (opposite) take your partners with both hands, chasse with her to your side with five steps, back again to your places, balance with the opposite couples, then cross hands half round, back again with four hands round, a gentleman with a lady opposite balance in the middle, and set, the other gentleman with the opposite lady do the same, right and left quite round until to your places. The 3d and 4th couples do the same figures.”

Click here to read this original source from the Library of Congress.


Also in this blog: Shall We Dance? Regency Style

Posted in Dancing, Manners | 1 Comment »

Greenwood’s Map of London

January 3, 2007 by Vic

Published in 1827 after surveying every square mile of London, Greenwood offered his detailed map to subscribers. You can observe in this small detail a corner of Hyde Park, Park Lane, Grosvenor Square and a part of Berkeley Square, Green Street, Upper Brook Street, and other familiar Mayfair landmarks

This online map, hosted by Bath Spa University, is interactive. Click here to find it and other information about the development of this wonderful tool.

Click here to find an interactive map of London during Charles Dickens time.

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Bath Daily Photo

January 3, 2007 by Vic

The Crescents (top)
St. James Cemetery (left)

The Bath Daily Photo by James Russiello offers photos of sites that are both familiar (in Jane Austen’s World) and unfamiliar (in the 21st Century.)

Here are a few wonderful photos.

Pultney Bridge (right)

Posted in Bath | 1 Comment »

Jane Austen’s Pelisse Coat

January 2, 2007 by Vic

In an online article, Kathy Hammel describes pelisses as thus: “An overdress or coat dress, the pelisse fit relatively close to the figure (though not tight) and was styled along the same high-waisted lines as the dress of the day.Pelisses were often lined or edged with fur and, in fashionable circles, more or less replaced the fur-lined cloaks of the earlier periods.”

To the left is a photo of Jane Austen’s pelisse coat. To the right is a photo of a pelisse coat from the Museum of Costume in Bath.

Find other links to Regency outerwear, cloaks, and pelisse coats below:

Fashion history, pelisse coat
Outerwear for Regency Ladies
Regency Spencer Pattern Instructions
Spencers, Shawls, Pelisses, and More
Clothes of the Jane Austen Period

Posted in Fashions, jane austen, Jane Austen's World, Regency Life, Regency style | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

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