Grown Ladies and Gentlemen Taught to Dance

Since properly brought up young ladies and gentlemen learned to dance before they were old enough to be out socially, one assumes this piece satirizes the rising middle class and their pretensions. Notice that “taught to dance” is italicized and followed by exclamation points. The people to the left appear to be learning posture tortuously as well.

Published by Wallis & Son, artist unknown. From the British Cartoon Collection of the Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons.

Assembly Rooms, May 2015

So many articles this month! I hope you find some of them to be of interest.

Gillray-very slippy weatherThe prodigiously talented Gillray: http://18thcand19thc.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/james-gillray-prince-of-caricaturists.html

The care and upbringing of foundlings: http://www.thehistoryoflondon.co.uk/thomas-coram-and-the-foundling-hospital/

A London walk: https://londonhistorians.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/footsteps-of-soane-ii/

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Assembly Rooms – April 2015

Here’s the monthly assemblage of links of interest to lovers of the Regency era — everything from prisoners’ mementos to dishonest valets. Continue reading “Assembly Rooms – April 2015”

Addressing Younger Sons of the Peerage   by Ann Lethbridge

Those who enjoy Regencies look forward to meeting all those titled characters who inhabit that world. But for those of us not born into the nobility, keeping track of members of the family beyond the main title-holder can be very confusing. Fortunately, in today’s article, Regency romance author, Ann Lethbridge, whose latest romance is Falling for the Highland Rogue, gives us a primer on how to address the minor nobles who may make an appearance in the next Regency romance we read, or, perhaps, write.

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Educating Your Daughters — A Guide to English Boarding Schools in 1814   By Susanna Ives

In today’s article, Susanna Ives, most recently author of Wicked Little Secrets, gives us some insights into the education of young women two centuries ago. Compare the usual course of study which was typically provided to these young ladies to the education of young gentlemen which was shared with us earlier this month by Cheryl Bolen.

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How to Learn What Regency Gentlemen Knew   By Cheryl Bolen

Would you like to get inside the head of a Regency romance hero? Would you like to better understand his upbringing, education and what society would expect from him as a gentleman? In today’s article, award-winning Regency romance author, Cheryl Bolen, tells us about an instruction manual, written in the form of letters from a peer to his son, which explains what a young gentleman about town needs to know to succeed in life.

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Addressing Younger Sons of the Peerage

by Ann Lethbridge

Yes, pesky titles. I know I should have this down pat by now. But I started a book several years ago, and lo and behold the darn hero was the second son of a duke. Not the heir. Now there are all kinds of pitfalls with Dukes, not just what you call them, but what you call their sons, their wives, their sons wives and so on. I am going to deal with just a couple of them here.

I thought rather than do a dry list, I would use the 5th Duke of Devonshire as a living — a well a previously living– example. His first wife was Georgiana, a very interesting woman, but in the matter of titles I have chosen this particular Duke because he was around in the Georgian era.

This is a portrait of the fifth duke. Now how would you address the starchy looking gentleman. Oh and by the way, his family name (like your surname) is Cavendish. That becomes important later.

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