Posts filed under ‘art’
I got an award! And I’d like to recommended some blogs and journals
Earlier this year, I received the following award from the most generous Wolfgang Amadé Mozart:
I just noticed that my note of thanks never made it on said wonderful blog. Like many others, it’s hosted on blogspot. And blogspot seems to have a Joyful-Molly-allergy. I’m the peanut-butter of the blogosphere.
But this won’t keep me from recommending some wonderful blogs for your reading pleasure. Whenever I find the time, I follow the writings and findings of these amazing, funny, interesting and fascinating people, who, in my humble opinion, are some of the best you can find on ye olde inthartubes, and whose contributions to the alive-keeping of history are invaluable.
Listed in alphabetical order. Sort of.
THE DUTCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE’S GOSSIP GUIDE TO THE 18TH CENTURY
Scandalous tid-bits from England’s finest socialite of the Georgian age.
GARROW’S LAW
Maintaned by Mark Pallis, Legal and Historical Consultant on the BBC show.
GILLRAY’S PRINTSHOP OF HISTORICAL ABSURDITIES
Being one amateur historian’s exploration of the 18th and 19th centuries.
THE OFFICIAL WEBLOG OF WOLFGANG AMADÉ MOZART
ONE MORE STITCH
Reproduction and historic knitting inspired by original garments, objects and patterns from the past.
There are more, of course, and I’ll add them in my next update of MOLLY JOYFUL’S LIST OF USEFUL RESOURCES, but for now, please enjoy the ones I listed, and don’t forget to tell them how much you enjoy their work.
Emma Collingwood: “Lieutenant Samuel Blackwood (deceased)” on sale!
From the blog of Emma Collingwood:
Unfortunately, “The Radiant Boy” won’t be available in time for Christmas (the book will go on sale in January 2010). A small consolation: the price for “Lieutenant Samuel Blackwood (deceased)” has been lowered by £ 1.00!
Christmas Special:
Buy “Lieutenant Samuel Blackwood (deceased)” for
£ 7.50 (Europe) or £ 8.50 (elsewhere)!
First class postage is included in these prices!
PLEASE ORDER THE PRINT EDITION HERE!
HMS Privet has the reputation of being a cursed ship: every first lieutenant serving aboard her dies gruesomely. Lieutenant Daniel Leigh is determined to solve the mystery and volunteers for the place himself, putting his life in desperate danger. Little does he suspect that he will fall in love with the captain, John Meadows, and end up fighting not only for his own life, but for the soul of his lover, too.
Lieutenant Samuel Blackwood (deceased) – a Georgian ghost story featuring a cursed ship, a vengeful ghost, a haunted captain and a very daring lieutenant.
Illustrations: Amandine de Villeneuve
Editor: Alex Beecroft
Contains male/male romance.
Resource/Art: The English Lady’s Dandy Toy, 1818
Now there should be some meta in this illustration from 1818…!
The expression on the jumpin’ jack’s face – or would that be jumpin’ dandy? – never fails to crack me up, just like the smug little smile on the lady’s lips. Plus I admit a weakness for her cute wee pink slippers!
Books/resource: Marryat’s collected works – more original German 19th century illustrations!
You might remember this post, the one with the illustrations for “Midshipman Easy”. Thanks to the kindness of Secret Handshake, who sent me an attic find of hers, I can now share more illustrations with you. The books she’s sent me also dates back to the late 19th century, and contains a collection of stories (translated to German) by Captain Frederick Marryat:
- Peter Simpel (Peter Simple)
- Jakob Ehrlich (Jacob Faithful)
- Die Favoritin des Sultans (The Pacha Of Many Tales)
- Der himmelblaue Domino (The Sky-Blue Domino)
There are many illustrations, scanning them all would have taken up too much time, so I only picked the naval-related ones. While I’m a little doubtful about the accuracy of the uniforms etc., I still think they are great resources, and if nothing else, some of them are pretty funny. 🙂 So, have fun, and thanks again to SH!
Cover
Peter Simple: Sea Chest
Peter Simple: Big Fish
Peter Simple: Duel
Peter Simple: Spy Glass
Peter Simple: Putting to Sea
Peter Simple: Below Deck
Peter Simple: Lady’s Visit
Peter Simple: Young Love
Jacob Faithful: Old Tom
Jacob Faithful: Outrage!
Jacob Faithful: Swift Kick up the Backside
Jacob Faithful: Apology
Jacob Faithful: Dismiss!
Emma Collingwood: Cover art for “The Radiant Boy” by Amandine de Villeneuve
From the blog of Emma Collingwood:
I received the illustrations and the cover art by Mlle Amandine de Villeneuve and was once more completely stunned and in awe of her talent at drawing as well as catching the personalities of my characters with pen and Indian ink.
“The Radiant Boy” is almost finished, and I can promise you eery tales set in the Age of Sail, tributes to the classic ghost stories of the 18th and 19th century. Mlle de Villeneuve has produced once more truly amazing artwork, and I’m over the moon that I can share the raw art for the cover with you today.
Charlie, the main character in the title story of “The Radiant Boy”
I’ll give you soon more information on publishing date, price etc., but costs should be about the same as for “Lieutenant Samuel Blackwood (deceased)”. A release in E-book format isn’t planned yet (thanks to assorted e-pirates, screw you lot), and just like the tomes in the past, this little book comes with – a book curse. Where firewalls fail, curses might help. 😉
I herewith hug and kiss Mlle de Villeneuve through the screen; I won’t call her George, though, unless she insists…
Happy 4 July to my friends across the big pond! :-)
I haven’t posted cartoons from the 18th century for quite a while, so I thought you might enjoy the following one. It was made in support of America’s independence, and while it’s political incorrect up to the nines, it seems to be a rather spot-on look at the political situation back in 1776…
Mother Britain: “I’ll force you to Obedience, you Rebellious Slut!”
Daughter America: “Liberty Liberty for ever Mother, while I exist!”
Resource/art: Collingwood as a boy – “The Plum Cake Incident” – illustration!
I have to thank the wonderful SecretHandshake for this gem – and I just have to share it with you!
THE PLUM CAKE INCIDENT
Most of us were touched by this little anecdote about Collingwood’s first days at sea:
“(…) His first biographer, and son-in-law, G. L. Newnham-Collingwood, told an old family story of Collingwood’s first days after he joined Shannon. One of the lieutenants found him crying from homesickness. Although lieutenants were duty-bound to toughen up their recruits, this man comforted Collingwood, and in return was taken to his sea chest and given a large piece of plum cake. It is possible that this lieutenant was William Smith, who until 1758 had been gunner in the Alcide before being promoted into Shannon. (…)” – Max Adams: Admiral Collingwood, Nelson’s Own Hero
However, in the latest Collingwood-biography, “In the Shadow of Nelson: The Life of Admiral Lord Collingwood” by Denis Orde, the author emphasises that
“(…) Significantly, in Collingwood’s account there is no mention of sobbing for home and family in those first days on board ship or of sharing a plum cake which his mother had packed in his sea chest with a kindly lieutenant who had taken pity on him, as his son-in-law, the barrister Newnham who adopted the name Collingwood, afterwards claimed had been the case. (…)”
This quote and its slightly dismissive tone is significant for that biography. Orde writes for his peers (which is noble, but they have already heard of Collingwood, I suppose), and while there are some interesting bits and pieces, a more appropriately title might have been “People who had something to do with Collingwood”. Adams managed to get people interested in Collingwood, the human being – Orde honours the officer. Adams makes us feel with Collingwood, his style is helpful for those who are new to the subject: educational, yet also entertaining. Orde unfortunately lacks that talent.
Now, before those of my readers who are involved with the navy man the cannons: Denis Orde’s book isn’t bad. If you have spare money, buy it, but the writing is stiff, at times pompous and will very likely not get more people interested in Collingwood’s life, personality and achievements. And I feel it’s more important to carry the memory of Collingwood the man through the next generations than to keep him as some precious artifact within a elitist circle.
Actually, I wish there was a children book about Collingwood, as they come for Cook or Nelson.
Actually, somebody better write it soon, or I’ll do it.
Anyway, SH found an absolutely precious 19th century illustration of the plum cake incident – and here it is!
NOW EVERYBODY PLEASE GO AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW…
The illustration can be found in the book “Footprints of famous men; designed as incitements to intellectual industry (1854)” by John George Edgar, available online here (legal download, it’s out of copyright).
As for my personal opinion, the plum cake incident is historical fact, and even if it isn’t, it still is. I’m stubborn like that.
02.03.2009: Molly Joyful’s List Of Useful Resources has been updated!
Molly Joyful’s List Of Useful Resources
has been updated! Many new links for you, on all aspects of life in the 18th century, with focus on life at sea and British history and daily life.
As usual, the list is neither complete (will never be), nor can I guarantee you that all information on those websites is 100% correct. New links are marked with a bright red "new" sign.
If you should have a link you’d like to share or feel there’s one filed in the wrong category, please let me know. Thanks!
Categories:
FASHION
MUSIC
SEXUALITY
MEDICAL SERVICES / HYGIENE
CHILDREN
ART
LIFE AT SEA
18TH CENTURY GENERAL (MOSTLY) BRITISH HISTORY
SOCIETY, DAILY LIFE
NAVAL HISTORY
BLACK HISTORY / PEOPLE OF COLOUR / SLAVERY IN THE 18th CENTURY
LAW AND PUNISHMENT
RANKS AND UNIFORMS
SHIPS
LANGUAGE
PEOPLE
COMMUNITIES
LIVING HISTORY
SHOPPING
AUTHORS (Age Of Sail)
BOOKS
Enjoy your research!
Books/resource: Marryat’s Midshipman Easy – original German 19th century illustrations!
Between a pile of grandma’s crocheted doilies and boxes full of stamps and postcards, a book caught my eye at the local fleamarket. “Jack” by some “Franz Hoffmann”. Never heard of, but…
you can’t expect me to walk past an old children’s book with a cover showing people getting eaten by sharks!
Plus there were a ship and an uniform.
When I opened the book, I realised to my greatest surprise that, while announcing the adventures of “Jack, der tapfere Midshipman” (“Jack, the brave Midshipman”), it actually was a German translation of Captain Frederick Marryat’s “Midshipman Easy”! (You remember Marryat? The Royal Navy Ghostbuster?) So that‘s how you came to fame back in the 19th century, folks – by doing a (pretty bad) translation and slap your own name on it!
Books: “Animals at Sea” by Liza Verity
Last week, I’ve visited the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich; regular readers of my journal will know that I can’t pass any opportunity to indulge in my uniform fetish research naval history. They will also know that I possibly couldn’t spot a book with a title like
and leave the shop without buying it!
Animals have shared the limited space aboard ships all through the ages. Dogs, monkeys, cats, parrots, wallabies, goats, elephants – you name it, it’s been at sea. Cats have certainly undergone the biggest “career move” of all animals. From the mass-destruction of the dark ages, where they were suspected to be in league with the devil and not welcome aboard a ship, to much-loved hunters of vermin. Considering the damage caused by rats, one can understand that seamen took a special liking to their four-pawed messmates.
Joyful Molly 