UPON MY WORD! Facts, Fashion and Figures of the Regency!
by Linore Rose Burkard
June 2006 Volume One Issue Six ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Did You Notice? This month's issue is late. My family and I have been on vacation in New York where we saw friends and family and the beaches :0> and had a wonderful time! Sorry for the delay! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In This Issue:
Main Article: The Portrait Miniature During the Regency: Works of Heart (With photo link)
Feature: Linore's Top Motivational and Inspirational "E-Sources"
Feature: Linore's Favorite Regency E-Sources
June Fr.ee Download ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Portrait Miniature During the Regency: Works of Heart by Linore Rose Burkard
When King George III gave a wedding gift to his bride in 1761 of a tiny portrait miniature of himself, little did he know he was inspiring a fashion. The Queen posed for a full-size portrait wearing the miniature on a pearl bracelet, and thus the practice took off.
The portrait miniature existed in almost all of Europe, but it was "especially popular in Britain between about 1790 and 1830."1 After the Queen's example, the upper classes swarmed to have their own miniatures done, and a few artists became known for such work. Richard Cosway was possibly the most prolific and successful miniaturist, counting Prinny as a patron, among many others.
The miniature began as a way for monarchs and other members of the court to produce likenessess which could be given away, mostly for diplomatic purposes. Less costly than full portraits and much more portable, they were imminently practical in an age without photography. They soon became treasured as precious objects, however, and put in opulent settings of gold, pearls and ivory.
Their sizes range from as small as 1x1 and a quarter inch to 7x 4 with every variation in between. Most were oval, but there was variation in shape as well as their manner of being worn close to the body.
In addition to a bracelet, for instance, the miniature was often worn as a necklace, on a watch fob, or as a brooch. During the Regency, it was no longer only royalty who commissioned them, but an increasing number of the middle class. The main reason for having or giving one away? To keep loved ones close at heart. What better way to remember one's love than by sporting the likeness of the beloved?
An interesting variation of the miniature was the eye miniature--a tiny portrait of one whole eye. Miniscule and more intimate than a full portrait, the eye was considered the window to the soul and thus having its likeness was a token of intimacy that "outranked" the usual miniature. In addition, even secret lovers could safely exchange these, since anonymity was guaranteed.
In 1786 the prince of Wales paid five guineas for eye miniatures of himself and Mrs. Fitzherbert, which were encased in gold lockets. Later the prince had another eye miniature made and even one of his mouth, presumably to give to Mrs. Fitz. And before his death in 1830, though he had abandoned her in life, King George insisted upon being buried with the miniature of Mrs. Fitzherbert around his neck. The Duke of Wellington, to be safe, checked the corpse before burial. Sure enough, the miniature, set with diamonds, was there.
Other uses for the portrait miniature were as tools for grief and mourning, in which the deceased would be remembered as they were in life; or as statements of deep emotional states, such as melancholia, in which the subject would most likely rest his or her head on one hand. The sentimental usage of miniatures as love tokens or means of remembrance, however, is largely what spurred their popularity in the past, just as photos are wildly popular for such reasons today.
The portrait miniature: exquisite artwork that withstands examination with magnifying glasses! I caught a recent exhibition at the Cincinnati Art Museum and couldn't leave without a copy of the accompanying (huge) catalog. To see a few photos from the exhibit, click here: http://www.LinoreRoseBurkard.com/minis.html
(After snapping the above, we were informed that taking pictures was prohibited and therefore have only these to show. They're not wonderful, but will give you an idea of what the portrait miniature was.) 1 Quote from, Perfect Likeness: European and American Portrait Miniatures from the Cincinnati Art Museum. Julie Aronson and Marjorie E. Wieseman ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My Favorite Resources
People often ask me how I manage to write and do all I do, while raising a family with five children; The truth is, I depend upon a host of various helps beginning with my daily Bible reading, and then a good amount of motivational emails with inspiring quotes. What follows are some of my top picks from all the email I get. Try a few and see if they'll inspire you to reach some goals in your life as they have for me! (PS: I am not getting paid by anyone to list these; they just happen to be some of my favorite "e-sources," which I decided to share in case they can help YOU, too!)
Linore's Top Motivational/ Inspirational E-Resources
1: The PC Desktop Bible If you don't already include Bible reading in your life, I definitely recommend it. Easily accessible on your desktop and pre-sorted into daily manageable chunks, this nifty application keeps track of where you left off, too! Click here to check it out: http://www.daily-bible-readings.com/Lenore-Recommends-Daily-Readings.html
2. Bright Moment--One Minute Motivator by Edward W. Smith. A f.r.e.e daily email from Smith, who is no less than brilliant. His few sentences each day are densely packed with ideas and insights to move your life ahead, meaning that I often read them more than once to be sure I've got it all. And then I save them to hard disk! Get your subscription here: http://www.BrightMoment.com
3. "Unstoppable Insights" by Cynthia Kersey. Want to be "unstoppable" concerning reaching your goals and moving forward in life? If so, this is for you. For a f.r.e.e. subscription to this daily, go to: http://www.unstoppable.net
4. "Unleash Your Potential" Newsletter by Kevin Eikenberry. Another fr.eebie with loads of great products as well as valuable f.r.e.e. resources such as ebooks, articles, self-assessment sheets, newsletters and quote collections. Even if you just get the newsletter, you'll find some great stuff. (Leans towards entrepreneurs and finances.) Get it here: http://www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/subscribe.asp
5. Mark Merrill's "Family Minute". Cream-of-the crop e-daily with a one-paragraph thought for parents and spouses that's sure to strike a chord. Keeps you on your toes, reminds you of what REALLY matters, and offers various f.r.e.e. resources on occasion to help you get there. Go to: http://www.FamilyFirst.net for a f.r.ee subscription.
6. "Your Inspirational Quote" by Audrey and Jim Lanford. Great quotes to inspire, energize and keep you motivated and moving towards goals. They also feature products and links, but just reading the daily quote will uplift you. Get it by emailing: yourinspiration@famous-quotes-quotations.com Just put "subscribe" in the subject line.
7. Simply Slimming by Janice Elizabeth. Just go to www.simplyslimming.com to sign up for recipes, tips and articles to help you reach weight-loss goals without a traditional diet. F.r.e.e.
8. Achieve Your Goals, by Peggy McColl. Peggy is extremely choosy about what she'll put in her newsletter and won't waste your time with junk. Great articles on her website, too, as she passes on the wisdom she gleans from her own journey of learning to achieve her goals. Usually once a month. Go to: www.destinies.com to join the f.r.e.e mailing list.
Well, those are my top motivational/ inspirational picks. I get them, read them, and TRY to follow at least some of the great ideas and advice they contain. If you decide to subscribe to any, let me know how you like them! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COMING NEXT MONTH:
My top E-Resources for writing and publishing. It's a great big world out there, and what's a new writer to do? Where do you start? I'll give you the links and sites I like best. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ REGENCY E-SOURCES More recommendations from me, this time for Regency info and interest. As an author of Regency romance, I find these invaluable.
1. The Jane Austen Centre Newsletter "The world of Jane Austen on your desktop every month." A pretty, colorful monthly eZine coming straight out of Bath, England and not to be missed by a fan of Jane or the Regency. Great articles, pictures, quizzes, on-site gift shop, and more. Even better, it's f.r.e.e! Sign up at: http://www.janeausten.co.uk/centre/index.html
2. The Regency Library by Moonstone Research and Publications. Provides research materials for writers from various rare and hard to find sources. In addition, reprints are offered at a very reasonable price for those who do not wish to have a subscription. In July, Regency Library will offer its first a la carte list called 100 Years of Fashion. This is a list that runs in two parts, one concentrating on the fashions from the late 18th century through 1820 and the other part covers 1820 through the end of the era. Subscribers can subscribe to one part or to both parts and receive hundreds of fashion plates and descriptions and other tidbits on period fashions. For more information email suchen@mindspring.com. Or, visit the website at: http://www.regencylibrary.com (Note: This isn't a f.r.e.e. resource, but writers aren't the only people who will find Sue's stuff fascinating, and it's well worth the price.)
3. The Austen List. A Jane Austen reader/fan site for discussion of all things Jane: her books, movie adaptations, her life and times, and Jane "sightings" in the press or literature, etc. A few very knowledgeable "post-ers" to this list make it enlightening and interesting. Join the group for f.r.e.e at: http://lists.mcgill.ca/archives/austen-l.html
4. The Almack's (Heyer) List For fans of Georgette Heyer's Regency writing. You can join the discussion or just "lurk" and learn. Fun and informative. Join for f.r.e.e at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/almacks/
5. The Regency Lover's Cafe Great site with author listings for readers interested in Regency Romance. Also has many links to great historical info. Too much to list, so check it out and have fun. Go to: http://members.tripod.com/regencycafe/regencycafeindex.html
6. Byron. Another Yahoo group. Called, "Byron: the poems, the man and his times." Knowledgeable participants make this list really worthwhile, and it won't clog your email up as it has less activity than many lists. Whether you admire Byron the man, or just his work and times, you'll find posts of interest here. Sign up at no cost: http://www.Byron@yahoo.groups.com
For more online resources I like, check out my "enchantments" page at http://www.LinoreRoseBurkard.com/enchantments_links.html
Have a wonderful resource you'd like to recommend? Email me and if I like it, I'll pass it on, giving you the credit. Send your idea to: admin@linoreroseburkard.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ JUNE F.R.E.E. DOWNLOAD
Are successful people really "luckier?" In keeping with the motivational and success theme, this month's download is "Inside the Minds of Winners," a 289 page e-book by Charles Burke containing interviews with ultra-successful people. Learn how they think, what makes them "lucky," and how you can get a chunk of that "luck" in your life. (PS: I don't believe in luck--and after reading this book, you won't, either.)
Get your fr.ee download right now at: http://www.LinoreRoseBurkard.com/winners.html
Enjoy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DID YOU KNOW?
After sending out my monthly eZine, I usually re-work my main article and then send it out to article directories. From there, the articles go into the far reaches of cyber-space, and my only clue that people are reading them is the new subscribers I get for this newsletter! If you haven't seen my article directory lately, take a look here: http://www.LinoreRoseBurkard.com/articles.html
You'll find that the English Regency is only one of my interests!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks for reading! See you next month! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wishing you blessings,
Linore
www.LinoreRoseBurkard.com Regency Romance With A Twist of Faith Sign up for the f.r.e.e monthly newsletter, 'Upon My Word!" at: http://www.LinoreRoseBurkard.com/Regency_eZine.html
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