Elegant Bookcase for a Fashionable Regency Library

Library Bookcase March 1812

Loretta reports:

I set quite a few scenes in libraries, mainly because, by the time of my stories, they had become a family gathering place. Furthermore, in many great houses, these were large, comfortable rooms, often fitted out less formally than say, the drawing room. The one I used in A Duke in Shining Armor is a good example.

While bookcases, complete with writing desk, might appear in various rooms, this one seems to need quite a large room. And even if the library already has miles of bookshelves, those of us who love books can always use storage space for more.

I was particularly struck by the tambour circular cupboards, because (a) while horizontal tambour is fairly common, the circular vertical style is much less so, and (b) one of my own favorite pieces of furniture is a mid-20th century dressing table that has this feature.

Bookcase description

Images from Ackermann's Repository for March 1812, courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art, via Internet Archive.

Clicking on the image will enlarge it.  Clicking on the caption will take you to the source, where you can learn more and enlarge images as needed.

Portland Place in 1815

Portland Place 1815

Portland Place description

Loretta reports:

Not until I read this entry about Portland Place did I know there was such a building as Foley House, or the rules that once existed about building in the vicinity. Not surprising. So many great London houses have disappeared, some with virtually no trace. However, I did manage to find an old engraving online (please scroll down), from Old and New London, one of my oft-consulted Victorian guidebooks to London’s history (complete, apparently, with various Victorian myths).

Portland Place is still an impressive street, though you will see more than a couple of carriage rattling around on it these days. And the road is paved, yes.

Portland Place description

 

 

Images from Ackermann's Repository for April 1815, courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art, via Internet Archive.

Clicking on the image will enlarge it.  Clicking on the caption will take you to the source, where you can learn more and enlarge images as needed.

Fashions for May 1828

Walking Dress

Evening Dress

Loretta reports:

The plates shows the sorts of ensembles that the hero of Lord of Scoundrels found so amusing. The sleeves of the walking dress are starting to swell but they're quite modest compared to those of the 1830s. The hat description, you will note, takes up as much space as that of the dress. The “ariophane” of the evening dress is a thin crepe fabric. I am baffled by the “white satin shoes and sandals” (italics mine).

Dress description

From Ackermann’s Repository 1828. Images courtesy Philadelphia Art Museum via Internet Archive.

Clicking on the image will enlarge it.  Clicking on the caption will allow you to read at the source, where you can learn more and enlarge images as needed.

The Fun of '80s Fashion: Patrick Kelly's "Runway of Love"

Isabella reporting,

Usually on this blog, the '80s refers to the 1680s, 1780s, or 1880s, but today's post is looking back a little less far, to the 1980s. It's an era that many of us remember with great fondness, even down to the crunchily-moussed big hair.

Last week I visited an exhibition devoted to the work of one of the '80s brightest talents, fashion designer Patrick Kelly (1954-1990). The Philadelphia Museum of Art is the fortunate recipient of a large collection of his clothing and accessories, and the staging of this exhibition - aptly called Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love – was a glorious celebration of both Kelly's designs and his philosophy.

Kelly's design goal was simple: "I want my clothes to make you smile." He succeeded, too. Dozens of mannequins showed examples of his work, featuring simple, flirtatious shapes, bright colors, and a witty use of appliques, buttons, and contrasting threads. His imagination was seemingly boundless, combining the influences of his African-American heritage and childhood in Mississippi with the inspiration he found in Paris, his second home and the place where he truly blossomed.

The mannequins were grouped by some of his most famous collections, and behind them were screens showing videos of each collection's runway shows. Clothes need bodies to come alive, and while it was fascinating to study the construction of the clothes up-close - were those buttons made from nails? - the real spirit of Kelly's clothes showed on the runway. A multicultural parade of models danced and laughed their way through each show, with everyone clearly having a fabulous time. Fashion never looked so fun, or so full of promise.

But the promise was sadly short-lived. At the peak of his career, Kelly died in Paris at the far-too-young age of thirty-five, an early victim of AIDS. In a time when the joyful racial equality of Kelly's runway seems more unattainable than ever, it was good to recall one man's optimism and creativity, and to remember the epitaph on his headstone: "Nothing Is Impossible."

While "Runway of Love" closed on Monday, much of the show is still online to view, along with several videos, here. There's no better antidote to a grey December day.

Many thanks to Mary Doering and Dilys E. Blum for their insights.

All photographs ©2014 Susan Holloway Scott.