EVENTS, DEAR BOY, EVENTS..... by Adèle Geras

 There really is no excuse, so I am going to come clean.  It's been so long since I posted on this blog that I had forgotten completely that it was my turn to write a piece for yesterday and I am grateful to the eagle-eyed Sue Purkiss for reminding me ....I have dropped everything and run to my laptop, desperately trying to think of something interesting to put into this intimidating expanse of white. I apologise for this lapse. Lord knows, there's been enough going on in the world over the last few weeks to make everyone forget most things, but I am not going to write about Current Events. 

Rather, I'm going to put up a few photos of what I've been doing over the last six months: the time that's elapsed since my last post. 

Apart from Covid news, which everyone knows and which I'm also not going to write about, this last six months has been concerned with launching a book in the middle of a pandemic, and trying hard to get back to work again on the novel that comes next. 

So on March 4th, 2021 Dangerous Women, by Hope Adams (my pseudonym) was published. 

I had a wonderful bouquet of flowers from my publishers, Michael Joseph, and a very lovely Zoom Launch, complete with  tins of cocktails sent in advance. I had signed lots of tip -in sheets and stickers to go in the fronts of books, but when the shops opened on April 12th, no copies of  Dangerous Women were visible in Cambridge. Since then, I've seen one copy in Heffer's, (who had stocked five copies) but that's the only one I've seen in the wild. It's true that I haven't been around much visiting other shops but I hear it's  selling reasonably well, so I'm hoping that someone somewhere has seen it. All the reviews I know of seem to have liked it so I'm happy. And the paperback is due early next year, I think, with a different striking cover. I adored the hardback cover, too but the paperback is lovely in its own way too!

My mind is now turning to my second novel as Hope Adams. It's based on the work of the Scottish artist, Phoebe Anna Traquair. 

At first, I thought I would have the artist herself as a character in my novel, much in the same way that I put the read Kezia Hayter and Captain Charles Ferguson into  Dangerous Women, but I soon realised that because of the demands of my plot,  I needed to create a fictional character based on the artist, while using her beautiful work for my purposes in as faithful a way as possible.  The book will be set in Edinburgh in 1899, so I hope will have elements of the Gothic about it. Here is one example of Traquair's work: 

This is the Mortuary Chapel in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh. Children figure large in my novel....I think. I have yet to write a single word though I've been planning for a very long time.

For the rest, I've had a very pleasant summer. In the Cotswolds, in a Spa where my daughters took me for a weekend, (last year's Christmas present!) along with my granddaughter....that was  real treat. I've looked after my granddog for a week, and kept on walking and reading and watching far too much television.  I've been up to London to  see Leopoldstradt by Tom Stoppard and that was lovely: a real pleasure to be in a theatre again. 

I hope very much that the next time I write on this blog I'll have a more considered post to regale you with! I will put the date in giant letters on every calendar....

Something Old by Sheena Wilkinson

1. Christening Robe

It was ivory, with frills. Not quite exquisite lace – nylon had just come in. Daddy wore it in 1946; I wore it in 1968 and my sister in 1969. 

Bundled to the back of the hotpress to make space for brushed nylon nighties and flannelette candy-stripe sheets, it was not quite an heirloom, but too good for a doll’s frock. One day your children will wear it, Mummy said.

It lived on in my hotpress, with Egyptian cotton sheets and Ikea duvet covers. Not quite forgotten, but an occasional silky reminder that my life was single and childfree and that someday I would have to do something with it.

I moved house. I am getting married but I am quite old. If there are ever step-grandchildren, they will want their own christening robes. I hang it off the edge of the guest room bookcase, and if it looks a little odd, like a headless ghost baby, I am not quite ready to admit that.

2. Lace Petticoat

Gran gave it to me when I was eighteen. It is about seventy years old. The cotton is still white and crisp, the pleats and tucks and lace immaculate but for a little wear and tear. I wear it as a skirt. I pose around college feeling exquisite and romantic.

It too has languished in the hotpress, hiding among pillowcases. I wash, iron and starch it. I note the extra wear on the frothy lace from my catching the hem in my DM boots. And the little gingham ties I made to hang it up with. It is over a hundred years old. I hang it with my ordinary clothes in my new wardrobe. Maybe I will wear it sometime.

3. Gran’s Hair Ribbons

Or Aunt Annie’s. Or Sadie, their big sister who died at sixteen. They are ivory, but perhaps they were white when they were slipped into the family bible over a hundred years ago. I imagine I have seen them in the sepia photos of the three sisters in the 1910s, but they seem smaller and less exuberant than those.

Perhaps they were indeed Sadie’s, pressed carefully in the bible as a memento. There is nobody to tell me and they are a shock to find, so silky and delicate and patient. 

I launder them very carefully. I am going to sew them to the stole I have crocheted for my October wedding day. Something old.

Making Music Visible Part 1 - Norman McLaren - by Joan Lennon

I'm proud to be a History Girl.  But I'm also a Historical Girl, in so far as many things I grew up with are now considered History.  One of those things was the National Film Board of Canada,* home to all sorts of quiet revolutions in animation and film-making.  And from 1941, it was home to Norman McLaren. 

My dad was a film buff, though that term may be Historical now as well, and he shared his enthusiasm with me.**  Not everything we watched together way back then has stood up to the test of time, but Norman McLaren has. In spades.

One aspect of McLaren's work was the technique he pioneered of creating sound scores by scratching and gouging the physical film strip.  We can look more into that in Part 2. But he also collaborated with many of the prominent musicians of his time, making wonderfully abstract short films that both illustrated the music and made it visible. 

He was drawn to music of widely different sorts and styles.  Sometimes he was inspired by folk songs like the French Canadian sequence song in 1958, Le Merle (The Blackbird). In this film he worked with fellow animator Evelyn Lambart and the Trio Lyrique of Montreal.

Or Boogie-Doodle (1940) where African-American jazz pianist Albert Ammons provided the boogie, and McLaren created the doodle:

Eldon Rathburn's jazz ensemble piece came together with McLaren's images hand-scratched and hand-painted directly onto the film strip to become Short and Suite (1959):

But perhaps the most mesmerizing of all was Spheres (1969) where McLaren and Rene Jodoin collaborated with the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould:

(There is yet another layer of richness that you can hear if your ears are keen. One of Glenn Gould's quirks was to hum an improvised other line of music while playing Bach fugues.  Drove some people crazy but as a kid smitten by and grappling with the gorgeousness of Bach, Gould was my hero.)

People speak about 'passion pieces' and for me, the passion of these short collaborative films comes through as vividly today as it did way back then, in History. But perhaps that's enough for now, and Part 2 of Making Music Visible will appear in due course.

*Still going strong, the National Film Board of Canada champions new works and also has a wonderful archive of films and documentaries.  Have a look here.

** Back in 2014 I did a HG post on Norman McLaren's 1957 film A Chairy Tale.  The music was by Ravi Shankar and Chantur Lal.

Joan Lennon Instagram

ALL THAT GLITTERS … by Susan Stokes-Chapman

Anyone familiar with the Georgian era will likely conjure one of two contrasting images: the gritty underworld of 18th-century London, or — more romantically — the opulent ballrooms of the Regency ton. With the soaring popularity of Netflix’s Bridgerton, the period has captivated a whole new generation, drawing fresh attention to its sumptuous aesthetics and social intricacies. Naturally, this fascination extends to one of the era’s most dazzling hallmarks: fashion — and, in particular, jewellery.

Much like today, jewellery in the Georgian period served as a powerful form of self-expression. The variety was astonishing, with styles ranging from the refined and understated to the bold and ostentatious — especially among the upper echelons of society. Jewellery choices were not only a matter of taste but also of timing. During the day, women typically adorned themselves with simpler pieces: a modest necklace, a cameo brooch, perhaps a single ring. Garnets were especially favoured for their rich, deep hue.

By evening, however, the accessories transformed along with the occasion. Out came the more elaborate ensembles: intricately set necklaces, coordinating earrings, stacks of bracelets, and rings gracing nearly every finger. Diamonds, prized for their rarity and brilliance, became the gemstone of choice after dusk. Men, too, indulged in adornment — jewelled shoe buckles and ornate buttons lending flair and personality to their attire.

For the Georgians, jewellery was far more than mere adornment — it was a bold declaration of social status. Those perched at the top of the social hierarchy flaunted their wealth through the possession of genuine gemstones, pure diamonds, and luminous freshwater pearls. The most opulent among them might even boast an entire parure — a coordinated suite comprising a necklace, bracelet, earrings, brooch, and often a decorative headpiece — each element designed to dazzle and impress. As one descended the social ladder, however, both the quality and quantity of jewellery diminished noticeably, reflecting the wearer's more modest means.

 

Throughout the long Georgian era (1714–1830), jewellery design evolved with both fashion and technology, incorporating a rich variety of materials sourced from across Europe. Pieces were often crafted in countries such as Italy, France, and Germany, where skilled artisans blended artistry with innovation. True diamonds shared space with smaller, foiled-back stones designed to enhance their sparkle, alongside a dazzling array of ‘paste’ jewels — highly polished glass imitations that offered the look of luxury without the exorbitant cost of genuine gems.

Other types of glass, such as Vauxhall and Opaline, also gained immense popularity, admired for their brilliance and versatility when paired with colourful paste stones. Meanwhile, traditional precious metals like gold and silver began to make way for alternatives including gilt metal, iron, marcasite, and cut steel. Among these, pinchbeck — a gold-like alloy that resisted tarnish — emerged as a fashionable and accessible choice in its own right, allowing style to flourish regardless of status.

 

 

Natural materials such as coral, agate, turquoise, ivory, and amber were highly prized by the Georgians, admired not only for their intrinsic beauty but also for their symbolic value. Even wood found its place in jewellery design, showcasing the period’s appreciation for craftsmanship in all forms. Cameos, often carved from shell with extraordinary precision, were especially beloved. Typically crafted in Italy, these miniature works of art frequently depicted scenes from Greek mythology — a subject that resonated deeply with Georgian tastes, particularly as the era progressed and Grecian influences began to shape both fashion and architecture.

Jewellery also served as a powerful conduit for emotion and sentiment. In Georgian society, the giving of a diamond ring took the place of a bouquet of flowers, symbolising a profound declaration of love. Heart-shaped designs were cherished gifts, seen as particularly fortunate tokens of affection. Among the most intimate expressions was the 'lover’s eye' — a finely painted miniature of a beloved's eye, set into a brooch or locket and exchanged in secret. Mourning jewellery, too, was deeply personal. The loss of a loved one might be commemorated with a ring containing a lock of their hair, worn close to the skin as a quiet, enduring tribute.

Sadly, as fashions evolved over time, much of the original Georgian jewellery was dismantled and repurposed to suit changing tastes. Stones were reset, metals were melted down, and entire pieces were reimagined to align with the styles of a new era. As a result, surviving examples of early Georgian jewellery are rare today — precious remnants of a bygone age that has, in many ways, been lost to history.

Curiously, Georgian portraiture does not always depict its sitters adorned in jewellery, yet we know such adornments were both widely available and enthusiastically worn. So the next time you find yourself wandering the halls of Chatsworth — or any grand eighteenth-century estate — imagine the women who once lived there, dressed in regal splendour, a glittering necklace at their throat and rings — perhaps several — catching the light on their fingers.

For those keen to delve deeper into this dazzling subject (pun very much intended), Georgian Jewellery: 1714–1830 by Ginny Redington and Olivia Collings is an essential read. The book offers an in-depth and richly illustrated exploration of the period’s jewellery, far beyond what we can cover here. From Berlin iron and Wedgwood pieces to cut steel, harlequin gems, and the romantic symbolism of the language of flowers, it’s a visual and historical treasure trove. All images in this post are sourced from this excellent volume, which you can find on Amazon — a true feast for the eyes and the curious mind alike. It can be viewed HERE.

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My Georgian-set debut novel Pandora is due out with Harvill Secker in January 2022. It’s main character – Dora Blake – is an aspiring jewellery designer! You can pre-order by clicking the image below:

www.susanstokeschapman.com
Instagram: @SStokesChapman