Happy Chinchilli Day!

God bless those brave Chinchillas.

Fragonard's Dangerous Liaisons

Before we had Glenn Close to exercise her great acting skills in the film, Dangerous Liaisons, there was the novel, Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos. The book was published in multiple volumes in 1782 and was popular due to the scandalous content. Of course the content was probably only scandalous to those who weren't aware of just how true to life it could be!

When the 1796 edition of the book came out it had its own version of a star-studded cast. The saucy painter, Fragonard was a perfect pick for an illustrator. He was well-known, his art sensual, and his pencil could tell a story. Here are some of his illustrations for Liaisons Dangereuses.

A Woman's Wit at The Morgan Library

As every good Janeite* is probably aware, The Morgan Library in New York City is currently having an exhibition titled, A Woman's Wit: Jane Austen's Life and Legacy. I had the opportunity to see this once in a lifetime display, and Janeites, I was not disappointed!

One of the first things you may notice about this exhibition is how small the space is. Everything is contained in one room, which gives the appearance of it being a small display, but do not be fooled, there is much to be seen. A complaint I would have about the space would be that the displays are too close to each other which makes for a crowded experience. My advice is to avoid the exhibition on the weekend if possible, otherwise you are crowding around small documents with three other people.

The exhibition consists mainly of Jane Austen's letters which are accompanied by visual aids. James Gillray's satirical images serve as tour guides throughout the exhibit seeing as he was a witty contemporary of Austen's. They also serve as a visual breath of fresh air after all the reading you tend to do! The majority of the work on display is from Pierpont Morgan's personal collection. Yes, the Industrial-age banker was quite the Austen fan! He went through leaps and bounds in order to get his hands on anything Jane touched. For years Mr. Morgan searched for original manuscripts and was told more than once that these had all been destroyed. He was finally able to acquire the manuscript to Lady Susan as well as a partial one to an unpublished work. It is these side stories about how Jane Austen's work that affect other's peoples lives that is part of A Woman Wit.

On the opposite spectrum, there are also examples from people who influenced Jane. She was great fan of Fanny Burney, as evidenced through her name appearing in a subscription list -the only occasion in her lifetime when it would appear in print. Jane was also a fan of Lord Byron's poetry which is represented by one of his manuscripts written in his artful hand.

Other items on display were a selection of the various illustrations that would accompany Austen's novels, various book editions, and personal records from the authoress. One of the things I most enjoyed was a print of William Blake's portrait of Mrs. Q which Jane saw and reported to her sister that it was how she pictured Jane in Pride and Prejudice. I also am always entertained/tortured by letters censured by prudish Victorian relatives. One letter is censored right as Austen is about to describe Edward Bertrum. Fill in the blank here: I find Edward to be...

I didn't entirely know what to expect from A Woman's Wit but I left the exhibition very pleased. The Morgan Library does our witty author justice in displaying these small snippets from her personal life in which her snarky, funny, and loving nature come to life. The experience of a non-visual art display is also quite unusual and some may find all the reading (of both the work and descriptions) quite exhausting. But never-fear, that is why The Morgan serves Tea in their cafe; leaving you the perfect opportunity to discuss the experience with your companion. If you are in town up until March 14, this is an exhibition not to be missed.


*One of the many things I learned at this exhibition is that the term "Janeite" has been around since the last century.

Phrenology

Ever wonder why you are such a good friend, tight with your money, or very religious? Well Franz Joseph Gall has an answer for you! It's all due to the shape of your head.

The German physician developed Phrenology in 1797 to explain people's personalities. If you had some sort of dent on your scalp, and therefore skull, this was connected to your brain which was connected to your mind, which is what determines that personality trait. Or so the theory goes.

Let's see, I have one on the back right of my skull. Let me get out my charts and diagrams...oh, here it is: compulsive shoe shopper and drug addict. Hmm, that only seems half-right.

Phrenology became popular in the mid-19th century and the United States found it especially useful. For the most part today the practice is dismissed as quackery but surprisingly enough it is still used by some some believers all around the world.

Exhibition Day

Sorry to interrupt your usual Sunday critique. For those who are interested, Lauren and I are on a joint exhibition venture in New York City today. There is just too many art exhibitions to do with the long eighteenth century to pass up!

I will be attempting to keep you updated in real time about the excursion via my Twitter account. Don't get too excited, I'm sure that a lot of it will consist of how much I hate the metro system, and a spare picture of window-shopping could get thrown in (aren't you glad my mobile in England couldn't Twitter? What a mess that would have been!).

The exhibitions I hope to get to are as follows-

A Women's Wit: Jane Austen's Life and Legacy at the Morgan Library and Museum

Watteau to Degas at the Frick Collection

Both American Stories and Watteau, Music and Theatre at the Met

Heather on Twitter @GeorgianaGossip Lauren on Twitter @MarieGossip

Yay or Nay? Princess Anna Amalia

Prince Heinrich was met with another Yay despite a few criticisms. Some people hated his lumpy way of buttoning his coat while others appreciated it. This week we have a Princess who also missed a button in the process of dressing. I think this could have been because she was blinded by her own clothing.


Antoine Pesne paints Anna Amalia of Prussia (as an Amazon) in what can only be described as 'silver.'

Tart of the Week: Lavinia Fenton

Sometimes the best tarts are the products of tarts themselves. Lavinia Fenton was the result of her mother's late night rendezvous with a sailor. Things were rough growing up in Charing Cross in the early 1700s. Lavinia, like so many young women, turned to prostitution as a child. From there she took the usual prostitute promotion and became an actress.

Her first recorded appearances on the stage happened while she was still a teenager. It was when Lavinia joined the production at Lincoln's Inn Fields that she became noticed. Of course this could just be because she was a pretty face. Either way, people flocked to see the divine Miss Fenton on stage. One of those people was Charles, Duke of Bolton.

The Duke was in a loveless marriage and much older than Lavinia but that wouldn't stop the two from shacking up. Nor would Lavinia let shacking up get in the way of her career. It was her performance as Polly Peachum in The Beggar's Opera that earned Lavinia the most success. It also earned her a depiction in a Hogarth painting portraying the play. Now Lavinia was a full-out star: the papers followed her, prints were made of her, and she became the reason people would see the play.

After her initial success as Polly Peachum, there was a demand for Lavinia to play the character in just about any production of The Beggar's Opera. In the meantime she had three sons, all with the Duke. It wasn't until the death of his wife in 1751 that the Duke made an honest woman out of Lavinia. Nine years later, Lavinia died, having lived her celebrity life with a happier ending than its beginning.