The Two Nerdy History Girls & the World of 1776—Now On YouTube

Clockwise from upper left: Loretta Chase, Meena Jain, Susan Holloway Scott

As always, Susan Holloway Scott and I had a wonderful time with Ashland (MA) Public Library Director Meena Jain. This time, the Two Nerdy History Girls did something a little bit different: We focused on Revolutionary War era America—and along the way, did some compare & contrast work with several topics. As you probably are well aware, everyday life in America, before as well as after the revolution, was different from life in England in many ways.

Susan has written several works of historical fiction focusing directly on Americans during the Revolutionary War era, whereas my focus has been early nineteenth-century England. Still, I’ve learned some things from my visits to Colonial Williamsburg, and this, I hope, helped me keep up with the questions.

For those who missed the conversation, or who’d like a rerun, here’s the YouTube link.

The hour went by quickly. Since some of the information might have slipped by the audience, and since I have (of course) more historical nerdy-ness to offer, below are some of the books mentioned as well as links to additional information.

Here are some of the 2NHG posts on pins:

Pins & Pinning

As Used by Jane Austen: Pins, the Regency Post-It

A Young Woman Dresses for Day, c. 1775

Colonial Williamsburg offers many videos about life in 1700s America.

If you want to learn more about Colonial fashion, a number of videos show how clothing was made and how people dressed.

Coach at Colonial Williamsburg

When we discussed transportation, I referred to an early 19th century book, The Traveller’s Oracle (2 volumes), which covers, apparently, every detail of traveling in England in the 1820s. By this time, England had vastly improved its roads, with a corresponding increase in inns, but the basic principles would apply to most people traveling via horse or carriage.

The Two Nerdy History Girls Talk About Life 250 Years Ago

Some years have passed since author Susan Holloway Scott and I posted for the last time at our Two Nerdy History Girls blog.* Since that time, however, Meena Jain, Director of the Ashland (Massachusetts) Public Library, has invited us back regularly for virtual chats about history.

This time, Meena has asked us to be part of the Ashland Public Library’s sesquicentennial (try saying that fast three times) celebration series. As usual, we’ll leave politics and battles to those who are experts in these topics. We’ll focus on everyday life in 1776. As you can imagine, some aspects of life went on as usual while others changed, as they are bound to do in a time of upheaval.

The Two Nerdy History Girls - Everyday Life in 1776

''Pulling Down the Statue of George III", oil painting by William Walcutt (1819-1882), circa 1854.

  7-8PM on Monday 13 July 2026 via Zoom

To learn more about the program and to register, you can follow the link below:

Virtual - Celebrating America's 250th: The Two Nerdy History Girls Discuss Everyday Life in 1776

˜ ™™In Other News

SAVE THE DATE: Whether you are writing or hope/plan to write a book set between the late 1700s and the before-Victoria 1800s, you might want to join us at the Regency Fiction Writers Conference July 30th – August 1st, 2026. Again, you don’t need to leave the comfort of your home or wherever you do your staring at the screen. I can attest to the educational and fun aspects of the conference. As always, we have an excellent speaker lineup, including, I’m happy to report, my good friend author Caroline Linden, who’s a keynote speaker this year. You needn’t be a member of RFW to attend, although you can save some $$ if you are. You’ll find all the details at the conference link above.

*Though we stopped posting at the end of 2018, the blog remains, although I can’t promise that all the links will work.

The Wallace Collection, Part 1

Please note: If you receive this blog via email and are unable to see the videos, please click through to the blog itself. I hope to have this annoyance resolved by the next London blog post.

The first time I walked through the door of the Wallace Collection, my jaw actually dropped.

And that was simply standing in the Entrance Hall and gaping at the staircase. I’ve returned several times, and never cease to marvel or make a discovery.

The building itself is Hertford House, familiar to many of us who set books in the early 19th century. We know that the Marchioness of Hertford (wife of the 2d Marquess) and the Prince Regent had a thing going on for more than a decade.

Hertford House in 1813, from Ackermann’s Repository, June 1813

The Court Journals of the early 1830s make numerous references to this lady’s entertainments. By the 1830s, she’s the Dowager Marchioness. Her son, the third Marquess of Hertford, truly began the art collection with his wife’s money. She was Maria Emilia Fagnani, the lady who won the half-million pounds, reported in the news clipping below. This pair separated—unsurprisingly, since he was definitely not romance hero material.

“Lord Hertford paid £700 for the exclusive use of the steam-boat which conveyed himself and suite from Marseilles to Naples, in the autumn; to the great inconvenience of various persons who were detained for some weeks in the former city, for want of the usual conveyance."—Court Journal 4 January 1834.

Their son, the fourth marquess, grew up in Paris, and added substantially to the collection. The wife of his illegitimate son, Richard Wallace, left the collection to England. This family’s life is so complicated that I’ll leave it to you to pursue if you wish.

After recovering from the Entrance Hall swoon, we make our way to the Front State Room, which gives an idea of what the place was like in the 1870s. This is where one received important visitors, and it was meant to impress.

In this room hang the famous 1822 Thomas Lawrence portrait of the Countess of Blessington (which you’ve no doubt seen on countless book covers and social media accounts), Sully’s 1838 portrait of the young Queen Victoria, and John Hoppner’s portrait of King George IV when he was the Prince of Wales.

Moving on to the Back State Room:

The chandelier dates from 1751. This is where Sir Richard Wallace entertained guests amid the rococo splendor of works from the time of King Louis XV and his mistress Madame de Pompadour.

The Billiard Room holds some beautiful furniture by André Boulle(1642-1732) as well as many works created in the time of King Louis XIV. A huge billiard table did stand here in 1897. I have no idea where it is now. Like virtually every other room in the house, this contains many fine paintings, which you can view on the website’s online collection.

Here and elsewhere I tend to focus on what I might use in a book, and that tends to be furnishings rather than paintings (although a Botticelli plays an important role in Vixen in Velvet). For instance, what’s on the mantel? These sorts of items give my characters something to look at. And I often have something to say about the clocks. Note that one didn’t encounter clocks in such profusion (or at all) in the residences of the less affluent. Here’s what drew my eye in the Billiard Room.

The Small Drawing Room these days showcases works from the time of Louis XV. In Sir Richard Wallace’s day, it was the Reynolds Room, as shown in the black and white photo below. As to my photo choices: Yes, I’m drawn to the various timekeeping devices—a stunning contrast to our digital clocks.

The video below will give you an idea of the other treasures in this room. If you’d like to investigate the paintings, the online collection allows you to search by gallery.

This is another large collection of interesting objects, which means I will attempt another blog post in the near future. With any luck, I’ll also have my YouTube site functioning properly, which will allow for easier (I hope) viewing of these and other short video tours.