Ezzelin and Meduna - John Henry Fuseli
1779
(Source: wga.hu)
Situated along the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, FL; the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is a true gem to this Northeast Florida city. I have visited many times in the past, but have never been able to take photos inside the museum. I am grateful that their photography policy has changed, so I can share some of their 18th century pieces with you.
The room containing their 18th century collection has been updated since my last visit, and the layout is much more suited to show off their large collection of Early Meissen Porcelain, “one of only three collections of this type and quality in the world”. The cases have been updated and placards now include interactive QR codes. My guests and I had a wonderful time looking at all of the quirks and paintings on the pieces. It is truly a marvelous collection.
Although the museum is of modest size, you can still easily spend half a day taking in the art. They always have a few rotating exhibitions (one of which was the reason for my visit this time), so things are kept fresh at the Cummer.
Not to be outdone by the inside, the Cummer Gardens (Italian and English) draw garden enthusiasts and camera happy families alike. The smell of the gardens in the spring and early summer is completely delicious, and there are wonderful views of the St. Johns River.
I highly recommend a trip to this museum if you find yourself in Florida. The 18th century room will please your senses, and the rest of the museum has much to admire as well. The staff and volunteers have always been friendly and accommodating, and the Cummer does much to inspire culture in the city of Jacksonville.
To view more photos from The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, visit our Facebook Page.
Fashionable Contrasts or The Duchess’s little shoe yielding to the magnitude of the Duke’s foot - James Gillray
Petticoat - c. 1720: England
©The Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Toru Kogure
“It is ungentlemanly to use a napkin for wiping the face or scraping the teeth, and a most vulgar error to wipe one’s nose with it.” — 1729 French Treatise
A portrait of Madame Elisabeth in a chemise dress by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun. Circa the 1780s.
Second Course - Elizabeth Raffald
Dearest followers,
Please accept my most sincere apologies for being absent as of late. I have been researching and writing for two senior seminars, and my free time has been limited. My research topics are of course related to the 18th century, and I look forward to sharing them with you after completion. Soon I shall have nothing but free time to devote to all the things you love about the 18th century (and I have a few ideas up my sleeve).
Your most obedient and humble servant,
Heather
“I am no Saint, no Spartan, no Reformer.” — Sir Robert Walpole
[video]
treasure for your pleasure: Equity Auditions for MARIE ANTOINETTE at the American Repertory Theatre -
The following is based on information from BroadwayWorld.com:
The American Repertory Theatre (in coordination with the Yale Repertory Theatre) is holding auditions for equity actors interested in performing in Marie Antoinette by David Adjmi, due to premiere in the fall of 2012. The auditions…
(I am very excited for this project that Adrian Teal is working on, and I’m hoping we can all rally behind him in support of this book. There are some wonderful benefits for supporting. Please consider helping this book come alive and showing appreciation for those keeping the 18th century alive. I asked him to explain the project, so I hope you enjoy! - Heather)
The Whig politician, Charles James Fox, is the 18th century in human form, to my way of thinking. Lauded for his ‘talent for friendship’, he was a fat, unshaven, scruffy womaniser, who was descended directly from the party animal King Charles II, and lived life on his own terms. He was a ‘man of sensibility’, who cried openly in Parliament when friends felt compelled to speak against him, and who married a courtesan in secret, devoting his declining years to tending their garden, and making her happy.
Fox was also an heroic drinker and compulsive gambler, infamous for all-night sessions. On one notorious occasion in 1772, he played Hazard non-stop from Tuesday through to Wednesday night, during which time he won, lost, and recovered £12,000, and finally lost £11,000. He paused briefly on Thursday to debate in the House of Commons, then returned to his club, drank until Friday morning, walked to Almack’s to gamble until 4pm, winning £6,000, then rode to Newmarket and blew £10,000 on the gee-gees. The Georgians – I think we can agree - make today’s celebs look like teetotal milksops.
My mission is to recapture some of the spirit of this gloriously dissipated, bawdy, and star-studded epoch, and I’m writing a crowd-funded book for Unbound called The GIN LANE GAZETTE. It will be a compendium of illustrated highlights from a fictional newspaper of the 1700s: a kind of scurrilous Georgian tabloid. It will contain some of the most sensational headlines and true stories of my chosen period (1750-1800), generated by many familiar figures from history. The presses are presided over by Mr. Nathaniel Crowquill, the editor and proprietor, whose premises are located in Hogarth’s chaotic Gin Lane, and who has devoted fifty years to rooting out scandal and oddities with which to titillate his readership. The rascally Mr. Isaac Jakes supplies merciless caricatures and engravings, which disport themselves across every page. Sports reports, obituaries, fashion news, courtesans of the month, and advertisements for bizarre Georgian goods and services will also feature in this exuberant assemblage of muck and fun. I want to give readers an authentic flavour of the debauchery, bravery, villainy, inventiveness, and eccentricity which characterize the 18th century. Virtual Georgian reality, in book form, is my aim.
Unbound has published works by Monty Python legend, Terry Jones, and a host of others, including Tibor Fischer and Kate Mosse, and I’m honoured to be joining their ranks. I have spent sixteen years producing cartoons for clients such as The Sunday Telegraph and History Today, and hope to combine my experience in journalistic caricature with my love of history in a unique and evocative way. I entreat you to read my pitch, watch my video, and pledge if you like what you see…
The Combat of Mars and Minerva
Joseph-Benoit Suvee
1771
(Source: wga.hu)