The Prince Regent

Without Prinny, the Regency Era (1811-1820) would have had a decidedly different character. He was a libertine and gifted wastrel who set the tone and style for the age.

George IV, The Prince of Wales lived life extravantly and was enormously unpopular for it in some circles. This Prince of Pleasure's once tall slim frame grew heavy and corpulent from overindulgence, as you can see in the illustration above by James Gilray, who satirized the Prince in a number of unflattering cartoons.

But before the Prince Regent took over, the country was already in shambles. Louis Simond, An American in Regency England, observed in his travel journal in 1809: "One thing that surprises me more and more every day; it is the great number of people in opposition; that is, those who disapprove, not only the present measures of ministers,which have not been of late either very wise or very successful, but the form and constitution of the government itself. It is stigmatized as vicious, corrupt, and in decay,without hope or remedy but in a general reform, and in fact a revolution. "

The links below define Prinny and his era even further:
1. George IV and the United Kingdom
2. The Prince Regent and His Circle: In Their Own Words
3. Prince Regent
4. Coronation of George IV
5. Prinny's Many Mistresses
6. Prince George's Culture Clubs: A Trail Through Regency Brighton

My Favorite Regency Gown

Describing the exquisite Regency gowns in its collection, The Museum of Costume & Assembly Rooms, Bath: The Official Guide states on p 32:

"These simple, light gowns were inspired by the neo-classical taste and were intended to imitate the draperies of ancient Greek and Roman statues. Muslin was an ideal dress fabric because it was soft and almost transparent, gently outlining the natural contours of the figure. It could also be washed easily (unlike silk) which made the fashion for white possible."

View ravishing details of my favorite regency gown, which is for sale (click on dress in link and scroll down): Directoire silk gauze dress, c.1805. Fashioned from gossamer silk gauze woven with the Neoclassical stripes then popular. The draped folds and lace appliqués on the short puffed sleeves show masterful design. A rare fancy period dress with the original trim.

Of Art, Artists, and Paintings

Art from the Regency and Georgian period in England was lush, luscious, delectable, creamy, and so mouthwatering that you just want to look AND touch. View a cornocupia of visual feasts on the following sites:

Prinny's Paintings
English School of Painting
English Painting 1800-1900
Neoclassicism:The Classical Ideal
Neoclassicism: A Link of Artists
History of English Watercolour Paintings
J.M.W. Turner
The Neoclassical Temple
Jean Nattes Prints of Bath

The Mirror of Graces, 1811

The Mirror of Graces, written by a Lady of Distinction in 1811, is a first-hand source that describes the dress and manners of ladies during the Regency Period. Some speculate that the book was written by a governess or lady's companion who was a close observer of the upper classes, but not a member of it.

Here is her observation on "the detail of dress."

"The mantle, or cottage-cloak, should never be worn by females exceeding a moderate en bon point; and we should recommend their winter garbs, such as Russian pelisses and Turkish wraps, to be formed of double sarsenet, or fine Merina cloth, rather than velvets, which (except black) give an appearance of increased size to the wearer. In the adoption of furs, flat-ermine or fringe fur is better suited to the full-formed woman than swan's down, fox, chinchilli, or sable; these are graceful for the more slender. Women of spare habit, and of a tall and elegant height, will derive considerable advantage from the full-flowing robe, mantle, and Roman tunic. The fur trimming, too, gives to them an appearance of roundness, which nature has denied;and to this description of person we can scarcely recommend an evending-dress more chaste, elegant and advantageous, than robes of white satin trimmed with swan's-down, with draperies of silver or gossamer net."

Find a listing of fabric and cloth on the Phrontistery site:

"This is a rather odd category, listing 269 names of kinds of fabric and cloth. There is an enormous variety in fabrics, with many different national, historical and regional varieties. It is interesting to note, however, that almost all of the types of fabric listed below are variants or blends of just five basic fabric types (silk, cotton, linen, wool and worsted)."

John Nash, the Architect Who Transformed London

John Nash's buildings exemplified the neoclassical style of early 19th Century Architecture. His sweeping changes transformed London, from the graceful curve of Regent Street to the majestic terraces and vistas in Regent's Park.

View some of his edifices below:

1. Regent's Park
2. Regent Street
3. Buckingham Palace

We will devote an entire section to Brighton Palace later.

The London Season: A Marriage Mart

The London Season began with the sitting of Parliament after Christmas and ended in mid-June, when the Ton deserted London in droves for their country estates in order to escape the summer's stifling heat and the city's pungent smells.

During the height of the social whirl, attendance at parties, balls, routs, and the theatre shot up as proud Papas and Mamas strutted their white-gowned, virginal daughters in front of a host of eligible men, some longer in the tooth than others.

"We have already seen that as early as the 1730's and 40's many of the residents in the principal streets of the Grosvenor estate, and of course many more in other correspondingly fashionable parts of London, only spent part of each year in town, their seasonal movements being prescribed by those of the Court and by the dates of the parliamentary sessions. In the eighteenth century the number of people participating in this fashionable minuet between town and country cannot be even approximately calculated, but in the nineteenth century detailed information about the London Season was published for many years in The Morning Post, and this has been analysed for the year 1841."

From: 'The Social Character of the Estate: The London Season in 1841', Survey of London: volume 39: The Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 1 (General History) (1977), pp. 89-93. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=41842. Date accessed: 30 August 2006.

Wikipedia adds more insights about The Season.

Beeton's Book of Household Management

The full title of this book is: The Book of Household Management: Comprising Information for the Mistress, Housekeeper, Cook, Kitchen-maid, Butler, Footman, Coachman, Valet, Upper and under house-maids, Lady’s-maid, Maid-of-all-work, Laundry-maid, Nurse and nurse-maid, Monthly, wet, and sick nurses, etc. etc. also, sanitary, medical, & legal memoranda;with a history of the origin, properties, and uses of all things connected with home life and comfort.

Yes, this original source, available for free online, was written during the Victorian era, but the gems of knowledge contained within its pages help to illuminate the daily tasks and duties of the British wife and hostess. Written by Mrs. Isabella Beeton and originally published by her husband, S. O. Beeton (in 24 monthly parts, 1859–1861) this book provides matchless insights, such as those contained in the following excerpt:

"AFTER-DINNER INVITATIONS MAY BE GIVEN; by which we wish to be understood, invitations for the evening. The time of the arrival of these visitors will vary according to their engagements, or sometimes will be varied in obedience to the caprices of fashion. Guests invited for the evening are, however, generally considered at liberty to arrive whenever it will best suit themselves,—usually between nine and twelve, unless earlier hours are specifically named. By this arrangement, many fashionable people and others, who have numerous engagements to fulfil, often contrive to make their appearance at two or three parties in the course of one evening."

Learn more about this book and Mrs. Beeton, who died at 30 after giving birth to her 4th child, in Wikipedia.

Find Images of Regency Vehicles and Other Historical Artifacts

The Science and Society Picture Library is filled with magnificent illustrations and photographs of interest to historians. This link leads to these images, including carriages, cabriolets, phaotons, landaus, and more. Type the name of the vehicle you are searching for in the search bar, such as landeau or phaeton or barouche. Corresponding images will pop up.

On Joining the Select Group of Janeites

Janeites have one thing in common: a love for Jane Austen. I found this online definition of a Janeite:
Janeite
A Jane Austen enthusiast. The word Janean is also used, though primarily as an adjective. Austenian, now much rarer, seems to have been more common in the past. FWIW, in 1927 the TLS recommended a new edition of JEAL's Memoir (for editor Robert Chapman's enumeration of JA's letters and manuscripts) as ``mak[ing] it necessary to the complete Austenian....''

Web links to Jane sites:

1. The Jane Austen Center in Bath, which one of the best sites I have seen thus far.
   
2. The Jane Austen Society of North America offers Persuasions, an online journal.
   
3. Austen.com provides a good starting point for people interested in Jane Austen
4. Jane Austen House and Museum
5. The Jane Austen Society of Australia provides a rich resource of links.
6. Jane Austen, biography and links on Brandeis University website.
   

Links to Blogs or discussion groups about Jane:

1. Jane Austen by Alicia M on Squidoo.
2. Austensorium created by Justine Renton from Washington (state?).
3. Jane in Color describes her blog as one black woman's fascination with all things Austen.
4. AustenBlog created by a group of Janeites who are influenced by movies and television series of Jane's work, books about Jane, and books and stories by Jane Writer-Wannabees.
   
5. Risky Regencies created by a group of authors who chat about Regency romances, the English Regency period, other Regency-set novels, Jane Austen books and movies, the craft of writing novels, and more.
6. Here's a blog post by Maude Newton about Jane.
7. Cult of the Janeites is a discussion forum.

Jane Austen Merchandise and Other Oddities that Might Have Amused Her (Not!):

As you can observe from the Jane Austen action figure to our right, the world marketplace bristles with enterprising entrepeneurs, none of whom seem to have taken lessons in manners and deportment. Speaking of manners, don't forget to tell your friends: "I saw them here first!"

1. Jane Austen Action Figure. Oh, my.

2. Jane Austen mugs and t-shirts, and Darcy magnets, and bumper stickers, and, well, go see for yourself.

3. Jane Austen gifts from Shakespeare's Den are not to be believed. Honest.

4. Austen Attitude and The Pemberley Collection

5. Jane Austen's Little Advice Book

Male Bastions: The Clubs of St. James's

Found on the Internet, an abstract of the following article:

The Clubs of St. James's: places of public patriarchy - exclusivity, domesticity and secrecy, Jane Rendell

"The male clubs of St. James's, specifically the four at the top of St. James's Street; Boodle's, Brooks's, Crockford's and White's, were frequented by men of the same class who used their control of space to assert social and political allegiances and rivalries between men. The exclusivity of the first floor gambling room, a place of secrecy and privacy, is contrasted with the ground floor bow window, a site of public display and exclusivity. Male leisure pastimes, such as drinking, sporting, gambling, are explored as social and spatial practices which, by establishing shared codes of consumption, display and exchange, represent public masculinities."

During the period of his greatest popularity and influence, Beau Brummell (depicted above) held court in the Bow Window at White's in full view of the public. White's was founded in 1693 as a Chocolate House. By the end of the 18th Century, the popularity of chocolate houses declined, and many of the exclusive chocolate houses became Gentleman's Clubs.

Find more information about Gentlemens Clubs in the following:

• Gentlemens Clubs: Regency London
• Join the Club
• Dandy Club for Research

Attire of the Regency Dandy

In The Corinthian, Georgette Heyer describes Sir Richard in her inimitable fashion:

"He was a very notable Corinthian. From his Wind-swept hair (most difficult of all styles to achieve), to the toes of his gleaming Hessians, he might have posed as an advertisement for the Man of Fashion. His fine shoulders set off a coat of superfine cloth to perfection; his cravat, which had excited George's admiration, had been arranged by the hands of a master; his waistcoat was chosen with a nice eye; his biscuit-coloured pantaloons showed not one crease; and his Hessians with their jaunty gold tassels, had not only been made for him by Hoby, but were polished, George suspected, with a blacking mixed with champagne. A quizzing-glass on a black ribbon hung around his neck; a fob at his waist; and in one hand he carried a Sevres snuff-box. His air proclaimed unutterable boredom, but no tailoring, no amount of studied nonchalance, could conceal the muscle in his thighs, or the strength of his shoulders. Above the starched points of his shirt-collar, a weary, handsome face showed its owner's disillusionment."

In High Society: A Social History of the Regency Period, 1788-1830, Venetia Murray writes:

"...admirers of dandyism have taken the view that it is a sociological phenomenon, the result of a society in a state of transition or revolt. Barbey d'Aurevilly, one of the leading French dandies at the end of the nineteenth century, explained: Some have imagined that dandyism is primarily a specialisation in the art of dressing oneself with daring and elegance. It is that, but much else as well. It is a state of mind made up of many shades, a state of mind produced in old and civilised societies where gaiety has become infrequent or where conventions rule at the price of their subject's boredom...it is the direct result of the endless warfare between respectability and boredom.

In Regency London dandyism was a revolt against a different kind of tradition, an expression of distaste for the extravagance and ostentation of the previous generation, and of sympathy with the new mood of democracy.

Also view:

Gentlemen's Clothing of the Regency Era

Men's Fashion from the Jane Austen Centre

Fashionable Gentleman prints

A biography of George Brummel

Menswear from 1790 to 1830

History of Droving: Driving Livestock to Market

The Border Collie Museum provides a history of droving better than I can relate.

"As the populations of the cities grew, there became a great demand for wool for clothing, beef as food, and skins and hides for shoes, boots, and many other items. With that demand, the number of sheep and cattle raised in the less populated areas and then driven to market, also inclined. The easiest way to transport meat, skins and hides is on the hoof--driving the animals to markets and abattoirs clocer to the populated areas."

Over the centuries, countless drovers, dogs, and livestock wended their way to London. The sights, smells, and sounds must have been truly unique and at times overpowering.

1. Find a history of Smithfield Market where cattle have been driven for over 800 years.

2. The Droving Tradition in the Upper Eden Valley is described in vivid detail here.

3. Wikepedia offers a detailed explanation of drovers and the important role they played in feeding populations in cities

4. At the site of this Inn, The Royal Standard of England, find a recounting of the highwaymen and rakes that haunted the roads to accost unsuspecting (or suspecting) travellers.

With the Industrial Revolution, came The Passing of the Drovers.

"The peace, after the battle of Waterloo in 1815 finished the Napoleonic wars, meant the shrinking navy needed less beef but other changes were even more important. The first half of the nineteenth century saw a revolution in agriculture. Enclosed systems of fields replaced open common grazing and large, fatter cattle were bred and raised ready for market. More importantly, by the 1830s, faster steamships were being built and farmers in the lowlands and elsewhere started to ship cattle directly to the southern markets instead of by the long arduous overland droves. Then, once railways were established by the 1880, this provided an even swifter and more reliable means of transporting cattle and other agricultural products to market. The trade died steadily. "

Regency Fashions, Manners, and Style

Find the most fabulous links on this Women in World History site: Turbans, portraits, the Marriage of Princess Charlotte, Regency Styles Year by Year, Regency Outerwear, and more. This is a review of the "personal website of Catherine Decker, author of scholarly work in several fields, including 18th-century gender and literature."

Women in World History is a project of the Center for History and New Media, George Mason University, in our glorious Commonwealth of Virginia!

To use 21st century American parlance, "I am verklempt" by the sheer variety and magnitude of information covered on this site.

Other links of interest and noteworthiness (we seem all to be beating about the same mulberry bush, don't we?):

1. The Georgian Index
2. The Regency Ring
3. A Regency Repository

Bow Street Runners

Bow Street Runners
According to The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, "In order to encourage victims to report crimes, magistrates in both the City of London and Middlesex established "rotation offices" in the 1730s where Londoners could be certain of finding a magistrate present at fixed hours. One of these was set up in Bow Street, near Covent Garden, by Sir Thomas De Veil in 1739. "

In 1748, Henry and John Fieldings introduced a new practice of capturing thieves by "employing thief-takers as "runners" who, when a crime was reported, could be sent out by the magistrates to detect and apprehend the culprit. Thief-takers, such as William Pentlow, made a living out of the fees they charged for their services and the rewards they obtained from victims for identifying suspects and from the state for successful convictions."

Click here for The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, London 1674 to 1834. This impressive website is a"fully searchable online edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published, containing accounts of over 100,000 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court."

Find more on Bow Street Runners here.

Almack's Assembly Rooms

The patronesses of Almack's Assembly Rooms on King Street near St. James's Park could make or break one socially, although the food they served left something to be desired.

The Great Metropolis was written in 1837 by James Grant, a member of Almack's. In a chapter in his book, he discusses Almack's origin and impact on Society.

Find another description of Almack's here.

And more information on Wikipedia.

Find a detailed, if dry, description of Almack's on King Street on this British History Online site.

Finally, want to have some fun? Find a detailed, erudite description of the history of Almack's on Almack's Online Gaming Club. You can even join the club and play bridge or backgammon! There are privileged rates for hereditary peers. (You must live in an area where gaming is allowed.)

Memoir of Mary Darby Robinson

Mary Darby Robinson died in 1800 at the tender age of 42. Her memoirs were published posthumously by her daughter in 1802. Click on the above words to find the original text. Click here for Mary's biography.

The following is an excerpt from her memoirs:

"If there could be found a fault in the conduct of my mother towards her children, it was that of a too unlimited indulgence, a too tender care, which but little served to arm their breast against the perpetual arrows of mortal vicissitude.

My father's commercial concerns were crowned with prosperity. His house was opened by hospitality, and his generosity was only equalled by the liberality of fortune: every day augmented his successes; every hour seemed to increase his domestic felicity, till I attained my ninth year, when a change took place as sudden as it was unfortunate, at a moment when every luxury, every happiness, not only brightened the present, but gave promise of future felicity. A scheme was suggested to my father, as wild and romantic as it was perilous to hazard, which was no less than that of establishing a whale fishery on the coast of Labrador, and of civilising the Esquimaux Indians, in order to employ them in the extensive undertaking. During two years this eccentric plan occupied his thoughts by day, his dreams by night: all the smiles of prosperity could not tranquillise the restless spirit, and while he anticipated an acquirement of fame he little considered the perils that would attend his fortune. [Page 13]"

Shopping in Regency England

Jermyn Street. Burlington Arcade. Bond Street. Oxford Street. Saville Row. Floris.

All these words conjure up images of young misses shopping with their mamas, French seamstresses, and handmade silk shirts for the Man About Town. Click here to learn about Regency England shopping, and here to view Floris, where you can still shop in the original store with the bow front window at 89 Jermyn Street.

Other fabulous sites about shops and clothing:

• The Regency Fashion Page
• The First Decade Gowns
• Gentlemen's Costumes for the Assembly

An American in Regency England: From Richmond to Hyde Park Corner

From 1809 to 1811, Louis Simond, a French emigre who lived in America, spent 21 months in England. He chronicled his trip in journals, which he published as The Journal of a Tour and Residence in Great Britain.

I have in my possession a copy of his book, which has been retitled "An American in Regency England." Occasionally, I will post Simond's observations, as they seem as fresh now as the day he recorded them.

"January 11.--We arrived yesterday at Richmond. This morning I set out by myself for town, as London is called par excellence, in the stage-coach, crammed inside, and herisse outside with passengers, of all sexes, ages, and conditions. We stopped more than twenty times on the road--the debates about the fare of way-passengers--the settling themselves--the getting up, and the getting down, and damsels shewing their legs in the operation, and tearing and muddying their petticoats--complaining and swearing--took an immense time. I never saw any thing so ill managed. In about two hours we reached Hyde Park corner; I liked the appearance of it; but we were soon lost in a maze of busy, smoky, dirty streets, more and more so as we advanced."

Click here to find the Royal Parks, including Hyde Park and Richmond Park.

Travel During the Regency Period

When Sir Richard, The Corinthian in Georgett Heyer's novel of the same name, escorts his young charge, Pen, to her childhood home, he is boxed inside a public carriage with an assemblage of memorable characters. Jane and Georgette refer to Postillions as a matter of course whenever their heroes and heroines travel. I found the following definition from a public British site:

"In practice the Postillion was the man with spare horses held in a stable by the difficult spots in the road, to help speed the mail and passenger coaches on their way. This would generally develop into a break-point in the journey for the driver and passengers to pause on their journey, eat, refresh themselves etc. Over time this would develop into a Coaching Inn, Services."

For more details about public travel, click on this link to the History of Coaching, from the Regency Collection.

For more about the conditions of England's roads during this era, click on Coaching Days and Road Engineers by J. B. Calvert.

Regency Transportation includes illustrations of carts, coaches, carriages, horses, chariots, dog carts, phaetons, curricles, and more.

Carriages in Regency and Victorian Times includes a detailed description of the vehicles in an article by Ellen Micheletti.

This link to the Hackney Horse Society includes a short historical description.

Question:
I am setting a novel in 1784 England. My lead character is to take a hackney coach from London to Yorkshire in June. I am hoping to find out how long this trip would take and what towns she would pass through. Thanks for your help.

Answer:
1784 was just before the highly improved mail coaches were introduced on the main routes across Great Britain. They cut travelling times by nearly half. The London-York route in 1784 would have taken about three days, leaving London early on the first day and arriving in York late on the third day about 60 hours later. Overnight stops would have been made at such towns as Royston, Grantham or Doncaster depending on the distance travelled. By the 1780s roads had improved thus allowing for a quicker journey, but this was offset by the fact that the improvements in the roads were paid for by turnpikes. These basically were tollgates on selected turnpike roads which every vehicle had to stop at and pay a toll for the upkeep of the road, so journey times were lengthened by stopping at these turnpikes. Horses were changed every ten miles or so and there were lunch stops, so the journey was far from smooth, there were many stops along the way. If you had set your novel a few years later then the mail coaches would have been running on the Great North Road from 1788. These were faster carriages that passed straight through the turnpikes without stopping by paying the toll in advance and sounding the posthorn to warn the turnpike keeper to open the gate to let the carriage through. The same journey in 1788 took about 40 hours with one overnight stop. You could mention such towns as Huntingdon, Stamford, Newark and Pontefract in addition to those already mentioned.My home town was a coaching town on the London-Liverpool and London-Holyhead (for ferries to Ireland) routes. The old coaching inn is still standing. If your character ever travels that route I can give you the name of the landlord in the 1780s for extra authenticity! Mark Smith, All Experts

About Chatelaines, Code of the Fan, and Reticules . . .

The Georgian Index interprets the many conventions, manners, and objects of the Regency Period once known as indispensibles by ladies of refinement.

All Things Bath

Links to important places in Bath.

• Pump Room
• Assembly Rooms
• Bath Abbey
• Roman Baths
• Pultney Bridge
• Royal Crescent
• King's Circus
• The Museum of Costume, Bath
• Jane Austen Centre, Bath
• Map of Somerset
• Street Map of Bath
• Bath Web
• Visit Bath

Become an expert on the Assembly Rooms . Take a Georgian journey web quest by visiting sites and answering questions.

Republic of Pemberley

Janeites, we're not the only ones that live, eat, and breathe the world of Jane Austen.

Here, then, is the Republic of Pemberley, your haven in a world programmed to misunderstand obsession with things Austen.

Georgette Heyer

Georgette Heyer (1902-1974)

Georgette Heyer was a prolific writer of witty Regency romances, and historical and crime novels. Find a thoughtful synopsis of her books on this site. (Click on her name above.)

For more information about Georgette, click on:

• Her Regency World
• A list of books
• Notes on her life and novels

For a refreshing change, view the French cover illustrations of some of her mystery novels here.

Go to Wikipedia, which describes her life and work

Find book covers in A Gallery of Heyer Images

Read more about her in the World of Georgette Heyer

Find more information in Answers.com

Finally, take a poll and rate all her books. Compare your answers to others

Cost of Living in Georgian and Regency England

A penny isn't what it used to be, as you'll discover on the following sites.

Click on the The First Footguards blog to learn about the cost of living during the Georgian Period.

Here's a great link from The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, entitled Currency, Coinage & the Cost of Living: Pounds, Shillings & Pence: Purchasing Power 1674-1834

Click on The Cost of Living in Jane Austen's Period to learn about budgets and costs in her day and age,

and Understanding the society in which Jane Austen sets Pride and Prejudice, by Pamela Whalan.

Vauxhall Gardens

Vauxhall Gardens , also known as Spring Gardens or Pleasure Gardens, plays an important role in Regency novels, especially when licentious behavior moves the plot forward.

Click here for a short 3 minute video and transcript of an Evening at Vauxhall Gardens.

Find images of Vauxhall Gardens here.

Austen Blog

Austen Blog seems to be mostly about movies and books about Jane, but the site is worth a visit.

Free Pride and Prejudice Audio

LibriVox describes itself as the "acoustical liberation of books in the public domain."

On this site find all the chapters of Pride and Prejudice as MP3 files.

You have several options:

• Download the chapters directly into your Ipod.

• Save the chapters on your hard drive, and then listen on your favorite audio player.

Click on Librivox or Pride and Prejudice to enter the sites.

Fashions of the Regency Era

View gorgeous gowns on this site. They're so mouthwatering you would want to wear them.

Click here for more costumes and fabulous clothes, and a selection from the Museum of Costume in Bath.

Oh, ladies, this is going to be such fun!

Shall We Dance? Regency Style

"In 1814 the famous Lady Jersey was at the head of the Council, and the balls at Almack's were the ne plus ultra of fashionable entertainments. In those days a voucher for Almack's, only obtained from one of the six lady patronesses, was the aim and object of all who wished to shine in the mystic circle of the ultra-fashionable clique of London society; and an introduction to one of these great ladies was a matter of most anxious importance. The very stringent code of rules which guarded these gatherings from the intrusion of anyone outside the privileged circle was drawn up by Lady Jersey and her co-patronesses, and an admission was fraught with great difficulties. Each lady could only give a certain number of vouchers, and only the quintessence of aristocracy were present, while it was said three-fourths of the nobility knocked in vain at the portals of Almack's." - Mrs. Armytage

• Find a description of regency dances on Wikipedia.
• Social Dances of the 19th Century
• Regency Dance at the Regency Reader site

Welcome to the Regency Era

Ah, the Regency Era! We Janeites on the James are enthralled with it. Through the eyes of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer we have become intimately acquainted with this short period in English history. We admire the outrageous behavior and sparkling wit of their characters, as well as the era's clothes, furniture, and architecture.

Unsated, we reread the same few novels over and over, hoping to turn up additional nuggets of information from Jane's and Georgette's keen insights. Thank God for the Internet, which puts us within an ames-ace of all things Regency.

The delicate drawings and crystal clear paintings of Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres embody the refined sensibilities of the era. As we examine them, we are reminded that the English of the period revered all things French, despite Bonie's tiresome habit of killing British soldiers on the Continent.