What Olivia wore

Alert readers will have noticed the comments running through

Last Night’s Scandal

regarding fashions.   I thought I would post some illustrations, to give you a better sense of what my characters were talking about.

You'll find the description for the Carriage Dress and Bonnet(at left) over at

Two Nerdy History Girls

.  Here's more from FASHIONS FOR NOVEMBER, 1831 from

La Belle Assemblée

. 

DINNER DRESS. A DRESS of rose-coloured

gaze Polonais

, over a

gros de Naples

slip of a similar colour. The

corsage

is cut low ; it sits close to the shape behind; the front is arranged in folds which cross so high in the centre of the bosom, that very little of the blond lace

chemisette

is seen. The sleeves are between the

gigot

and

Amadis

form, but incline more to the latter shape. The

chemisette

is made with a round collar, which falls low over the back and shoulders, and is trimmed with a double fall of blond lace. The hair is parted on the forehead, and arranged in a platted braid

en couronne

on the summit of the head. The ends of the braid, disposed in corkscrew ringlets, fall over the comb placed behind the

couronne

. A

ferronière

composed of gold chain, with a ruby

agraffe

, is brought rather low upon the forehead. The jewellery worn with this dress should be of gold and rubies. Swansdown boa tippet.

Julia Child's Kitchen

A few weeks ago, on a trip south for a wedding, we stopped in Washington D.C. for a couple of days, to visit friends and, of course, museums.  I have a long list of places in D.C. I want to visit, but there's never enough time for more than one or two.  This time, inspired by Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci's marvelous performances in Julie and Julia, I went straight to the Smithsonian to visit Julia Child's Kitchen. 

(To be strictly accurate, my journey was somewhat straight.  It was necessary to detour round the Boy Scouts parade.  There were several thousand of them in town that weekend, and the 100+ temps made even those brave lads faint, some of them.  But more of that at another time.)

Following up on my blog about Julia Child at Two Nerdy History Girls, here, for you viewing pleasure, are more photos.

There's a ton of fascinating info about Julia Child and her kitchen here, at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History site.

The Bride in White

In response to a reader comment regarding a previous post, I’m doing connected blogs.  There’s more about white wedding dresses at Two Nerdy History Girls.

This is an 1831 white wedding dress, one of several examples I've found of white wedding dresses before Queen Victoria wore white at her wedding (10 February 1840).

The description comes from La Belle assemblée: or, Court and fashionable magazine; containing interesting and original literature, and records of the beau-monde; PublisherJ. Bell, 1831

Fashions for March, 1831
French fashions. WEDDING DRESS.

A dress of blonde de Chantilly, over white satin; the corsage of the lace dress, cut low and square round the bosom, is ornamented with a lappel which forms points upon the shoulders ; the points falling over a single row of superb blond lace, which covers the short béret sleeve of the white satin under-dress. Two very deep flounces, so arranged that one falls a little over the other, reach from the bottom of the skirt considerably above the knee, and are surmounted by a very rich embroidery. The wedding veil, also of blonde de Chantilly, is arranged in the drapery style at the back of the head, and the corners, brought round the base of the bows of hair on the summit of the head, are attached by a nuptial garland of orange flowers. A bandeau of emeralds set in gold goes round the forehead; earrings, necklace, and bracelets to correspond.