This 1815 cartoon by George Cruikshank is a contemporary view of how Napoleon’s escape from his exile to Elba to France was regarded by the British. It satirically suggests that a “triumphal pillar” be erected to mark the spot where Napoleon landed on French soil on March 3, 1815. The pillar features a bloody skeleton,…
In my earlier post this week I described Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo and how it led him to St. Helena. After trying to evade the British forces and make his way to United States, Napoleon had to accept his punishment, which included a final sea voyage to his last place of exile. The trip down…
This summer the cruise ship industry is getting back on its feet after being shut down by the pandemic for 15 months. According to the Cruise Lines international Association, 31.5 million passengers are expected to board a cruise ship in 2023, surpassing 2019 pre-pandemic numbers. For many, a summer cruise means a fun vacation,…
Earlier this week I posted about Beau Brummel’s famous snub of the Prince Regent, a witty remark which ultimately resulted in Brummel’s downfall. In my research I came across some other zingers that had less tragic consequences. Although these comments may have stopped conversation, they didn’t ruin anyone’s life. The following stories, some of which…
This month marks the anniversary of one of the most famous snubs in history, or at least in Regency history. For it was in July of 1813 that Beau Brummell snubbed the Prince Regent at London’s Argyle rooms. And that snub, for whatever momentary satisfaction it may have given Brummell, marked the beginning of the…
June is a busy month in the UK’s royal calendar. In addition to the King’s Birthday Parade (also known as Trooping the Colour), on the second Saturday of June there’s the Royal Ascot – arguably the most famous horse race in the world. The Royal Ascot races, held every year, span five days in the…
This month on the second Saturday in June, a curious and uniquely British ceremony took place, as it does every year. Trooping the Colour is a centuries-old tradition full of pomp and pageantry, where anything can, and sometimes does, happen.
In addition to paintings, architecture, and literature, the Battle of Waterloo inspired caricature art immediately after the victory and for some time after. Prints detailing the outcome and effects of the famous battle appeared in Europe and Great Britain, and they make fascinating viewing today. In England, many of these cartoons were featured in…
June 18 is the 208th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, the epic 1815 encounter that put an end once and for all to Napoleon’s dream of conquering Europe.
In my post earlier this week, I discussed the Titus haircut that was all the rage during the late 1790s-early 1800s, and how women sometimes used wigs to augment their fashionably cropped hair. So I thought it would be fun to show you a set of period caricatures of women in wigs. Of the four women,…